Software Engineer

What does a Software Engineer at OGP do?

As a software engineer, you will:

• Build prototypes that demonstrate technological opportunities

• Design system architectures

• Write production-quality code

• Manage deployments to cloud infrastructure

Because we focus on new initiatives, you will also:

• Identify potential projects that improve the public good

• Design innovative systems that work around bureaucratic constraints

• Advocate for and explain technical ideas to other government agencies

More senior engineers are expected to:

• Establish best practices for developer operations

• Share expertise and mentor other engineers

• Support recruitment efforts

You're not just here to write code—you'll help determine what we should build and how to build it.

Your role is to bring technical expertise to the public sector. Sometimes this means coding new systems from scratch; other times it means implementing existing solutions. We use cloud services, open-source software, and commodity hardware, including GitHub, AWS, React Native, MongoDB, and Stripe. Knowing when to build versus when to reuse helps us focus on delivering actual value rather than solving already-solved problems.

You'll work on meaningful projects across transportation, social services, healthcare, and more. The public sector offers countless opportunities where even simple software can significantly impact people's lives. Over 70% of our projects start as ground-up initiatives, giving you direct ownership of your work. Rather than pursuing commercial ventures, we're focused on improving society through government services.

Who we are looking for

We primarily use JavaScript with some Python on the backend, but don't require experience in specific programming languages or technologies. Core competency in at least one language and the ability to learn are what matter most.

We look for people who:

• Demonstrate ability to build software—prior work and personal projects count more than specific degrees

• Write code to solve abstract programming problems—clear thinking, debugging skills, and understanding limitations matter more than getting the "correct" answer

• Communicate effectively about code with other engineers—working as a team requires making your solutions understandable to others

• Take initiative to drive change—our job is to improve government, which means challenging the status quo

• Are committed to serving the public good— as public servants, we serve the public. This sometimes means pushing back or ignoring political pressures or misguided policies

Overall, we seek candidates with ability, initiative, good communication, and strong values.