Northwoods builds software that empowers Health and Human Services professionals to better serve vulnerable families. We are hiring a Full-Stack Software Engineer to join a high-autonomy engineering team delivering Traverse product features end-to-end — and to grow alongside peers and leaders who are raising the bar for how software gets built here.
This is an early-tenure engineering role for someone with solid fundamentals and a strong desire to learn. You will contribute to product delivery under the guidance of senior engineers, uphold the code quality and engineering standards the team has established, and develop your skills in areas such as serverless architectures, automated testing, and AI-assisted development. Quality software and growing our internal and application AI capabilities are central to how we work — and you will be expected to embrace that mindset from day one.
Experience required:
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1–3 years of professional software development experience, preferably in a SaaS or web product environment
- Working knowledge of full-stack web development — experience with a backend language such as Ruby and a JavaScript-based front end (React/TypeScript experience is a plus); familiarity with relational databases such as PostgreSQL is valued
- Genuine curiosity about AI-assisted development, with some hands-on experience using tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent — and a desire to grow that practice as part of how you work
- Ability to implement product features with guidance, write clear code, and learn from code review and pairing with senior engineers
- Commitment to automated testing — you write tests as part of delivery and uphold the testing standards established by the team
- Must be authorized to work in the U.S.
What you’ll be doing
- Contribute to delivering Traverse product features — implementing backend and front-end work, writing automated tests, and supporting deployment and production operation under the guidance of senior engineers
- Uphold the team's code quality bar — follow established architecture patterns, design conventions, code review standards, and security-by-default practices set by peers and leaders
- Work within Northwoods' AI-forward development model — use agentic tooling (Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent) as part of your daily practice and contribute improvements to team workflows and runbooks as you grow
- Grow your technical range — deepen skills in areas such as serverless architectures, advanced testing strategies, and application AI capabilities alongside experienced engineers
- Learn through pairing, code review, and direct feedback from senior engineers — and apply what you learn to your own work
- Take ownership of well-scoped work — execute against a defined approach, surface blockers early, and course-correct with support rather than waiting for direction
You may be a good fit for our team if you have the following skills…
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Genuine curiosity about AI-assisted development, with some hands-on experience using agentic tooling — and enthusiasm to make it a core part of how you work and grow
- Full-stack fundamentals without major gaps — you are comfortable working in a backend language such as Ruby and a JavaScript-based front end, and you are eager to deepen your skills across the stack (Rails, React/TypeScript, and PostgreSQL experience is a plus)
- A growth mindset toward system design — you can implement well-scoped features, ask good questions about tradeoffs, and learn from engineers who architect larger systems
- Respect for the team's code quality bar — clean code, SOLID principles, test-first thinking, and security-by-default are standards you uphold and aspire to internalize, not shortcuts you take
- Commitment to automated testing — unit and integration tests are part of your definition of done, and you are building toward confident end-to-end testing practice
- Interest in how engineering systems work — you want to understand and eventually improve team workflows, runbooks, and automation, not just follow steps blindly
- A balance of initiative and coachability — you take ownership of assigned work, surface blockers early, and are receptive to direct feedback from senior engineers
- Clear written communication — your pull requests, questions, and notes are thoughtful enough that teammates can follow your thinking without being in the room
- Comfort operating in a flat, high-trust team where peer accountability is the norm and everyone's work is visible
Preferred Qualifications (A Plus)
- Exposure to agentic SDLC practices — such as automated test generation, AI-assisted code review, prompt engineering standards, or agentic deployment workflows — or a strong interest in learning them on the job
- Exposure to AWS application-layer or serverless services — and enthusiasm to grow as a confident operator
- Experience in the Health and Human Services, government tech, or similarly regulated vertical SaaS domain
What we provide
- Medical (includes H.S.A. option with employer contribution), dental, and vision insurance
- Short- and long-term disability
- Company paid basic life insurance
- 401(k) with 4% company match and immediate vesting
- Free financial education and consultation
- Wellness program that helps you earn lower premiums
- Robust EAP program that includes free therapy sessions, lifestyle coaching, legal/ID theft services, and more
- 12 weeks fully paid parental leave
- Up to $5,000 adoption fee reimbursement
- $500 wellness reimbursement after 60 days of employment
- Generous PTO policy and 10 company paid holidays
- Company paid cell phone plan
Find yourself checking a lot of these boxes but doubting whether you should apply? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every qualification. At Northwoods, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. Northwoods is committed to diversity in its workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are excited to work with talented people, period. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national or ethnic origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital or civil status, political affiliation, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate.
Who is Northwoods?
Northwoods makes software solutions that improve the quality of the life of case managers and social workers in the Health and Human Services (HHS) field. Recognized as one of Columbus’ top places to work, working at Northwoods means being part of a team that’s passionate about making an impact on the lives of HHS professionals and the families they serve.
We believe in creating a culture of inclusivity and accountability seeking to hire professional, passionate and driven individuals that believe in the values that we believe in:
- Curiosity – Willing to test assumptions, courage to ask questions, and active listening.
- Community – Helping and mentoring each other, celebrating diversity and acknowledging our team members’ contributions.
- Resourcefulness – Willing to try and fail. Asking for help and trusting the expertise of our team.
- Stewardship – Safeguarding Northwoods’ values, culture, mission, and resources.
We believe that our team members are all accountable adults, not only to themselves but to each other, and we treat them that way. Our team works incredibly hard and is proven through dedication to their craft and our mission.
Our Solutions
Our products are designed for state and county social care program areas, including child welfare, childcare, child support, economic assistance and adult & aging agencies. These solutions leverage technology to allow case workers and social workers to easily collect, store, manage, and share case content and data more efficiently. By simplifying processes, our customers can spend more time engaging with the families they serve, make better informed decisions and achieve better outcomes.
Traverse – A SaaS solution that allows for easy, on-the-go access to case files, case work and interview forms and intelligent insights on case content and materials, which lead to better engagement and better outcomes.
Compass – Compass solution is some of our longer standing software that supports multiple markets for both state and county customers. Our focus on reducing time wasted on paperwork and administrative burdens allows case workers to better serve families in need.
Case Aide Services - Our trusted team of experienced child welfare professionals becomes an extension of agency staff supporting them with administrative tasks such as referral and records requests, compiling documents for court, and document organization. Workers can focus on fostering healthier families without sacrificing their own well-being.
