Frontend Web Application Developer

KoboToolbox has an immediate opening for a Frontend Web Application Developer to fill a full-time position of approximately 35-40 hours per week, for a commitment of at least 1 year. As a member of our team, you will share in the challenge and excitement of writing code used by over 32,000 organizations around the world. These organizations create data-driven change through the collection and analysis of more than 20 million surveys per month.

Only candidates who already have experience working on large web applications will be considered. Beyond technical acumen, we are seeking a team member who demonstrates curiosity, initiative, and a cooperative approach to problem solving and decision-making.

If you're passionate about leveraging technology to make a positive impact, we want to hear from you!

Responsibilities

• Searching and reading an extensive, long-lived code base to understand existing behavior and conventions.
• Recognizing when existing conventions may no longer be the best approach and suggesting improvements aligned with contemporary best practices.
• Writing robust, concise, and reusable code with accompanying tests and documentation.
• Reviewing other developers' code and providing constructive feedback.
• Incorporating feedback from code reviews to improve your skills and align with team standards.
• Using AI-assisted development tools effectively while maintaining responsibility for code quality and correctness.
• Efficiently investigating bug reports from the support team, creating well-scoped fixes or actionable plans for resolution.
• Scoping, prioritizing, estimating, and organizing work into manageably sized tasks.
• Attending regular video-conference check-ins with other members of the technical team.
• Communicating with the public in conjunction with our support staff or directly through forums, issue trackers, etc.
• Contributing to discussions about design and architecture collaboratively with the larger team.
• Performing other related duties as directed by the lead developer.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Professional experience writing, deploying, and maintaining client-side code for real-world, API-driven single-page applications.
• Proficiency with TypeScript, React, and related technologies, including styling, state management, and efficient data exchange over HTTP.
• Unflinching ability to work with legacy technologies such as Backbone and CoffeeScript.
• Recent experience giving and receiving code reviews.
• Ability to independently set up and troubleshoot a local development environment, knowing when to ask for help on genuine roadblocks.
• Interest in data collection (surveying), particularly in humanitarian emergencies and other challenging contexts, and a desire to improve our platform for our users.
• Proficiency with spoken and written English.
• Fluency with Git.
• Overlap with working hours in the Eastern time zone.
• Average availability of at least 30 hours per week, preferably 35 hours or more.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with the following is preferred but not required to apply:

• Using Docker and Docker Compose in a development environment.
• Programming in Python, ideally with Django (and particularly Django REST Framework).
• Building user-facing LLM integrations.
• Surveying with XLSForm, ODK XForm, and OpenRosa.
• Integrating with Stripe for payment processing.

An added note on qualifications... We know that people from underrepresented groups including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, and others are less likely to apply for a role if they don't meet every qualification listed. We're more interested in your potential and growth mindset than a perfect checklist match. If this role excites you and you meet many, but not all, of the qualifications, we'd still love to hear from you.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Kobo is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Benefits

• Genuine Impact: Contribute directly to projects that impact millions of people around the world globally, working alongside the largest international humanitarian organizations as well as thousands of national and small community based partners in 200 countries.
• Meaningful Work Environment: Join a team that believes work should be meaningful as well as fun, tackling global challenges through innovative data collection and management tools with a proven impact for lasting change.
• Diverse Team: Be part of an amazing, progressive, and globally diverse team that values diversity, equity, and inclusion across all spectrums.
• Flexible Work Culture: Enjoy mutual flexibility supported by a culture that prioritizes work-life balance.
• Professional Development: Benefit from generous professional development options.

Full Time Employee Benefits (U.S. candidates only)

• Health & Wellness: 5 medical insurance options, dental, and vision (up to 80% premium covered), plus life insurance and Long Term Disability.
• Financial Security: 401(k) retirement plan with 100% match up to 2%.
• Work-Life Balance: 20 days paid time off, 12 floating holidays, unlimited sick days, and paid parental leave.

*Please note, if based in the US or Canada this is a full time employee position. In other locations full time employment or contractor positions are options depending on individual circumstances.