Senior Software Engineer, Optimizer (Remote, USA) (USA)
Builds the schedule-optimization engine at an edtech startup whose platform generates school master schedules for ~500,000 students: turns school constraints into mathematical optimization models (Gurobi, Google OR-Tools CP-SAT) and the backend/AWS systems around them; ~80% backend, 20% frontend.
- Compensation
- $160K–$200K / yr
- Location
- Not listed
- Work setup
- Remote
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 3+ years
- Category
- Software engineering
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 4-10 years of experience as a software engineer, with deep expertise in optimization modules or ML/AI algorithms
- Hands-on experience building linear optimization or machine learning models and translating mathematical models into working technology
- Track record of building mission-critical algorithms or owning an ML model for a key product area
- Experience with linear optimization modeling, solvers, or tools such as Gurobi or CP-SAT, or a strong optimization foundation and drive to learn these tools
- Strong backend engineering skills: systems infrastructure, APIs, asynchronous tasks, scalable web applications; currently spends at least 50-60% of time writing code
- Proficiency in Python (preferred), with flexibility to work in other languages
- Experience leading complex technical projects and shipping complex products and features to customers
- Generalist mindset: comfortable contributing across the stack, including frontend work
- Product and project thinking; ability to work with stakeholders, run meetings, and collaborate with non-technical teams
- Comfort working with colleagues in Europe and India, including early-morning overlap
- Degree in computer science or another technical field
Nice to have
- Experience in domains that rely on optimization and scheduling technology, such as ride-hailing, e-commerce, or shipping and logistics
- Generalist machine learning background
- Experience working with cloud infrastructure such as AWS
- Degree in mathematics or electrical engineering
- Based on the East Coast, ideally in New York or Boston
Full description
Senior Software Engineer, Optimizer
Help half a million students get the schedules they need by building the optimization engine at the heart of our scheduling platform.
Location
Remote (US-based); East Coast preferred, especially New York or Boston
Compensation
$160K–$200K base + equity, with a flexible cash/equity mix
Team
Optimizer team: you plus three engineers, led by a tech lead
Focus
~80% backend, ~20% frontend
Experience
4–10 years as a software engineer
About the Client
We’re an education technology company transforming how schools build schedules for teachers and students. For decades, the master schedule has been built by hand, consuming educators’ time and producing sub-optimal results for students.
We combine AI-powered schedule optimization with expert support from experienced school schedulers. District and school leaders use it to build master schedules that balance student, academic, and resource priorities, better support special education students and English language learners, and open access to the courses and pathways that shape students’ lives.
In four years, we’ve grown from two pilot districts to serving half a million students across 20+ states, with growth and renewal rates that lead the edtech industry. Customers are now entering their third and fourth years of renewal. We closed our Series A in August 2025, backed by mission-aligned investors, and have 3+ years of runway.
About 80% of our ~60 people are former educators, including co-founder, who started his career as a math teacher. That background shapes a culture of learning, mentorship, and genuine care for one another.
The role
As a Senior Software Engineer on the Optimizer team, you’ll turn the real-world constraints of a school, such as teacher availability, room capacity, course requirements, and student needs, into mathematical models that produce better schedules. You’ll own critical parts of the optimization engine end to end, from formulating models to shipping them in production systems that districts rely on every year.
You’ll join a lean, scrappy, and deeply collaborative engineering team led by our CTO. You’ll work with three other engineers under a tech lead, with room to lead complex projects yourself. The role is about 80% backend and 20% frontend, and we value engineers who care about understanding the product and the educators who use it.
Our engineering team spans multiple time zones, including Europe and India, so some early-morning overlap is part of the job.