Software Engineer
State Affairs
$120,000 - $210,000 / year
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Description
State Affairs is the nation’s leading news and policy intelligence platform focused on state governments. We combine nonpartisan coverage of Statehouses across the country alongside state government data and AI-native tools into a singular platform.
We inform and empower decision makers, policy professionals and citizens through our award-winning journalism and data – delivering profound insights to help our customers decode and act on state politics and policy. We’re building a category-defining business that will reshape America as we strengthen visibility into what’s happening and why at the state level.
Software Engineers own user‑facing features end‑to‑end: slick React/Next JS interfaces, performant Node APIs, and Postgres‑centric data models that keep up with petabyte‑scale content. One sprint you’ll prototype a semantic‑search UI backed by vector embeddings; the next you’ll build a real‑time collaboration layer that lets policy analysts co‑author annotations and compare version histories without ever refreshing the page.
As the Software Engineer, you will
- Ship vertical product slices (Figma wireframe, React component, Node handler, SQL/Mongo query, and deployed on AWS via Docker and GitHub Actions).
- Design delightful data workflow such as instant search, real‑time diffing, collaborative annotation, and hiding terabytes behind sub‑200 ms interactions.
- Partner with the design and product management teams on thin‑slice scoping, experiment flags, and measurable customer outcomes.
- Instrument and iterate on dashboards, structured logs, Feature‑flag rollouts, and blameless post‑mortems.
- Evangelize product craftsmanship through storybook‑driven UI, shared design tokens, and code reviews that coach rather than gate‑keep.
Essential Qualifications for this position include:
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or related field
- Professional work experience as a full stack software engineer
- Professional work experience building product React/Next and Node/TypeScript applications
- Ability to translate abstract user problems into specific milestone and negotiate scope
- Ability to program in SQL and various scheme designs, such as Postgres, with the ability to utilize Mongo
- Ability to operate CI/CD (Docker and GitHub Actions) and infrastructure as code, with appropriate collaboration with the infrastructure team (Terraform/CDK)
- Ability to utilize LLM tools (Claude-Code, Cursor, Codex) to accelerate coding and debugging
Preferred Qualifications for this position include:
- Knowledge of search indexes or vector databases powering RAG/semantic workflows.
- Knowledge of SSR & ISR patterns in Next 14’s app‑router
- Knowledge of AI/ML concepts and the development of AI-driven features and models
- Professional work experience with data‑viz (D3, Recharts) or rich‑text editors (Slate, TipTap)
- Prior professional work experience in a start-up organization
This is an onsite work opportunity and our teams operate from the Washington, DC office (located at L and 15th St. NW). State Affairs offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package to employees.
The annual salary range for this role as it is posted is $120,000 - $210,000 for candidates working from a State Affairs office. The final job level and annual salary will be determined based on the education, qualification, knowledge, skills, ability, and experience of the final candidate(s), and calibrated against relevant market data and internal team equity. Benefits listed in this posting may vary depending on the nature of your employment with State Affairs.
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future company sponsorship.
State Affairs is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit and business needs. State Affairs does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic in accordance with federal, state, and local law.
State Affairs is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as they go through our job application and interview process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at jobs@stateaffairs.com
By submitting your application, you affirm the content contained therein is true and accurate in all respects. Please note that prior to employment, State Affairs will obtain background checks for employment purposes that may include, where permitted by law, the following: identify verification, prior employment verification, personal and professional references, educational verification, and criminal history. For certain roles, further background checks covering additional information and activities may be initiated.
"By clicking "Submit Application" you are consenting to the use and retention of the information you have provided as set forth in the State Affairs Privacy Policy.
Benefits
- stock options
About this role
State Affairs is building a platform that combines journalism, data, and AI tools to give decision makers visibility into state politics and policy. As a Software Engineer, you'd own full-stack product features end-to-end—from React/Next.js interfaces and Node APIs through to Postgres data models handling petabyte-scale content. The work spans concrete deliverables like semantic search UIs backed by vector embeddings, real-time collaboration layers for policy annotation, and instant-search workflows that keep response times under 200ms, all deployed on AWS via Docker and GitHub Actions.
The role demands seven-plus years of full-stack experience with React/Next.js and Node/TypeScript, solid SQL and schema design skills across Postgres and Mongo, and hands-on familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code tools. You'll need to translate abstract user problems into scoped milestones, work closely with design and product teams on thin-slice iterations, and use LLM tools to accelerate development. Experience with vector databases, semantic search, Next.js app-router patterns, or data visualization libraries is a plus, as is prior startup exposure.
This is an in-office role in Washington, DC, with a salary range of $120,000 to $210,000 based on qualifications and experience. You'll need a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field and authorization to work in the US without sponsorship.
Typical pay for this role
$140,000
Typical range: $120,000 to $140,000
This role's local market on JobMinglr
Pay for this role
$120,000 to $210,000 per year
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