Senior Software Engineer

Who We Are

Summer is a Certified B Corp with a mission to maximize savings for the 46 million Americans burdened by student debt. Summer combines policy expertise with innovative tech to help borrowers simplify college cost planning and student loan repayment, generating $278/month in savings per person and $1.8B in savings for our users to date. Watch our product overview and hear from our members on how Summer has put them on the path to becoming debt-free.

Summer has raised $30 million to date from world-class investors, including QED Investors, General Catalyst, Greycroft, Rebalance Capital, SemperVirens, Foundation Capital, Story Ventures, NextView, Flourish Ventures, and the Financial Health Network. We've partnered with dozens of clients who pay for Summer to assist their employees and customers, including the city government of Alexandria, Virginia, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Diabetes Association, Asurion, the City of New York, ADP and more.

Your Role

We could spend paragraphs talking about coding requirements, algorithms, and data structures—but you’ve already mastered those. There are plenty of companies where you can write code all day, every day. This role is different.

As a full-stack Senior Software Engineer at Summer, you’ll play a critical role in shaping our products, our engineering practices, and our team culture. This isn’t just about closing tickets or reviewing pull requests—it’s about deeply owning areas of the product and helping build something that people truly need. You’ll work cross-functionally to ship scalable, secure, and customer-centric solutions that make higher education more accessible and affordable.

This is an opportunity to grow your technical leadership, mentor peers, and contribute meaningfully to a mission-driven company working in fintech and education.

What You’Ll Do

• Own and Lead DevelopmentTake full ownership of features and systems, from idea to production. You’ll lead technical design and implementation for team-level projects, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security.
• Build Across the StackContribute to full-stack development—from frontend UI components in React to backend services in Node.js and database design in Postgres.
• Architect for GrowthHelp build scalable platforms, including integrations with external partners, and making thoughtful architectural decisions with long-term impact.
• Collaborate DeeplyWork closely with product managers and designers to translate customer needs into well-scoped, technical solutions. Write clear specs and contribute to the broader product strategy.
• Champion Engineering PracticesContribute to and help evolve our engineering processes, tooling, and standards. Drive improvements in code quality, team velocity, and system resilience. Leverage AI tools responsibly to improve documentation, debugging, and developer productivity, while maintaining code quality and review standards.
• Mentor and Level Up the TeamProvide thoughtful, constructive code reviews. Help unblock teammates and support their growth through knowledge sharing and collaboration.

You Might Be A Fit If You Have

• 5+ years of experience building and maintaining production-grade web applications, including both frontend and backend work.
• A track record of owning features or systems in complex environments—ideally within fintech, edtech, or other verticals that may manage sensitive data.
• Comfort navigating ambiguity and making thoughtful trade-offs when perfect information isn’t available.
• Experience leading technical decisions at the team level and balancing long-term scalability with short-term needs.
• Strong communication skills that allow you to collaborate cross-functionally and influence without authority.
• Experience with emerging tools and practices in software development using or evaluating AI-assisted development tools like GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc

Our Tech Stack

• Languages & Frameworks: TypeScript, JavaScript, Node.js, React, HAPI
• Database & Storage: PostgreSQL, Redis, AWS RDS
• Infra & DevOps: Netlify, Heroku, AWS, CircleCI, Snowflake
• Monitoring & Security: Sentry, Datadog, and a strong emphasis on security-first development

As A Senior-Level Software Engineer At Summer, You Will

• Lead technical design for team-level projects; ensure reliability, security, and scalability while weighing trade-offs thoughtfully.
• Anticipate risks and manage cross-team dependencies; help the team consistently meet its commitments.
• Navigate ambiguity and help others do the same; proactively identify areas for improvement in tools, systems, and processes.
• Engage in productive disagreement, create alignment post-debate, and contribute to a psychologically safe team culture.
• Translate technical decisions into product impact; drive cross-functional alignment through clear specs and proposals.
• Shape the team’s technical direction; mentor engineers across the team and connect engineering decisions to user and business value.

How We Work

Our Product, Engineering, Design and Data (PEDD) team is guided by a strong set of values about how we work together

• High-Integrity Commitments: We do what we say we’ll do—and we hold ourselves accountable. You’ll be empowered to make and own commitments that matter.
• Ambiguity as Opportunity: We lean into uncertainty with curiosity. This role is ideal for someone who thrives when things aren’t perfectly defined.
• Constructive Disagreement: We believe the best ideas come from respectful debate. You’ll be expected to challenge and be challenged in service of better outcomes.
• Customer-Centric Impact: We focus on real, measurable outcomes for users—not just shipping features.

The Details

Compensation: $150,000–$170,000 USD annual base salary + equity + comprehensive benefits

Work Environment

Summer is a remote-first company with team members across the U.S. We collaborate asynchronously and meet virtually each week, with in-person gatherings for key moments during the year.

Why Join Summer

Summer is on a mission to help borrowers navigate and eliminate student debt. We partner with financial institutions, employers, and government agencies to provide digital tools that simplify the loan experience for millions of borrowers.

We’re a mission-driven team that believes in solving real problems with real empathy. We care deeply about our users and each other. If you’re excited about building technology that changes lives, we’d love to meet you.

How We Support You

• Equity grant to share in Summer’s success
• 100% employee-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with 3% match, fully vested day one
• Home office setup reimbursement
• Monthly lunch credits
• Direct contributions toward your student loans
• Up to 11 paid holidays + flexible PTO
• Paid leave for family, health, or personal needs
• Annual in-person events including Summer Camp and Summer Wonderland
• And more!

Equal Opportunity

Summer is an equal opportunity employer. We make employment decisions based on merit and business needs and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status.