Who We Are

PKH is a nonprofit ed tech company designed to help the University of North Carolina System grow the number of adult learners through online delivery at the undergraduate level. We are equipping universities within the UNC System with best-in-class technology, processes, and student support solutions to better compete with out-of-state, online universities.

The Role

PKH is seeking a full stack developer with a strong understanding of cloud application architecture. The candidate should have a firm grasp on microservices architecture including an understanding of a Services Oriented Architecture (SOA), service isolation, horizontal scalability and other concepts included within the Twelve-Factor App methodology. The candidate will bring deep knowledge working with architectural patterns for cloud-native applications, including the use of cloud-based object storage, queues, load balancers, and containers in the cloud. The ideal candidate will have experience with AWS services such as Lambda, DynamoDB, and SQS, and container management services such as ECS and Fargate. As a hands-on architect, understanding DevOps practices, including value streams, feedback, and continuous improvement, will be needed.

This position will be a part of a new team of three Cloud Enterprise Architects that will work closely together. Each member will bring a unique technical skill set with focus on either Data Architecture, Application Development, or Platform Engineering. 

This position is based in North Carolina.

Responsibilities Include:

• Play a pivotal role in designing, implementing, and managing infrastructure as code, ensuring scalable, robust infrastructure and applications.
• Implement CI/CD pipelines using SaaS services like GitHub, GitHub Actions, and AWS CodeDeploy.
• Manage canary releases and blue-green deployments.
• Manage the health and performance of cloud systems by implementing observability and responsive controls.
• Ensure all data and infrastructure deployments comply with enterprise security and access controls, best practices, and standards.
• Collaborate with partners and internal teams to design scalable and secure cloud architectures based on best practices and business requirements.
• Implement security measures and compliance. 

• 5 years of experience designing and developing applications for an AWS cloud environment.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or Typescript. Having both is a bonus.
• 5 years of working with AWS services such as CloudWatch, CloudTrail, AWS S3, SQS, ELB, ECS, and Fargate.
• 5 years of experience with CI/CD pipelines with SaaS services such as GitHub, GitHub Actions, and AWS CodeDeploy.
• 3 years of experience working with infrastructure-as-code (IaC) using AWS CloudFormation with AWS CDK.
• Expertise with Agile methodologies and experience working in Scrum teams with tools like Jira and Confluence
• AWS Solution Architecture Professional, AWS DevOps Professional certification, or equivalent experience.
• Excellent written and verbal skills
• Creative problem solver with common sense and practical solutions orientation; must be passionate about technology and software development in improving business performance.
• Must have experience developing custom scripts, procedures, and SQL queries
• Should be well versed in test-driven development practices and tools with practical experience implementing linting / validation / testing pipelines (unit, integration, UAT).
• Experience with containerization concepts, including building containers using Docker and managing them using container management systems such as AWS ECS, AWS EKS, or Kubernetes.
• Ability to make the appropriate recommendations based on the AWS Well-Architected framework and best practices for multiple AWS services.
• Develop and deploy resilient and highly available cloud-based solutions to ensure uninterrupted services for critical applications.
• Ability to work independently, set priorities, and mentor both internal and external teams

• Familiarity with higher education (“EdTech”) systems, such as Student Information Systems, Learning Management Systems, and applicant portals.
• Familiarity with EdTech technology standards such as LTI and SCORM

What We Offer

Project Kitty Hawk offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes full medical/dental/vision coverage, a 401K with match, and a generous time-off policy with paid volunteer time. In addition, we are committed to providing competitive salaries with the potential for performance bonus and remote working flexibility.

Project Kitty Hawk is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate based on actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, arrest record, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Project Kitty Hawk is dedicated to this policy concerning recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, and general treatment during employment. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please contact Yasemin Rodriguez at ytrodriguez@projectkittyhawk.com.