Remote Volunteer Back-End Developer — iLevelUP

About ILevelUP

iLevelUP is a future-readiness platform built to support students through the complex journey of college and career preparation. It transforms what is often a confusing and overwhelming process into a guided, engaging, and interactive experience where learners complete quests, earn rewards, and gain confidence as they prepare for life after high school. The platform uses AI-driven personalization and a gamified design to make future planning more accessible and motivating for students who face barriers to traditional support systems.

Why We Exist

Many students, especially first-generation or underrepresented students, lack consistent access to trusted guidance on college applications, financial aid, scholarships, and career exploration. iLevelUP was created to bridge that gap by offering a comprehensive suite of tools and mentorship that meets students where they are — digitally, intuitively, and with clear pathways toward success.

Mission

Our mission is to empower all students by providing gamified, AI-driven guidance for college, careers, and scholarships, making higher education and future planning more accessible, engaging, and achievable regardless of a student’s background or support network.

Vision

We envision a world where every student, regardless of socioeconomic status or prior access to resources, has the confidence, knowledge, and direction needed to pursue their goals and achieve their dreams.

Core Values

• Equity and Inclusion We design tools for students who often fall through the cracks of traditional guidance systems, ensuring no one is left behind.
• Innovation Through gamification and AI personalization, we make future planning interactive and tailored to individual strengths and interests.
• Student-Centered Support Every feature and resource is built around what helps students succeed — from college matching and scholarships to life-skill development.
• Impactful Mentorship Virtual Trail Guides provide structured support that helps learners build confidence, make informed decisions, and take meaningful action.
  
  

Who We Serve

iLevelUP supports a broad range of learners and partners

• Students (Middle School through College) Especially those who are navigating college and career decisions without extensive support at home. iLevelUP offers tools for exploration, financial planning, academic readiness, and career alignment.
• First-Generation and Underserved Learners The platform is intentionally built to serve students who may lack access to traditional guidance counseling or mentorship.
• Educators and School Programs Schools, counselors, and college readiness programs can use iLevelUP to augment their support systems with AI-powered tools and gamified engagement that complements existing efforts.
• Partners and Sponsors Corporations, nonprofits, and investors who care about expanding access to education and workforce development can collaborate with iLevelUP to reach more students and strengthen community impact.
  
  

How It Works

iLevelUP combines structured guidance with interactive features

• Gamified Quests Students complete quests that build real readiness — from exploring careers and colleges to obtaining scholarships, financial aid insights, and essential life skills.
• AI-Driven Personalization Intelligent matching connects students to opportunities (schools, careers, scholarships) based on their strengths and goals.
• Mentorship Through Trail Guides Virtual guides support students through each stage, helping reduce overwhelm and boost confidence.
  
  

Why It Matters

By removing barriers to opportunity and making the future-planning process more equitable and engaging, iLevelUP helps students not just prepare for what comes next, but to own their journey with clarity, support, and confidence.

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Help iLevelUP strengthen the secure services and data flows behind an educational platform for underserved youth and young people.

The volunteer Back-End Developer will implement approved server-side features, APIs, integrations, background jobs, and data-access patterns.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain documented APIs and server-side application services
• Implement authentication, authorization, validation, error handling, logging, and rate controls
• Design safe data-access patterns and database changes with review and rollback plans
• Integrate approved third-party services using secure secret-management practices
• Write unit, integration, and contract tests
• Review code, resolve defects, document endpoints, and support release validation
• Apply privacy-by-design, data minimization, least privilege, and secure-development practices
• Monitor approved nonproduction environments and help investigate issues
• Never use production data, credentials, or deployment access without authorization
  
  

Qualifications

• Experience with server-side JavaScript or TypeScript, Python, or a comparable production stack
• Strong API, relational database, authentication, testing, Git, and cloud fundamentals
• Familiarity with application security, privacy, observability, performance, and data migrations
• Clear technical documentation and dependable remote collaboration
• At least 18 years old and willing to complete screening and confidentiality requirements
  
  

This is a remote, recurring or project-based role. Expect approximately 4–8 hours per month.

Questions volunteers@ilevelup.app

iLevelUP

107 Spring Street, 2nd Floor

Seattle, WA 98104

(206) 414-8043