Associate Software Engineer

About the RoleUnited States citizenship is required for this positionBetter Direct is seeking an Associate Software Engineer with 1–2 years of experience to help build and improve our internal CRM and business systems.Our platform supports opportunities, quotes, engineering approvals, inventory, purchasing, sales orders, invoicing, document storage, and external integrations. Because these workflows are interconnected and central to daily operations, engineers must understand how a change affects the broader system—not just one screen or API.We use AI development tools extensively. We value engineers who can understand a problem, design a sound solution, guide AI tools effectively, validate their output, and take ownership of the final result.Key ResponsibilitiesBuild and maintain features using React, TypeScript, Node.js, Express, Prisma, and PostgreSQLTranslate business workflows into clear, reliable technical solutionsWork across frontend, backend, database, storage, and integration layersDesign APIs, database schemas, validations, and permission controlsProtect data integrity for customer, financial, inventory, and order informationDiagnose root causes across the system rather than only fixing visible symptomsHandle migrations, backfills, concurrent updates, and failure scenarios safelyIntegrate external APIs with appropriate retries, timeouts, idempotency, and error handlingConsider performance in queries, APIs, background jobs, and user-facing workflowsWrite tests for business rules, permissions, edge cases, and failure conditionsDebug production issues using logs, database records, and system behaviorReview code for correctness, security, maintainability, and impact on existing workflowsDocument important technical decisions and communicate changes clearlyOwn focused features from requirements through release and production verificationAI-Assisted EngineeringAI-assisted development is part of how we work. Engineers may use tools such as OpenAI Codex to research unfamiliar systems, explore solutions, write code, generate tests, debug issues, and create documentation.However, the engineer is responsible for the quality and safety of the final result. You should be able to:Break unclear requests into well-defined technical tasksProvide AI tools with the right context, constraints, and acceptance criteriaRead, understand, and explain the code you submitIdentify incomplete, unsafe, or unnecessarily complex AI-generated solutionsVerify assumptions in the existing codebase, database, and application behaviorEvaluate technical tradeoffs and select practical solutionsConfirm that changes fit the architecture and preserve existing workflowsTest security, permissions, data integrity, performance, and edge casesUse approved tools responsibly with company and customer dataTroubleshoot and support your work after releaseRequired Qualifications1–2 years of professional software development experienceStrong working knowledge of React and TypeScriptExperience building backend services with Node.js, Express, and REST APIsSolid understanding of SQL, PostgreSQL, and relational data modelingAbility to navigate an existing codebase before making changesUnderstanding of API design, validation, error handling, and secure coding practicesFamiliarity with authentication and role-based authorizationExperience with Git, testing, code review, and debuggingExperience using AI coding tools while independently validating their outputAbility to explain technical decisions, risks, and uncertainties clearlyPractical understanding of how applications behave in development and productionEngineering Skills We ValueSystems thinking: understanding how application layers and integrations work togetherData correctness: preventing duplicate, missing, inconsistent, or unauthorized changesProblem-solving: finding root causes and comparing practical solutionsScalability awareness: recognizing designs that may become slow or difficult to maintainProduction ownership: verifying releases and responding when issues occurBusiness understanding: learning why a workflow exists, not only how to implement itMaintainability: writing code that other engineers can understand and extendGood judgment: knowing when to proceed, investigate further, or ask for helpWe do not expect an Associate Software Engineer to know everything on day one. We do expect curiosity, disciplined thinking, a willingness to learn quickly, and steady growth toward greater technical ownership.Nice-to-Have ExperienceMaterial UI or MUI XTanStack Query or TanStack RouterRedux ToolkitPrisma ORM and ZodMinIO or other S3-compatible object storageBackground jobs, queues, caching, or asynchronous processingPython, FastAPI, Celery, Redis, Selenium, or pytestPerformance analysis, database indexing, or query optimizationCI/CD, application monitoring, structured logging, or production deploymentsThird-party business, catalog, ordering, or payment API integrationsCompensation and EligibilityBase salary: $60,000–$70,000 per year, based on experienceBetter Direct is an equal opportunity employer under applicable law