Edtech.com's Summary

Johns Hopkins University is hiring a Software Engineer - AI Focus (Center for Technology in Education). The role continues the build of an AI-powered dashboard that helps early intervention teams explore their Child Outcomes Summary data and get guidance grounded in that data and in national technical assistance resources. The engineer owns the application end to end, from data processing and the user interface to its generative AI features and their evaluation, working independently with a domain expert who reviews the work at key milestones.

Highlights

Design and build generative AI features, including retrieval-augmented generation over authoritative sources, that help practitioners interpret their data and receive evidence-grounded answers.
Build, maintain, and document the AI-powered data application, from data intake and processing to the interface practitioners use to explore their data.
Establish how the system's outputs are measured and improved over time, pairing quantitative evaluation with review by domain experts.
Design for the privacy of sensitive personally identifiable information and for responsible, cost-effective use of AI services.
Work closely with the Frontend UX Engineer and domain experts to align the application's data, AI features, and interface with practitioners' needs.
Gather requirements from clients, write functional and technical specifications, and test, document, and support delivered solutions while mentoring junior staff.
Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field and five years of related experience with computer systems and applications, with additional education or experience able to substitute under JHU's equivalency formula.
Preferred experience includes 3+ years building data-driven applications in Python, retrieval-augmented generation systems using vector databases such as Pinecone or FAISS, LLM-powered features, and React web applications.
Preferred background with education or public-sector data, such as early intervention reporting under FERPA and IDEA, and a portfolio of AI systems built and evaluated.
Pay range of $38.53 to $67.44 per hour with $52.00 targeted, for a remote role on a Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm schedule.

Software Engineer - AI Focus (Center for Technology in Education) Full Description

The Center for Technology in Education in the School of Education at Johns Hopkins University seeks a Software Engineer - AI Focus to continue the development of AI-powered data tools for early intervention programs. In this role, the Software Engineer extends the build of an interactive dashboard that helps Part C teams explore their Child Outcomes Summary (COS) data and receive guidance grounded in that data and in national technical assistance resources. The position owns the application end to end, from data processing and the user interface to its AI capabilities and their evaluation. The role involves working independently with a domain expert who calibrates the work at key milestones, and calls for sound engineering judgment, fluency with generative AI, and vigilance over the privacy of sensitive education data.

Responsible for the creation, implementation, maintenance, performance, production support and documentation of various departmental and enterprise-wide application systems. This includes but is not limited to the installation, modification, and testing of new and/or upgraded applications (packages or homegrown), operating systems, file structures, hardware, communication devices, and productivity tools. Applies analysis techniques and procedures to gather and then translate business requirements into functional/technical specifications and designs. Using functional specifications and designs, produces all or part of the deliverables. Maintains databases and application system code.

Responsible for full life cycle of medium to large sized complex projects; strong technical skills; strong ability to understand complex business processes. Develops solutions based on extensive technical knowledge, skills and experience; influences client towards innovative/integrated solutions.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

The responsibilities listed below are typical examples of the work performed by this position. Not all duties assigned to this position are included, nor is it expected that everyone in this position will be assigned every job responsibility.

Analysis & Requirements Gathering

Define complex business/clinical/education problems by meeting with clients to observe and understand current processes and the issues related to those processes. Provide written documentation of findings to share with the client and other IT colleagues.
Gather complex system requirements by meeting with clients and researching existing technology to understand the business requirements and possible solutions for new applications.

Design & Development

Develop detailed tasks and project plans by analyzing project scope and milestones for complex projects to ensure product is delivered quickly according to software lifecycle standards.
Write functional/technical specifications from the complex system requirements, putting them into functional and technical descriptions for use by programmers and business analysts to develop technical solutions.
Develop/change data input, files/database structures, data transformation, algorithms, and data output by using appropriate computer language/tools to provide technical solutions for complex application development tasks.
Document code and associated processes by adhering to development methodologies, adding code comments and appropriate documentation to various knowledge-base system(s) to simplify code maintenance and to improve support.
Provide monitoring and guidance in application design and development to more junior staff.
Provide thought leadership in designing and developing innovative integrated solutions.

Testing & Documentation

Create and document complex test scenarios using the appropriate testing tools to validate and verify application functionality.
Test all changes by using the appropriate complex test scenarios to ensure all delivered solutions work as expected and errors are handled in a meaningful way.
Author and maintain documentation by writing audience-appropriate materials to serve as technical and/or end-user references.
Mentor junior staff in testing tools and technologies by reviewing their work.

Implementation & Maintenance

Implement changes by adhering to the change management policies and procedures for any given project to communicate to all parties the nature, significance, and risk factors of the solution.
Monitor changes and resolve complex problems by responding as they occur, by reviewing all processing and output of the newly implemented solution, and by proactively ensuring the solution works successfully to satisfy the customer requirements and to provide a smooth transition to the new solution.
Provide support by investigating and resolving issues, including complex issues to ensure prompt, effective service.

In addition to the duties described above

Application Development: Design, build, maintain, and document an AI-powered data application, from data intake and processing to the interface practitioners use to explore their data.
AI Capabilities: Design and build the generative AI features, including retrieval-augmented generation over authoritative domain sources, that help practitioners interpret their data and receive evidence-grounded answers to their questions.
Evaluation and Quality: Establish how the system's outputs are measured and improved over time and pair quantitative evaluation with review by domain experts.
Privacy and Responsible Use: Design for the privacy of sensitive personally identifiable information and for the responsible, cost-effective use of AI services.
Collaboration: Work closely with the Frontend UX Engineer and domain experts to align the application's data, AI features, and interface with the needs of practitioners.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree (or foreign equivalent) in computer science, computer information systems, information technology, electronic engineering, or a related field.
Five years of related work experience with computer systems and applications.
Additional education may substitute for required experience and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond HS Diploma/Graduation Equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge in the assigned application as well as the platform on which it runs.
3+ years of professional software engineering experience building data-driven applications (e.g., in Python).
Demonstrated experience building retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems (e.g., vector databases such as Pinecone or FAISS, knowledge graphs, retrieval evaluation with Recall@K or MRR).
Demonstrated experience designing LLM-powered features (e.g., prompt engineering, tool-using agents).
Experience building and deploying web applications (e.g., React, serverless functions on Netlify or AWS Lambda).
Experience evaluating AI systems with both quantitative measures and human review (e.g., faithfulness and relevancy metrics, review by domain experts).
Strong understanding of privacy and security practices for sensitive data (e.g., data minimization, API key management).
A portfolio that shows AI systems you have built and evaluated (e.g., retrieval pipelines, agents, evaluation results).
Experience with client-side data processing (e.g., in-browser Python with Pyodide).
Experience preparing document collections for retrieval (e.g., web crawling, document parsing, text cleaning).
Experience with education or public-sector data (e.g., early intervention or federal reporting data under FERPA and IDEA).

Technical Skills & Expected Level of Proficiency

Agile Methodology - Intermediate
Algorithms - Intermediate
Application Programming Interface (API) - Intermediate
CI/CD - Intermediate
Cloud Serverless Computing Architecture - Intermediate
Code Review - Intermediate
Data Architecture and Design - Intermediate
Data Structures - Intermediate
Debugging - Intermediate
Dev Ops - Intermediate
JIRA - Intermediate
New Product Development - Intermediate
Secure Coding - Intermediate
Service Orientated Architecture - Intermediate
Software Design Patterns - Intermediate
Software Development Life Cycle - Intermediate
Software Engineering - Intermediate
Unit Testing - Intermediate

The core technical skills listed are most essential; additional technical skills may be required based on specific division or department needs.

Classified Title: Software Engineer

Job Posting Title (Working Title): Software Engineer - AI Focus (Center for Technology in Education)

Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PE

Starting Salary Range: $38.53 - $67.44 HRLY ($52.00 targeted; Commensurate w/exp.)

Employee group: Casual / On Call

Schedule: Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Remote

Department name: Center for Technology in Education (CTE)

Personnel area: School of Education

Total Rewards

The referenced base salary range represents the low and high end of Johns Hopkins University’s salary range for this position. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. Exact salary will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, market conditions, education/training and other qualifications. Johns Hopkins offers a total rewards package that supports our employees' health, life, career and retirement.

Education and Experience Equivalency

Please refer to the job description above to see which forms of equivalency are permitted for this position. If permitted, equivalencies will follow these guidelines: JHU Equivalency Formula: 30 undergraduate degree credits (semester hours) or 18 graduate degree credits may substitute for one year of experience. Additional related experience may substitute for required education on the same basis. For jobs where equivalency is permitted, up to two years of non-related college course work may be applied towards the total minimum education/experience required for the respective job.

Applicants Completing Studies

Applicants who do not meet the posted requirements but are completing their final academic semester/quarter will be considered eligible for employment and may be asked to provide additional information confirming their academic completion date.

Background Checks

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check. Johns Hopkins is committed to hiring individuals with a justice-involved background, consistent with applicable policies and current practice. A prior criminal history does not automatically preclude candidates from employment at Johns Hopkins University. In accordance with applicable law, the university will review, on an individual basis, the date of a candidate's conviction, the nature of the conviction and how the conviction relates to an essential job-related qualification or function.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Johns Hopkins University values diversity, equity and inclusion and advances these through our key strategic framework, the JHU Roadmap on Diversity and Inclusion.

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Accommodation Information

If you are interested in applying for employment with The Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the Talent Acquisition Office at [email protected]. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711.

Vaccine Requirements

Johns Hopkins University requires all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. Exceptions to the flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry.

The following additional provisions may apply, depending upon campus. Your recruiter will advise accordingly.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those employees who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.

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