Platform Staff Engineer

The YouVersion Platform Staff Engineer designs and builds the APIs and backend services that power a growing ecosystem of third-party developers. This role takes an active hand in both writing production code and shaping technical direction — balancing hands-on engineering with mentorship and code review. Deeply invested in the developer experience of external partners, this role brings API-first thinking and a commitment to quality that makes YouVersion Platform a joy to build on. Beyond the technical work, it is grounded in YouVersion's mission to help people engage with the Bible — and the conviction that a great platform multiplies that impact exponentially.

Responsibilities

Design, build, and evolve public API contracts with a focus on developer experience, scalability, and long-term maintainability; Write production-quality Python across backend services and APIs; Develop and maintain Apigee proxy configurations, shared flows, and gateway policies; Build and operate backend services in containerized, distributed cloud environments on Google Cloud Platform; Manage and optimize edge caching and traffic routing through Fastly; Monitor system health, diagnose issues, and drive resolution using New Relic; Drive PostgreSQL performance, query optimization, and scalability initiatives; Mentor engineers and provide guidance on best practices, code quality, and technical direction; Review, test, and approve code contributions, ensuring quality and consistency across the codebase; Evaluate task complexity and provide realistic estimates on level of effort and delivery timelines; Research and evaluate emerging technologies and industry best practices for potential adoption; Partner directly with external developers to gather feedback and improve developer experience

Requirements

Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills; Maintain a systematic and organized approach; Clearly explain complicated and detailed processes; Ability to self-motivate, take initiative, make independent decisions, and problem-solve; Ability to collaborate in a team environment and work independently; Ability to maintain composure during stressful situations; Own technical design for projects and understands tradeoffs in creating high-quality software; High School Diploma or GED; Bachelor's degree in Computer Science; 7+ years of related work experience; Production-quality Python; Apigee proxy configurations, shared flows, and gateway policies; Containerized, distributed cloud environments on Google Cloud Platform; Edge caching and traffic routing through Fastly; Monitoring system health with New Relic; PostgreSQL performance, query optimization, and scalability

Nice to have

JavaScript experience

Benefits

Paid parental leave, including maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; Generous employer-paid leave for vacation, sick time, and other qualifying reasons; Innovative and comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance; Life insurance policy at 2x annual salary at no cost; Short-Term and Long-Term disability covered at 100% for full-time qualified staff members; Comprehensive wellness and mental health benefits; Generous 401(k) retirement plan allowing up to 12.5% contribution in the first year; $160 annually in development dollars; Casual dress and work environment