Web Systems Engineer

Menlo School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school for students in grades six through twelve. Located in Atherton, California, and established in 1915, the School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is a member of the National and California Associations of Independent Schools.

Menlo is dedicated to providing a challenging academic curriculum complemented by outstanding creative arts and athletic programs. The School helps students develop positive values and nurtures character development in a supportive environment that upholds the highest moral and ethical standards. Our program encourages students to reach their fullest potential and to develop the skills necessary to respond intelligently and humanely to the complexities of a diverse and increasingly interconnected world.

We are looking for a Web Systems Engineer whose core duties include writing maintainable frontend and backend code, building user-friendly web applications, and connecting third-party cloud solutions to existing systems. The person in this role also develops integrations between the School’s in-house and third-party web-based systems, supports the Communications team with the technical aspects of running Menlo’s public website, troubleshoots problems with various web-based systems, and builds out creative and innovative solutions that improve the lives of Menlo’s constituents. The ideal candidate is a competent web developer and expert in creating intuitive user interfaces as well as a self-starter who thrives in an environment with minimal supervision, has a passion for learning and exploring new ways of solving problems, has strong troubleshooting and project management skills, and knows the value of beautiful design.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage and execute integration of in-house and third-party web applications into the School’s operations.
• Develop easy-to-use web applications that correct procedural, technical, or financial inefficiencies in day-to-day operations of the School.
• Maintain, troubleshoot, and expand existing web applications used by various constituents of the School.
• Propose, develop, and execute creative and innovative technical approaches to solve a wide range of challenges faced by faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni.
• Design and implement easy-to-use workflows and intuitive user interfaces with a strong focus on pleasing visual design and utmost simplicity.
• Provide training on existing and newly integrated web-based systems to stakeholders and technology support staff.
• Work closely and collaboratively with colleagues from the Technology team as well as the Communications team to achieve successful project outcomes.
• Ensure security and maintain confidentiality of constituents’ personal data.
• Administer existing databases and build new ones for use by in-house web applications.
• Strategize and execute technical decisions related to public web presence using third-party content management system.
• Continually improve the visual and structural layout of the School’s public website in collaboration with the Communications team.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Five years or more of web development and/or software engineering experience in a professional capacity (required).
• At least three years of professional experience building web applications using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, object oriented PHP, MySQL, and REST APIs (required); familiarity with frontend frameworks such as React or Vue is preferred.
• Strong grasp of security principles and how they apply to web applications (required).
• Must have creative problem-solving and troubleshooting skills, a desire to be innovative, a willingness to think outside the box, and must be meticulously organized and detail-oriented.
• Experience managing projects and ability to work independently and under minimal supervision required.
• Must have a good sense for pleasing visual design and have a strong understanding of what makes UI/UX easy and friendly to users; experience with Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator preferred.
• Proficient with Linux/Unix command line tools and working knowledge of macOS operating system.
• Must possess a collaborative nature, strong interpersonal skills, flexibility, and a sense of humor.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Experience with Git version control, bash scripting, and knowledge of basic web server maintenance preferred.
• Experience using cloud-based services such as AWS RDS, DynamoDB, Lambda, Elastic Beanstalk, and ECS/Kubernetes preferred.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree preferred, ideally in computer science or a computer technology related major.

Perks and Benefits

• Private office
• Flexibility on equipment and software to enhance productivity
• Excellent work/life balance with generous time off and flexible work hours
• Free lunch when school is in session
• Competitive salary
• Comprehensive benefits package for you and your family
• Generous contributions to 403b retirement plan
• On-campus child care center

Menlo School is an Equal Opportunity Employer