THE ORGANIZATION

Founded at the University of Michigan Medical School, TRAILS (Transforming Research into Action to Improve the Lives of Students) is among the most innovative and rapidly-growing school-based mental health solutions in the country. After a decade in the academic setting, TRAILS spun out from the University in 2022 and launched as an independent organization with approximately 35 staff. Within a year, our staff size had more than doubled. Today, our growing team is working toward the TRAILS mission of transforming the landscape of youth mental health care delivery by equipping school staff with the training and resources they need to provide evidence-based and culturally responsible programming to their students.

To date, TRAILS has brought essential skills and resources to more than 14,000 teachers, administrators, and school mental health professionals. Our best-in-class program materials are built specifically for the school setting, and our unique training model is driven by research from the field of implementation science. Our website and library of materials are utilized by educators and clinicians across the United States and in more than 100 countries around the world. While our impact today is greatest in our home state of Michigan, TRAILS is expanding nationally with strong support from education and health sector leaders, public offices, and state policymakers.

As we work to respond to massive demand for TRAILS programming from schools and districts throughout the United States, our team is guided by a core commitment to equity: The TRAILS growth strategy identifies Title I designated schools as our broadest target population, and we aim specifically to impact students who experience high risk for poor mental health outcomes and disproportionate barriers to quality care. As we grow our team, we seek candidates who share our commitment to equity in health and healthcare access, who practice cultural humility, and who thrive in and contribute to an inclusive working environment.

THE ROLE

TRAILS is seeking an experienced, motivated, and organized individual to serve as a Software Engineer. This position will work closely and collaboratively with the TRAILS Tech Innovations team, product designers, and TRAILS stakeholders to deliver high-quality web software. The successful candidate will contribute extensively to back-end services built with Node.js, Strapi, and PostGRES databases while also supporting front-end services using React and Typescript. They will also advance other projects utilizing RESTful APIs and Amazon Web Services. The successful candidate will help the engineering team grow in capacity and skill.

THE RESPONSIBILITIES

Software Engineering (70%)

• Document existing codebase and review for potential refactoring or improvements
• Write and document code that meets Technology Innovations team standards and supports organizational goals, including to providing more equitable and improved access to evidence-based mental health services for all students
• Develop front and backend features of web applications that meet the acceptance criteria outlined by the Project Manager
• Review pull requests, provide feedback, and pair with other engineers on difficult problems
• Participate in various technical design processes and build decision-making documentation to guide future contributors
• Ensure code is documented, tested, and meets quality standards
• Document, optimize, and assist in architecting cloud services to maximize performance, security, and scalability of web applications
• Collaborate as a key player of the tech innovations team in the planning, architecture, and development of trailstowellness.org web applications, future program software applications, and web integrations
• Size issues with other TRAILS teams based off complexity of work, amount of work, and risk or uncertainty
• Communicate the status of your work and any roadblocks on a regular basis with team
• Work to resolve problems experienced by web visitors and the TRAILS team, including responding to and documenting suggestions for improvements and enhancements
• Maintain an active pulse of the latest software technologies and trends
• Manage continuous improvement of current and future software applications

Cross-functional Collaboration (15%)

• Effectively communicate highly technical concepts across teams, to individual TRAILS staff, and to external stakeholders to aid in informed decision-making
• Contribute to a dynamic environment of collaboration by assisting web developers, designers, project managers, and Quality Assurance engineers working within and alongside TRAILS
• Work with other TRAILS teams to translate business requirements into clean, well-tested, and documented code

Team responsibilities (10%)

• Attend all staff meetings and retreats, workgroups, and other relevant TRAILS meetings
• Support the full TRAILS team with all-hands-on-deck events

External Partnership Coordination (5%)

• Assist in onboarding, training, and supporting the work of external contractor(s) as needed
• Research, recommend, and defend contractor(s) for partnership on complex builds
• Guide and review work by contractor(s) through code reviews, PR requests, and recurring standup meetings

THE PERSON 

Our experience suggests that the following types of professional experiences lend themselves to this work:

• 6+ years of professional experience in a software environment
• 3+ years of experience writing production code in a professional, team-oriented environment
• Experience building Node.js (or other related languages) applications using a CMS and relational database
• Experience building and servicing cloud-based web applications
• Demonstrated ability to implement, debug, and optimize complex backend web app services and APIs
• Experience supporting other engineers in the implementation of end-to-end testing
• Experience working with product design/similar teams on shared UX projects
• Experience using and contributing to frontend work using technology such as HTML, CSS, React, Javascript/Typescript frameworks
• Experience with CI/CD tools
• Experience with security frameworks for user authorization and authentication

Our experience suggests that the following types of skills lend themselves well to this work:

• The skill, empathy, and interest to build with other engineers collaboratively through code reviews and mentorship
• Ability to effectively collaborate with design and product teams
• Adaptability and interest in working in a high-change environment where working on multiple projects simultaneously is the norm
• Interest in contributing to the continuous improvement of engineering teams
• Knowledge of technical trends, emerging techniques, and sources for ongoing innovation
• Interest in building upon documentation, process improvement, and SOPs

EDUCATION

Our experience suggests the following certifications and degree(s) lend themselves well to this work:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Software Engineering or a related field
• Web Development certification(s)
• Applicable experience and competencies may be considered in lieu of formal education

COMPENSATION

The salary range for this role is $122,382 to $135,980 annually.

TRAILS offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision as well as a 403B with a safe harbor match and short and long term disability. We offer a generous holiday and paid time off package.

HOW TO APPLY & APPLICATION NOTES

• Application questions:
  • Please outline a professional accomplishment you are most proud of that directly connects to this role.
  • Please highlight your experience working with design teams on UX, UI, or similar projects.
• We are only  considering applicants who are legally authorized to work in the United States.
• Our job descriptions reflect TRAILS’ assignment of essential functions and qualifications of the role. Nothing herein restricts management’s right to assign, reassign or eliminate duties and responsibilities to this role at any time.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION 

Addressing inequities in access to evidence-based mental health care is intrinsic to the TRAILS mission. The intentionality behind this approach is woven into everything we do at TRAILS, resulting in a staff-wide commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion for all facets of our program. If this commitment is something to which you could positively contribute, we encourage you to apply, particularly if your voice represents a historically excluded perspective.

TRAILS, a project of Tides Center, is an “at-will” and equal opportunity employer. Applicants and employees shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender (including pregnancy and gender expression) identity, color, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance.

INTERVIEW PROCESS