Software Engineer Intern

About KrootRecruiting as a student is fragmented. Opportunities are spread across dozens of platforms, applications are tracked in makeshift spreadsheets, and candidates rarely have visibility into where they stand. Kroot is building a better way through three interconnected products designed for students, schools, and employers.Students use Kroot to discover opportunities, manage their applications in one place, and stand out to employers. As employers join the platform, members receive priority consideration along with complimentary access to upcoming coaching and recruiter events. Kroot is supported by advisors and operators from Techstars, USC Marshall, Shopify, Applied Intuition, and more.The OpportunityAs a Software Engineering Intern at Kroot, you will work directly with the founding team to build products that improve how students navigate recruiting. Rather than working on isolated assignments, you will contribute to features that reach real users, participate in technical decisions, and gain hands-on experience building software in an early-stage startup.You will have opportunities to work across the full stack, explore new technologies, and take ownership of projects based on your interests and technical strengths. The internship is structured to accommodate an academic schedule, with a mutually agreed weekly commitment and opportunities to take on greater responsibility as the company grows.Responsibilities

• Build, test, and ship features for Kroot's student-facing recruiting platform across the frontend, backend, APIs, and database
• Contribute to products and features including job discovery, application tracking, recruiting CRM, company wishlists, personalized matching, notifications, and analytics
• Work with third-party APIs and integrations to improve how recruiting data is collected, organized, and presented
• Collaborate with engineers and the founding team to translate product requirements into functional, intuitive user experiences
• Take ownership of scoped engineering projects from implementation through testing, deployment, and iteration
• Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code that can be built upon by future engineers
• Identify, investigate, and resolve bugs, performance issues, and usability problems across the platform
• Explore AI-assisted development, automation, and emerging technologies to improve engineering efficiency and product capabilities
• Participate in code reviews, technical discussions, and product planning to understand engineering tradeoffs and decisions
• Help improve existing systems through testing, refactoring, and performance optimization
• Contribute ideas for new features and product improvements based on user feedback and technical observations
• Gain exposure to the technical foundations supporting Kroot's future university and employer productsQualifications
• Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related field
• Foundational understanding of software development, including programming, data structures, and working with APIs
• Experience building software through personal projects, coursework, hackathons, open source contributions, or previous internships
• Familiarity with frontend or backend development and a willingness to work across the stack
• Ability to learn new programming languages, frameworks, and development tools independently
• Interest in using AI-assisted development tools while maintaining code quality and understanding
• Strong problem-solving skills and an ability to work through unfamiliar technical challenges
• Clear communication, receptiveness to feedback, and willingness to collaborate in a fast-moving environment
• Genuine interest in improving the recruiting experience for students and early-career candidatesPreferred Qualifications
• Experience with TypeScript, JavaScript, React, Next.js, Python, or similar technologies
• Familiarity with PostgreSQL, Supabase, or other relational databases and backend services
• Experience integrating external APIs, authentication systems, or third-party services
• Prior experience deploying and maintaining a web application used by real users
• Familiarity with Git, GitHub, and collaborative development workflows
• Experience with AI coding tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, or similar development assistants
• Currently navigating internship or new graduate recruiting
• Previous startup, hackathon, or entrepreneurial experience
• Based in the Los Angeles areaWhat You'll Gain
• Direct experience building and shipping production software used by students
• Exposure to the full product development lifecycle, from identifying user problems to launching solutions
• Opportunities to work closely with founders and contribute to meaningful product and technical decisions
• Experience navigating the technical challenges of building and scaling an early-stage technology company
• Tangible projects and shipped features to demonstrate your engineering experience
• Opportunities for increased technical ownership and continued involvement as Kroot grows