Software Engineer (Fullstack)

About the Company

Propel is a mission-driven technology company working to strengthen the social safety net and help Americans access the tools and resources they need to thrive. Its free app is trusted by more than 5 million Americans to manage government benefits, find savings opportunities, and stay informed about changes to their benefits. Propel has also partnered with organizations including Vote.org, GoFundMe, and GiveDirectly.

The company is for-profit and venture-backed, with support from the Robin Hood Foundation, Andreessen Horowitz, Nyca Partners, Financial Health Network, JPMorganChase, Kevin Durant, Serena Williams, and Nas.

About the Role

Propel is looking for an experienced Fullstack Engineer to help shape its technical direction, build impactful products, and solve complex engineering challenges. This role offers significant autonomy and the opportunity to work across multiple products and technology stacks, including government benefits programs, healthcare enrollment, savings opportunities, internal tools, and system architecture.

The position combines hands-on engineering with opportunities to lead and manage a team. You will help identify high-impact technical and product opportunities, drive important engineering initiatives, and establish standards for building reliable, maintainable software.

The ideal candidate is comfortable working in a startup environment, making decisions amid ambiguity, and balancing immediate delivery with long-term product needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify high-impact technical and product opportunities and help shape Propel’s engineering and product direction.
• Design, build, and maintain complex full-stack software across multiple products and technology stacks.
• Build new services and support new product lines while identifying opportunities to refactor and improve existing systems.
• Work on products and tools related to government programs, healthcare enrollment, savings opportunities, internal operations, and architecture.
• Take ownership of technically complex problems that require strong engineering judgment and an understanding of scale.
• Move between individual contributor work and team leadership responsibilities based on business and project needs.
• Establish engineering best practices for technical decisions, code quality, documentation, written communication, and project delivery.
• Provide constructive feedback through technical specifications, code reviews, and team discussions.
• Help engineers grow through mentoring, technical guidance, and knowledge sharing.
• Communicate project progress, technical trade-offs, and important decisions clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Balance delivery speed with reliability, robustness, and scalability while prioritizing short-term and long-term needs.
• Contribute to technical roadmaps, product planning, and organization-level prioritization.

Required Qualifications

• At least 10 years of experience designing, building, shipping, and maintaining complex full-stack software at scale.
• At least 3 years of experience successfully leading and managing a team.
• Fluency in at least one backend language and one frontend language, with a willingness to learn Python and JavaScript.
• Experience working in a startup environment and operating independently when requirements or priorities are unclear.
• Ability to quickly understand a product ecosystem and contribute to large, high-impact projects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to provide thoughtful feedback on technical specifications, code reviews, and engineering discussions.
• A genuine interest in building products that improve users’ lives.

Preferred Qualifications

• A track record of identifying important problems, advocating for improvements, driving change, and keeping stakeholders informed.
• Experience building consumer-facing products for large user bases.
• Ability to switch effectively between individual contributor responsibilities and managing a small team.
• Curiosity about new technologies, unfamiliar stacks, and novel engineering challenges.
• Strong judgment when balancing shipping speed with system reliability and scalability.
• Ability to communicate effectively across different levels of seniority.
• A focus on measurable impact and prioritizing both immediate and long-term business needs.
• Interest in contributing to technical strategy, product roadmaps, and organization-wide priorities.
• Experience mentoring engineers and raising the overall quality of engineering work.
• Work Arrangement and Location This is a remote-friendly position associated with Costa Mesa, California.
• Propel also maintains a dog-friendly office in Downtown Brooklyn.
• Applicants are currently accepted from California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Compensation and Benefits

• The expected annual compensation range is $240,000–$270,000, depending on the candidate’s experience and alignment with Propel’s internal leveling guide.
• The range may be expanded for candidates assessed at a more senior level.
• Propel develops its compensation bands using the 75th percentile of compensation data from comparable companies.
• Additional benefits include: 20 days of paid time off and unlimited sick days.
• A 4% 401(k) match.
• Up to $10,000 in lifetime spending toward Carrot Fertility.
• Medical, dental, and vision plan options.
• Additional health and mental health benefits and perks.
• The opportunity to work with a collaborative team focused on a shared social mission.
• Diversity and Background Checks Propel is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and abilities.
• For positions involving access to confidential employee or customer information, a background check may be conducted following a conditional offer.
• All background checks are handled in accordance with applicable laws, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).