Django/Python Web Developer
National Journal is looking for a mid-level Django/Python Web Developer to join our team to help us build compelling digital products for our Washington, DC audience. Our digital team creates new services and products to serve our members, works to refine our existing offerings, and helps colleagues on our product teams use technology to operate more effectively.
National Journal's digital platform is built around a rich set of election data, demographic information, editable slides, government directories, event listings, and decades of journalism. Our mission is to create great tools that assist our members in finding and using these resources with ease, at the right time and in the right form. We build with Django (using Python 3) and follow a frequent release cycle that lets us bring enhancements to our users in a matter of days. We're committed to using modern development tools and following good practices in software development and QA, incorporating LLM-based coding and workflow tools to support productivity.
Full-time telework/remote arrangements are offered for U.S. candidates residing in the following locations: Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, or California. Local candidates have the option to work in-person (currently 3 days per week) in Washington, DC.
National Journal is a premier research and insights company committed to helping organizations effectively navigate Washington. Best known as one of Washington’s most trusted media brands for nearly 50 years, our expertise is unmatched with teams of specialists dedicated to government affairs, communications, and political research, in addition to exceptional journalism. Our mission is to equip the thousands of government and business leaders in the nation’s capital with the intelligence, insights, and connections they need to save time, increase efficiency, and deliver success.
As a Web Developer, you will:
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Build, test and deploy a wide range of web-based tools, developed in Django and Python, that National Journal's members use every day in their jobs as government affairs professionals and policy advocates
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Support a digital platform that provides the data, tools, and news our audience will use to understand and navigate the 2026 U.S. elections
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Help maintain large datasets in a variety of formats (PostgreSQL, MySQL, APIs) drawing from both internal and third-party content and data sources
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Make improvements to Ada, the custom content management system we use internally
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Create and support tools that help other product teams automate their work, making use of AI when appropriate
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Tackle a full-stack mix of back-end and front-end tasks, with a focus on back-end work
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Be well-informed about trends in software development tools, frameworks, programming languages, AI coding assistants, and workflow, and arrive with opinions you are eager to discuss
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Be willing to learn a sophisticated technical stack
As a candidate:
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You are an experienced web developer: You have at least 1 year of web development experience in a professional setting using Python (preferably with Django). You write clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript even without an AI coding assistant, with front-end framework experience a plus. Using Git is second nature to you.
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Experience with one or more LLM-based coding assistants is strongly encouraged, such as: Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor
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Experience with some of the following technologies is a plus, but not required: Microsoft Azure, Linux systems administration, Vue.js, TypeScript, Elasticsearch, Docker, PostgreSQL, Jenkins, Salesforce, Sentry, HubSpot, or Celery/RabbitMQ.
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You have experience with government and elections: The idea of getting immersed in campaign finance data, election visualizations, and politics is compelling to you (rather than a turn-off). You don't have to be a wonk to be effective, but as keepers of the data, becoming experts in the minutiae is essential.
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You have experience with medium-sized to large projects: You've contributed to significant software projects, or at least significant components of one, and demonstrated that you can do quality work under a deadline. You have opinions about good software architecture and with some learning curve, can find your way around a complex codebase.
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You place an emphasis on quality: In your work, you demonstrate best practices for software development and reinforce good habits that promote quality as part of a team. You're familiar with writing documentation, doing peer code review, crafting automated tests, watching performance, and taking advantage of tools that maintain consistent code across team members. You are an opinionated user of AI coding assistants and readily push back on LLM suggestions when they’re off the mark. You are organized, focused, and detail-oriented.
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You communicate and work well with others: You exhibit good communications skills and collaboration habits, both written and verbally, by providing accurate time and effort estimates and working to ensure the team meets agreed-upon deadlines. You are comfortable working with product and project managers to plan weekly sprints, capable of prioritizing and undertaking multiple projects at once, and familiar with Agile development methodologies. When needed, you are cool under pressure.
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You demonstrate good judgment: Colleagues can count on you to apply critical thinking to tasks and find creative ways to solve problems. You appreciate both short-term and long-term implications when making decisions and act as a responsible gatekeeper when critiquing new code, whether hand-written or AI-suggested.
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You'll bring something new to the team: We value having a team with diverse skills and experiences. Do you have a background in accessibility technologies, robotics, or AI-generated jokes? Are you active in a local user group, open source effort, or side project of your own? Passion for learning new things (whether technology-related or not) is most welcome.
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You value a healthy work-life balance: You keep high standards and work hard, yet know when to take breaks, switch gears, and unplug, with the ability to manage your time effectively to preserve those boundaries.
Application Deadline: September 30, 2026
Employment Type: Full-time
Location: Full-time telework/remote arrangements are offered for U.S. candidates residing in the following locations: Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, or California. Local candidates have the option to work in-person (currently 3 days per week) in Washington, DC.
Skills
As published by lever · 15 questions · 3 written answers
Basics
Resume/CV, Full name, Email, Phone, Current location, Current company, LinkedIn URL, Twitter URL, GitHub URL, Portfolio URL, Other website
Pick from a list (12)
- Are you willing to relocate? optional
- What is the earliest date you are available to start? optional
- What is the highest level of education you have completed? optional
- At which institution did you earn your highest degree? optional
- Are you authorized to work lawfully in the United States for National Journal? optional
- Will you now or in the future require National Journal to commence ("sponsor") an immigration case in order to employ you (for example, H-1B or other employment-based immigration case)? This is sometimes called "sponsorship" for an employment-based visa status. optional
- Are you subject to a term employment contract and/or post-employment restrictions that would affect your employment at National Journal? optional
- By completing this application I understand that the qualifications of employment at National Journal include: Educational requirements listed in the individual job description optional
- Terms and Conditions: I understand that any misrepresentation or material omission made by me here or in conjunction with my application for employment may result in rejection of this application or immediate discharge from the company’s service, depending on when it is discovered. I give the company and the company’s authorized agents the right to contact and obtain information from all employers, and educational institutions and to otherwise verify the accuracy of the information contained in this application and obtained during the interview process. I hereby release from liability the company and its agents and representatives from any claims relating to seeking, gathering and using such information and all other persons, corporations or organizations for furnishing such information. I understand it is this company’s policy not to refuse to consider or hire a qualified individual with a disability because of that person’s need for a reasonable accommodation as required by the ADA. I agree to request a reasonable accommodation for the interview process if one is necessary. I understand that the company may conduct a criminal background check if I am offered employment. I agree to provide authorization for the company to perform a background check if I am offered employment. The company does not unlawfully discriminate in employment and no question on this application is used for the purpose of limiting or excusing any applicant from consideration for employment on a basis prohibited by local, state or federal law. If I am hired, I understand that the company or I may terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or notice, except as may be required by law. This application does not constitute an agreement or contract for employment for any specified period or definite duration. I understand that no representative of the company has the authority to make any assurances to the contrary. I further understand that any such assurances must be in writing and signed by me and an authorized officer of the company I also understand that if I am hired, I will be required to provide proof of identity and legal work authorization. I represent and warrant that I have read and fully understand the foregoing and seek employment under these conditions. optional
- Where did you hear about us? optional
- National Journal, LLC. and its affiliates (“National Journal”) are Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law. optional
- Please review and agree to our Candidate Privacy Policy. Your privacy is important to us, and your agreement allows us to process and retain your information for purposes of recruitment and employment. https://www.nationaljournal.com/privacy-policy/ optional
Written answers (3)
- Do you have any additional salary expectations beyond the stated range?
- Tell us about your personal experience using AI coding assistants to help create software. Did you start programming before AI tools were widespread, or did you learn to code with AI assistance from the outset? In your experience, which coding tasks can benefit from AI coding assistants and which kinds of tasks are not suitable for using AI tools?
- Do you have personal experience working with government and elections-related datasets or APIs? If so, please briefly describe your experience and level of familiarity.
