We have ambitious plans, and we know the most critical step is building an incredible team that reflects the diverse fabric of our nation and embodies our values. Our team is made up of people who are equal parts dreamers and doers. We are people who care as much about how we achieve our goals as we do about the goals themselves. Our values drive our team and are instilled in the work this Foundation does every day. We are also committed to creating an anti-racist organization in order to do our part to help combat racism and inequity in all forms, in communities across our nation and around the world. Read our full statement on anti-racism and equity here.

Purpose of Role

The Obama Foundation has a small product engineering team building the digital infrastructure, on-site interactive experiences, and online manifestation of the future Obama Presidential Center. Opening in 2026, the Obama Presidential Center will be a 21st century museum for the first 21st century presidency.

We operate similarly to any startup engineering team: defining our work in quarterly roadmaps, estimating and prioritizing tickets, iterating in sprints, and making decisions in collaboration with our product, design and data partners. We also lead, review, and integrate the work of multiple outside contractors.

As a small team, we all need to be t-shaped developers. We look for generalists who can move around the stack and different technologies, but we also want to know what areas you’re passionate about so we can see what we might learn from you! We are a team of diverse backgrounds, called to this work and bringing skills honed from e-commerce, media, health sciences, fintech, as well as non-profit and political technology.

This is a term-limited role to get us past the opening of the Presidential Center and the months afterward as we debug any issues. This is a Chicago, Illinois based position, and although it is a hybrid role with work from home flexibility, we are looking for someone who would be able to sometimes work onsite at the Museum as we prepare for opening.

As a Software Engineer II, you’ll be reporting directly to the Engineering Manager.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Build and maintain the front-end of engaging accessible web apps 

• Implement services and infrastructure to support rich web and digital interactive experiences in a microservices architecture

• Work in partnership with Design and Product, utilizing tools like Figma, to take detailed specifications and turn them into functional applications, tracking work via Github Issues and Github Projects

• Implement and maintain a rigorous test suite against common user scenarios, following standards set by senior engineers

• Contribute to planning, implementation, and review of our software development process individually and among the greater team 

• Work at scale to help deliver our mission of moving millions around the world from hope to action 

• Be available to provide occasional onsite assistance as necessary at the Presidential Center in Hyde Park, Chicago 

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

The Software Engineer II will be responsible for achieving the following outcomes:

• Work with senior engineers to deliver on key quarterly goals for our application development and infrastructure

• Build competency and expertise in one or more new technology domains at the Foundation for web, mobile, and other applications

• Incremental delivery of world class web applications, following and advancing our product roadmap along with the larger Product and Technology team

• Participate in team-wide code review processes

• Participate in and advocate for the user during planning and brainstorming sessions

• Write, test, and maintain various web applications

Required Qualifications

• 1–2 years experience or more with implementation and delivery of front-end code, written in React, Svelte, or other similar technologies 

• 1–3 years experience or more with NodeJS, Python, Elixir, Sveltekit, or similar full stack development environments and toolsets 

• You have implemented work within a microservices architecture through Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure

• You have been working within an agile product engineering team, and have facility with working on sprint iterations and shipping MVPs that can be expanded on incrementally with continuous feature deliveries.

• You thrive in diverse, self-starting, collaborative settings, and are passionate about  building highly responsive and broadly accessible applications for a common good

• You have knowledge of and experience with A11y and WCAG standards and implementation practices

This is a term-based, hybrid position with an end date of 12/31/2026. The salary range for this role is $90,915 to $113,620.

Foundation Values

The Foundation Values are Courage, Empathy, Integrity, Accountability, Community, Inclusivity, Pragmatism, Resilience, Imagination, and Hope.

Don’t check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! Studies have shown that marginalized communities - such as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color - are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. The Obama Foundation is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace that fosters a sense of belonging – so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still consider submitting an application. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings!

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at [email protected] if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.