Full-Stack Software Engineer

About the role

FULL-STACK SOFTWARE ENGINEER

Are you passionate about building innovative web applications and using AI to address real-world learning challenges? Do you want to help shape the future of education?

PrairieLearn is an early-stage EdTech startup. We are hiring talented Full-Stack Software Engineers.

Location: Fully remote (anywhere in the US) Position Type: Full-time Visa Sponsorship: Unfortunately, we cannot sponsor visas at this time.

ABOUT US

PrairieLearn is an open-source assessment platform, originally developed at the University of Illinois and now used at top universities across the US, including Berkeley, Princeton, Michigan, and UIUC. We empower mastery-based learning and large-scale assessment with an emphasis on reliability and innovation. We are like a "power-user" version of Gradescope/Canvas/Moodle. We’re also developing AI tooling in the product, including LLM agents to help instructors create content, and vision-language models to help grade student work. This is practical, user-facing AI work with real-world impact — not a research sandbox.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are a small, profitable, open-source, bootstrapped company growing quickly. Our users love us and we have very high retention and rapid spread through word of mouth. As an early-stage hire, you’ll work across the stack and enjoy meaningful ownership from day one. You’ll help deliver practical, user-facing features with clear guardrails and authentic educational impact.

Responsibilities

- Build and maintain systems across the stack: Node.js/TypeScript backend, Postgres, and React. We use tRPC, TanStack, and AWS.

- Design features end-to-end, from conception to rollout, working in a small team to architect and iterate on these features

- Collaborate directly with educators and TAs to translate academic needs into high-quality features

You Might Be a Fit If You…

- Have experience with full-stack web development

- Enjoy engaging directly with users—especially instructors and TAs

- Love owning projects from initial idea through to production

- Love using the cutting edge of AI development tools (Claude, Codex)

- Even if you don’t meet every requirement: If you’re a quick learner and passionate about education and engineering, we encourage you to apply!

OUR TECH STACK

- Node.js / TypeScript backend

- Postgres, Redis, AWS, Docker

- React / tRPC / TanStack

- Open source: PrairieLearn on GitHub https://github.com/PrairieLearn/PrairieLearn

WHY JOIN PRAIRIELEARN?

- Bootstrapped & Profitable: We’re growing quickly and sustainably

- Open Source: Collaborate with a global community of developers and educators

- Stock Options: As an early hire, you’ll receive stock options with your offer

- Remote Culture: Work from anywhere in the US with a flexible schedule