Web Engineer

• Want to improve the world. You've seen how smart initiatives in media and technology can change the world for the better. You want to work for one.
• Are a seasoned back-end web developer. You've scaled complex web applications from launch to high traffic. You're fluent in Ruby, JavaScript, Git and test-driven development. You have expertise in one or more of the areas listed below. You want to work on a team of similarly skilled technologists.
• Want to get paid. Upworthy is mission-driven, but we're also a fully-funded for-profit company. We offer competitive salary, benefits, and equity.
• Are engaged in media and advocacy. You don't want a job where you just write code. You want to think critically and strategically about how technology drives change in journalism and politics.
• Are a pleasure to work with. You're low-ego, high-output, and a good communicator. A great sense of humor and Xbox Kinect dancing skills are a big plus, but not required.

We're interested in technologists with expertise in one or more of the following:

• Ruby and Rails.
• MongoDB and Redis or similar NoSQL technologies.
• Scaling complex multi-user web applications to handle large amounts of traffic.
• DevOps. Designing and maintaining web application cloud hosting.
• Big Data. Engineering efficient analytics on large datasets.
• Social networking APIs. Acquiring and understanding data from Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and similar sites.

• Work from anywhere. (As long as it's in a U.S. time zone.) Upworthy has no central office. We work entirely online. We'll help you set up your own office in your home or neighborhood and will pay your Internet, phone, and office-equipment costs. Whatever environment you like best.
• Take vacation when you need it. We ask employees to take three weeks of vacation per year — at minimum. And when you're off, we want you to really be off, so you can recharge and come back fresh.
• Get equity. We offer all engineers an ownership stake in the company.
• Stay healthy. All employees have good health, dental, and vision benefits. We offer generous parental leave.
• Awesome team. You'll be collaborating with former leaders from MoveOn, The Onion, the Sunlight Foundation, Obama For America, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

• Adult. There's not much hand-holding at Upworthy. We value engineers who know what they're doing, who ask for help when they need it, and who make good time estimates based on honest self-assessments.
• Data-Driven. We set measurable goals for every decision we make. That includes everything from our business model to our visual design. We're grounded in "Lean Startup" methodology, and we're fanatical about split testing.
• Contrarian. We try to constantly question our assumptions and challenge conventional wisdom. Skeptics welcome.
• Educational. We believe that a startup is an education. Upworthy is very young and is growing very fast. If you work here, you will learn a ton, and we'll be counting on you to make critical decisions that shape the company's future.