About U.S. Digital Response
U.S. Digital Response (USDR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that quickly deploys skilled technologists to address and uncover solutions for common, systemic challenges that public servants are facing, leaving them better equipped to deliver services and support the critical needs of the public.
Since March 2020, USDR’s projects have supported 42M+ people in 37 U.S. states and territories. We've partnered with over 230 governments and nonprofits, completed more than 300 projects, and created solutions addressing pressing challenges in order to help the government meet the critical needs of people today, while building digital resilience to stand up to the crises of tomorrow.
Learn more about our last year in our annual impact report, Demos not Memos in 2021: A Look Back and watch our Scaling Civic Tech Panel on the Poll Workers Tool.
About our Elections Program
America’s election infrastructure is crumbling - and it is critically under supported. Our vision is an America where every election office has access to the tools and technology required to run modern, fair, and trustworthy elections.
USDR deploys experienced technologists to help election officials quickly respond to new challenges, and builds simple, effective digital tools that enable governments to better meet voters’ needs. Since 2020, USDR has partnered with over 50 election offices and NGOs on engagements serving over 16 million people. Examples of our past projects include a poll locator tool built for Native American populations in Arizona with non-traditional addresses (webinar with more info here), and a poll worker management tool that is used by over a dozen counties nationwide to acquire, train, communicate with, and pay their poll workers more efficiently (more information here).
In 2022, U.S. Digital Response received a multi-year grant award from the Center for Tech and Civic Life to establish a dedicated Elections Program and support the growth of our work.
About the role
USDR is seeking a Product Engineer to be the third full-time engineering hire for our Elections program. In this role, you will gain deep insight into the real challenges facing America’s elections system, and understand how technologists can help—not as “tech saviors,” but as thought partners.
We are architecting a low-code product platform to streamline back-office election management. This role will focus on hands-on engineering to support the development of this platform.
You will work closely with internal and external team members to design and implement solutions for our government partners. Our Elections team includes two other full-time developers, two program co-leads, and an engagement manager. You will also work closely with government partners to understand their needs, translate what you learn into technical requirements, and implement features. USDR’s deep bench of experienced and highly technical volunteers may also join to help implement specific projects. You’ll help set context for them and serve as a technical sounding board.
In this position you will:
- Launch and scale a low-code software platform that helps election departments respond effectively to voter needs.
- Support the growth of the Elections program engineering team by participating in hiring processes for future hires
- Onboard and advise engineers from USDR’s volunteer ecosystem to assist with the implementation of projects.
- Represent USDR on calls with our government and nonprofit partners alongside the Elections Program Leads and volunteers.
- Represent USDR and the values of our Volunteer Oath in your work.
Qualified candidates will have:
- At least 2 years of experience developing web applications through the full software development lifecycle, especially using backend web technologies. Bonus if you have experience on the frontend as well.
- Previous responsibility for delivering new services and features, not just maintaining legacy systems.
- Ability to self-direct your time toward high-leverage activities. This is a good role for a creative, user-focused engineer.
- Experience working closely with PMs, UX and UI designers, and engineers.
- Comfort with joining an early-stage team, meaning that the substance of what you work on will change as our team and products grow in maturity.
- Interest in learning about and contributing to an ecosystem of open source, low-code, and/or no-code software
- Strong interest in supporting equitable access to public services
- Desire to create an organizational culture and project offerings that reflect anti-oppression knowledge and best practices.
- Or any combination of education, experience, and measurable performance that demonstrates the capability to perform the duties of the position
Application Process:
- Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis with a preference for applications received by January 15th. USDR will conduct an application and resume review, followed by a series of interviews with various members of USDR.
What you’ll get:
- A competitive salary, consistent with similar roles in other tech non-profits in the Bay Area where USDR is headquartered. The annual salary range for this role is $135,000 - $165,000 depending on experience.
- Full health, dental and vision benefits (USDR pays 100% of the cost for our employees and 80% of the cost for their dependents).
- 401K with a matching contribution of up to 3 percent of your pay with $1 for each dollar you contribute and for more than 3 percent and up to 5 percent of your pay with $0.50 for each dollar you contribute.
- An equipment reimbursement for the purchase of a computer and peripheral devices of up to $2,000 along with a Work from Home allowance of $100 each month to support employees as they navigate working from home.
- A discretionary budget of $500 per year per employee for learning and development along with an organization-wide L&D budget to support individuals and teams with work-related learning and development expenses
- A supportive community where everyone can thrive and find a balance between working hard to make a difference and taking care of themselves. This means that we are committed to a fully remote work environment (for US-based employees) along with flexible schedules and time off policies that work with your life.
Equal Employment Opportunity
U.S. Digital Response is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer fully dedicated to achieving a diverse staff. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation), disability status, protected veteran status, political party affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law.
We encourage and welcome all interested potential applicants, regardless of background or prior experience volunteering with U.S. Digital Response, to apply.