Backend Software Engineer I/II (55745)

Who We Are

The Center for Geospatial Solutions (CGS) is a self-sustaining nonprofit enterprise. Founded to help bridge the gap between policy and practice, our mission is to enable people and the planet to meet the pace of change by expanding access to new technologies that power more sustainable and equitable outcomes.

We are a fully remote team of award-winning professionals with decades of applied expertise and end-to-end GIS capabilities. By embracing whole-system thinking and state-of-the-art technology, we enable partners across public, private, and nonprofit sectors to tackle complex, real-world challenges—like housing affordability, ecosystem conservation, water management, and sustainable infrastructure—with greater clarity.

Our work liberates and connects key information, creates nuanced pictures of complex situations, and makes data easier to use, understand, and act on. We use tools like satellite data and artificial intelligence to deliver insights for impact.

At CGS, we believe that technology can be a tool for positive change. We are dedicated to building a diverse team that represents the communities and systems we live and work in. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every listed qualification, we encourage you to apply. We value potential, curiosity, and lived experiences, and know a more inclusive team makes us a stronger organization.

About the Lincoln Institute

CGS was established in 2020 at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, which seeks to improve quality of life through effective use, taxation, and stewardship of land. A nonprofit private operating foundation whose origins date to 1946, the Lincoln Institute researches and recommends creative approaches to land as a solution to economic, social, and environmental challenges. Through education, training, publications, and events, the Lincoln Institute integrates theory and practice to inform public policy decisions worldwide and has office locations in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Washington, DC; Phoenix, Arizona; and Beijing, China.

Position Overview

The Software Developer 1 position reports to the Associate Director for Technology for the Internet of Water. You will provide scripting, software development, and development-to-operations (DevOps) services. This is a backend/hybrid development role focused on building and maintaining the infrastructure that powers our water data systems.

We expect the Software Developer to have strong foundations in software design and an eagerness to learn and solve challenging problems. You will work across a diverse technology landscape that includes conventional relational databases, Esri and open-source geospatial platforms, cloud-optimized data stores, and increasingly, knowledge graph and semantic web technologies. You will conceptualize, design, build, and deploy new and innovative products and applications for our infrastructure to facilitate the wide offerings, capabilities, and feedback loops for water data management. We have high standards for code quality, all forms of testing, and intelligent architecture. Experience with JavaScript, Python, APIs, Linux, relational databases, Docker, and public cloud providers is desired.

This is a fixed-term full-time position at 37.5 hours/week reporting to the Associate Director, Data Engineering in Washington D.C., Cambridge, MA, Phoenix, AZ; or remotely. Occasional domestic and international travel up to 10% may be required. We expect the Software Developer to have strong foundations in software design and an eagerness to learn and solve challenging problems.

What You'll Do

Software Development

• Develop and modify internal and external-facing software as part of engineering teams that may include internal team staff and external collaborators and/or contractors.

• Focus on developing backend software components and services that interact with upstream and downstream components (including front-end user interfaces and back-end data management and transformation processes and APIs).

• Develop reusable tools, libraries, and frameworks for data integration, analysis, and visualization that can be applied across multiple projects and initiatives.

• Produce high-quality code and software for data management, publication, aggregation, and visualization with appropriate documentation.

• Ensure reproducibility, accessibility, and sustainability of Center-developed software and data systems.

• Participate in all aspects of the application development life cycle, including specifications, prototypes, development, quality assurance, deployment, and operations and maintenance.

• Design, develop, and maintain efficient data pipelines that extract data from various data sources, transform it into a unified data model, and push it to a destination data store through strong collaboration with water, land, and housing domain experts to understand data sources and requirements.

• Develop end-to-end systems for data harmonization, geocoding, and integration of large, heterogeneous datasets from diverse sources.

• Implement data validation and cleansing processes to ensure high data quality and integrity.

• Identify and integrate new technologies and tools to improve data processing and storage.

• Work closely with water domain experts to translate domain-specific needs into technical requirements.

• Create and maintain documentation for data pipelines, including data models, ETL processes, and data flow diagrams.

DevOps and Infrastructure

• Assume principal responsibility for CI/CD of web services as well as software and data releases.

• Support research, development, and operations by troubleshooting and resolving issues that arise.

• Take technical responsibility for systems and be on the lookout for opportunities for new systems, improvement of existing systems, and work with the team to keep systems scaling and performing optimally.

Collaboration and Growth

• Participate in team code reviews, present your work for feedback, and provide constructive feedback to others.

• Clearly communicate technical capabilities, limitations, issues, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences, including stakeholders, partners, and domain experts.

• Work collegially and successfully in interdisciplinary teams with colleagues from various topical backgrounds and different skill levels and communication levels.

• Contribute to grant proposals, technical documentation, and reports that support CGS and Internet of Water initiatives.

• Participate in training, workshops, and outreach activities to promote best practices in water data management and geospatial solutions.