Founded in 2012 and recently named one of the nation’s fastest-growing private businesses by Inc. Magazine, RedShelf is a Chicago-based EdTech company helping to make education both more affordable and more effective through the use of digital instructional resources. Partnering with more than 400 publishers and 1,900 campuses nationwide, we provide leading-edge digital course materials and an end-to-end Content Delivery System for effortlessly distributing those materials.  

 Job Summary:

RedShelf is seeking a Technical Solutions Architect to work with application development teams as an expert resource to derive technical solutions and work with developers to implement them. The person will make technical recommendations, introduce new technologies, conduct proof of concepts, help implement solutions, and conduct solution reviews. This person must have good communication skills, drive projects to completion, and possess the ability to work independently as a team member. 

Our current technical environment is a combination of our legacy platform built with Django Web Framework and a next-generation application architecture being based on microservices, container technology and event sourcing approach. The person in this role needs to be equally familiar with both in order to be effective.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Expert who can develop technical solutions and work with development teams to implement them - end-to-end solutions
• Research and deep-dive into technical solutions and provide insight to development teams
• Ability to develop a proof of concept and derive a deployable solution from it
• Creating / maintaining design documents that help show the current / proposed infrastructure and data flow to not just the engineering department, but also other non-technical parties
• Works with the CTO, Enterprise Architect & VP, Engineering to ensure our infrastructure is being created with security, fault tolerance, and scalability as major focuses
• Leads architecture review meetings, ensuring teams are focusing on creating efficient systems that allow for reuse and scalability
• Participates in high level product planning meetings, to understand complexity and the ultimate vision in what we are building for
• Willing to roll up their sleeves and assist in any way that helps move us forward
• Works with other key team members in coming up with new solutions for software architecture
• Stays on top of new advancements in services, software, and design patterns that we can possibly implement

Requirements:

• Must have at least 8 years of experience in creating web based software and has been a Lead / Architect in previous roles
• Have a hands-on experience building, operating and enhancing Django-based application environments
• Have a hands-on experience modeling relational data using Postgres database
• Have a hands-on experience implementing and enhancing Elasticsearch no-SQL databases
• Have a hands-on experience in creating process flow diagrams, network diagrams, data flow diagrams and the like
•  
• Must have experience creating / architecting scalable systems and services
• Experience in working across multiple teams, onshore and offshore
• Must have a player / coach mentality that can lead others while being hands on
• Must have experience in creating systems that also interact with external partners / vendors
• Must have extensive experience with different databases / types (PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB, etc) and database / schema design
• Must have experience in AWS Cloud Infrastructure and services
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Ability to translate technical information to the non-technical, especially upward
• Strong analytical, problem solving and diagnostic skills
• Must have a good sense of urgency and feeling of ownership over what you are assigned to

Other Desirable Skills/Experience:

• Experience with different web Frameworks (Django, GraphQL)
• Experience with different frontend and backend languages (Python, Java, NodeJS, EmberJS, React)
• Experience with creating services suitable for mobile app consumption
• Background and/or experience in educational technology and/or publishing
• Comfort and/or experience in a startup environment
• Familiarity with DevOps concepts

Why RedShelf?

RedShelf prides itself on maintaining an informal but fast-moving, hard-working, entrepreneurial culture. Our team members are smart, innovative, and passionate about improving education through digital technology.

We offer the best of both worlds: the energy and opportunity of a rapidly-growing organization, coupled with the stability of an extensive client base, strong financial backing, and proven track record of success. In addition to a forward-thinking environment with ample opportunity for professional and personal growth, our team members enjoy competitive compensation and benefit packages.

RedShelf is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color, individuals with a disability, veterans, and others who would enrich the diversity of RedShelf are encouraged to apply.