Data Analysis & Visualization Skills Lead Engineer
Job Description
Lead Engineer, Backend & Platform
About the Company
Rang is building the rewards platform for schools. Our mission is simple: improve student outcomes.
Rang helps schools reinforce positive academic behaviors by connecting students and families to digital rewards funded by corporate sponsors. Schools get a powerful tool to improve attendance and engagement. Sponsors get measurable social impact tied directly to student outcomes.
Traction
Rang is already experiencing explosive adoption.
- Year 1: 3,000 students
• Year 2: 8,000 students
• Year 3: 20,000+ students across multiple school districts (100,000+ student waitlist)
We are solving the #1 problem in K–12 education — student attendance — with a product schools are actively asking for.
About the Role
As the Lead Engineer focused on backend and platform technologies, you will drive the technical direction of our platform and lead architectural decisions. You will work closely with product, design, and other development team members to develop robust APIs, data systems, and infrastructure that power our rewards platform. This is a hands-on leadership role, where you will balance strategic thinking with active development.
In order to be successful, this person will:
- Lead the design, development, and optimization of scalable backend systems and APIs.
- Architect and maintain a secure, high-performance cloud-based infrastructure.
- Ensure best practices in backend development, including code quality, security, and performance.
- Work closely with Product and other stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
- Drive DevOps practices, including CI/CD, monitoring, and automation.
- Evaluate and integrate third-party technologies and APIs as needed.
- Stay up-to-date with industry trends and advancements to inform technical strategy.
Competencies and Qualifications
We believe the right person for the Lead Engineer role will have the following competencies and qualifications:
- 5+ years of backend development experience.
- Strong expertise in backend technologies such as Node.js, Python, Go, or Java.
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
- Deep knowledge of databases (SQL and NoSQL) and data architecture.
- Hands-on experience working with and scaling message queues (RabbitMQ, Kafka)
- Strong understanding of API design, authentication, and security best practices.
- Hands-on experience with DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, CloudFormation, etc.).
- Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced startup environment.
- Strong communication and leadership skills, with a collaborative mindset.
Role Details
Compensation is commensurate with experience and includes meaningful equity participation. This role is preferably based in Chicago, IL (2–4 days in office). Learn more at www.Rang.com.
To apply, please email your resume or LinkedIn and a short note about why you’re interested to brian@rang.com.
