Full-Stack Software Engineer bei The Water Institute

We are seeking an experienced Full-Stack Software Engineer to join our Applied Technology team. As a Full-Stack Engineer, you will be responsible for working as part of a team to build and maintain stable, resilient web applications that support client projects developed by The Water Institute. Your work will have a significant impact on end-users' experience and satisfaction, and your work will directly contribute to expanding the impact of The Water Institute’s cutting-edge science. We expect this role to be heavily focused on frontend work for at least the first 6-12 months after hiring, because the near-term features in our roadmaps will require significant frontend work and this is the area where we have the least coverage among existing staff.
 
Anticipated start date is January 2026. We want to find the right person for this role; if you think you would be great at this job, even if you don’t exactly meet the qualifications below, please apply. If there are projects or experiences you would like to highlight beyond what is included in your resume, please add that to your cover letter. Cover letters are required to be considered for this posting. 

The Water Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, headquartered in Baton Rouge, LA. Our mission is to reduce the vulnerability of people, communities, ecosystems, and economies through transformative approaches to interconnected environmental and social challenges. More information about the Water Institute can be found at www.thewaterinstitute.org.

The two client-sponsored web applications to which this position is initially most likely to contribute are:

1. EnDMC: Environmental Data & Model Catalog (EnDMC) is a web-based information system designed to simplify management and discovery of environmental data and models and utilizes a newly developed metadata specification developed by The Water Institute specifically for numerical models. EnDMC is a key component in the Louisiana Watershed Initiative- learn more here. 
2. Avian Monitoring Portal: The Avian Data Monitoring Portal (https://avianmonitoring.com) is a geospatial platform providing access to aggregated colonial waterbird data and more than 300,000 photographic aerial survey images collected since 2010 to inform and visualize colonial waterbird benefits generated in association with Deepwater Horizon restoration activities throughout Louisiana and the broader northern Gulf.

Responsibilities

• Work on cross-functional teams to architect, build, deploy, and maintain web applications that advance The Water Institute’s mission.
• Make significant hands-on code contributions to all components of our web applications, including infrastructure, database / storage layer, CI/CD, API, frontend Javascript, and HTML/CSS. We expect this role to be heavily focused on frontend work for at least the first 6-12 months after hiring because the near-term features in our roadmaps will require significant frontend work and this is the area where we have the least coverage among existing staff.
• Work with the team to troubleshoot and debug web applications across the entire stack to ensure smooth and error-free operation.
• Write code reviews that maintain or improve software engineering practices at The Water Institute and which contribute to team members’ learning.
• Pragmatically implement and maintain testing processes when helpful, including unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests.
• Adhere to coding standards and best practices and contribute to the improvement of these standards over time.
• Make thoughtful and pragmatic technical decisions, both individually and as part of a group, consistently identifying risks and tradeoffs.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of experience building web applications.
• Some experience working on web applications that incorporate geospatial and/or hydrological data.
• Proficiency with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Strong proficiency with a modern frontend framework such as React, Vue, etc.
• Significant experience building APIs and database-backed web applications.
• No specific degree is required for this role.
• You must be located, and eligible to work, in the United States

Nice-to-haves

• Significant experience working with geospatial or hydrological data will be helpful.
• Aside from those mentioned above, no particular technology is required for this role, but the applications we currently maintain use the following technologies (among others), and having strong knowledge of at least some of them will be very helpful: AWS (S3, ECS, Cloudformation, AKS), Kubernetes, Terraform, Docker, Python, Flask, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, jQuery, OpenLayers, Leaflet, GDAL.

The Water Institute has offices in Baton Rouge and New Orleans and the team members you are likely to work with most closely are in Baton Rouge. The preferred locations for this position are: Baton Rouge, as well as Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, or Virginia.

The Water Institute is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

The hiring pay for the position starts at $120,000 and a final determination is based on the skills, education, and/or experience of the successful candidate. We believe in the importance of pay equity and consider the internal equity of our current staff as part of any final offer. We also offer a generous benefits package for full-time exempt positions. 

We cannot sponsor new H1B visas but may transfer existing H1B visas.

This position will report to the Applied Technology Senior Full-Stack Software Engineer.

Unique Benefits of a Water Institute Career

• Flexibility: We understand that our team members have different needs and do our best to work with their schedules while getting the job done.  
• Inclusive environment: We are committed to building an inclusive environment where all teammates feel comfortable and supported.
• Fun! We love to keep things fun, both within our work and at company-wide events. 
• Work-life balance: We are respectful of people’s boundaries and support that through Institute values as well as our Flexible Leave Policy so that our team has time to recharge and do their best work within the mission of the organization.
• Growth opportunity: We are always learning and developing new research methodologies and working with partners to solve problems. You will have the opportunity to work with scientists doing cutting-edge research. 
• The Water Institute Values: Scientific Integrity, Excellence, Transdisciplinary Collaboration, Accountability, Diversity, Work/Life Balance, Respect, Impact