Software Solutions Engineer

Riverdale Country School is a Pre-K through grade 12 independent school in New York City committed to empowering lifelong learners by developing minds, building character, and creating community in order to change our world for the good. Riverdale seeks to reflect that belonging is the foundational core of community building in how we work collaboratively and support the school's mission and empowers all community members to thrive in mind, character, and community. Riverdale enrolls about 1,300 students who collectively reside in 117 different zip codes.

We seek to employ people who engage in all aspects of work with a student-centered approach, an open mind, passion, and a willingness to support the greater community.

The Software Solutions Engineer is a member of our all-school technology team and reports to the Chief Information and Technology Officer. The successful candidate is a curious and creative problem-solver who values continuous learning and collaborative work, and thrives in a responsive environment that highly values and utilizes AI in solutions engineering and operates on a Google Cloud-centric platform. There are many opportunities to interact with our colleagues and students beyond these key responsibilities and we value those who wish to immerse themselves in our community. This full-time, in-person position operates on a 12-month schedule (not a fixed-term contract) and is available immediately. We provide intentional onboarding and mentorship to ensure all new team members feel fully supported in learning our systems and culture.

Custom Application Development Projects

• Designing and maintaining interactive web applications that allow students and families to visualize academic history and plan future course progressions.
• Exploring and implementing AI-driven conversational interfaces to allow community members to query institutional data securely and efficiently.
• Building and supporting internal applications, including a centralized job description management system and administrative auditing tools for cloud storage.
• Developing dynamic, data-driven organizational charts and departmental flowcharts that update in real-time based on school supervisory data.

Data Integration and Systems Architecture Projects

• Architecting and maintaining the "glue" between core platforms (our Veracross SIS, ADP and Lever for HRIS/ATS), ensuring seamless data flow for account lifecycles and administrative alerts.
• Leading the effort to centralize disparate data sources into a unified warehouse to power school-wide reporting and analytics.
• Creating proactive "Student Dashboards" for Deans and Counselors that aggregate grades, attendance, and feedback into a single, actionable interface.
• Developing scripts and API integrations to replace manual processes, such as syncing athletics schedules and admissions communications.

Professional Expectations

• Using AI extensively is expected, encouraged, and supported - both as an accelerant for your own development workflow (AI-assisted coding tools) and as a building block within the applications you design.
• Commitment to producing clear, accurate, and comprehensive documentation (internal and public facing) for code, system architecture, and user guides.
• A commitment to designing and developing applications that adhere to web accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and maintain a high standard of usability for all users.
• Soliciting community feedback and proactively addressing bugs.

Necessary Requirements

• A minimum of 1-3 years of professional development experience, or equivalent project experience in a related field.
• Development experience in Google Workspace and the Google Cloud ecosystem, including hands-on experience with Google Apps Script and the Sheets/Drive APIs.
• A demonstrated understanding of one or more web frameworks.
• A demonstrated understanding of API's, data modeling and visualization
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to translate complex administrative needs into elegant technical solutions.
• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to manage the full software development lifecycle (SDLC) for multiple simultaneous projects.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders (Deans, Parents, and Students).
• Awareness of information security standards and best practices, including data privacy and role-based access control, especially in an educational environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience in full-stack web development and a strong command of modern programming languages.
• Deep understanding of REST APIs and data modeling.
• Experience with data visualization, warehousing, and experience with services like BigQuery is a significant plus.
• Experience with self-auditing systems for security, accessibility and general compliance.
• Familiarity with SSO/identity integration (SAML, OAuth) for securely connecting internal tools to third-party platforms.

General Departmental Responsibilities

Professional development opportunities are available and strongly encouraged. We seek a candidate with a strong appreciation for the role of technology in learning and as a foundational component of school operations. A desire to contribute positively to the collaborative culture of the department is essential. Riverdale actively seeks diversity in its employees and is dedicated to creating an inclusive and equitable environment where all employees feel a strong sense of belonging, are treated with respect, and have opportunities to thrive.

$90,000 - $120,000 a year

Salary Range: $90k-$120k per year.

We encourage all candidates who are eager to deploy modern systems architecture and AI solutions in a collaborative educational environment to solve real-world problems to apply.

To apply for this position, please click on the red "Apply for this Job" button. Please submit a resume and cover letter. If there are pronouns we should use in potential future communications, we invite you to share that information with us. For information about this position and all open positions, please visit the Careers page of Riverdale's website.

Benefits of Full Time Work at Riverdale Country School

Working at Riverdale Country School is a purposeful and meaningful career choice that comes with many benefits including:

Transportation: Shuttle service is available to/from the 242nd St / Broadway subway station. Limited stops are also available near transit hubs in Manhattan including the Metro North Harlem Station and subway lines - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, A, B, C, and D. If there is need in the community, we can also run a shuttle from the Henry Hudson Parkway / 246th St bus stop which connects to the #7, #10, and Express Buses to/from Manhattan.

Professional Development: A generous professional-development budget provides for conferences, skills training, and onsite training in areas such as mindfulness, coaching, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Grants and Stipends: All employees are eligible for Frankel Fellow grants, known as "passion grants," which pay for enrichment activities. More than 120 grants have been made to faculty and staff since the program started in 2014. Stipends are available for coaching, affinity group facilitation, advising clubs with significant out-of-school time, and chaperoning trips (including global trips!).

Sabbatical: Full time teaching faculty are eligible for a sabbatical after 10 years of employment.

Health Benefits: Riverdale offers and subsidizes health, dental, and vision insurance. In addition, the school offers a flexible spending account through which employees can use pre-tax dollars to pay for health-related expenses.

Retirement: Employees are eligible to join our Defined Contribution retirement plan through TIAA. The school contributes 7% of an employee's annual salary to their retirement account.

Vacation: Riverdale Country School has a generous time-off policy for staff in addition to vacations afforded by the school calendar.