Senior Backend Software Engineer, Turnitin
$112.1-186.9k
+ Bonus
Plagiarism detection software
Be an early applicant
Plagiarism detection software
501-1000 employees
Be an early applicant
$112.1-186.9k
+ Bonus
501-1000 employees
Company mission
Turnitin's mission is to ensure the integrity of global education and meaningfully improve learning outcomes.
Role
Who you are
- 5+ years of backend development experience (distributed systems or microservices preferred)
- Strong Java skills and Maven proficiency
- Solid experience with AWS serverless (Lambda, API Gateway, SQS, SNS, Step Functions)
- Familiar with event-driven architecture and microservices design
- Hands-on experience with DynamoDB, or a strong foundation with NoSQL and eagerness to learn DynamoDB rapidly
- Proficient in developing automated tests for backend services
- Comfortable with Git and Github workflows
- Analytical mindset and strong troubleshooting skills
- Effective communicator and team collaborator
- At Turnitin, we recognize it’s unrealistic for candidates to fulfill 100% of the criteria in a job ad. We encourage you to apply if you meet the majority of the requirements because we know that skills evolve over time. If you’re willing to learn and unleash your potential alongside us, join our team!
What the job involves
- As a Senior Software Engineer – Backend, you’ll help build and evolve the backend systems that support our Assignment Workflow core capabilities
- This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy solving complex problems at scale and contributing to meaningful improvements in education technology
- You will collaborate closely with frontend engineers, designers, and product managers to create scalable and engaging solutions that meet the needs of educators and students worldwide
- Design, implement, and maintain scalable, high-performance backend services
- Work with serverless architecture using AWS Lambda and related cloud technologies
- Collaborate closely with your Tech Lead, Architect, QA, Product, UX, and Support teams to ensure smooth delivery
- Contribute to technical discussions and decisions that shape the future of the product
- Champion better practices for code quality, testing, and monitoring
- Contribute towards design and develop robust, scalable backend services using AWS Lambda
- Design / implement RESTful APIs and event-driven systems within microservice architecture
- Optimize existing services for improved performance and cost-efficiency
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate backend services with frontend applications
- Implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines with github actions
- Conduct code reviews and collaborate with other engineers
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues in production environments
- Continue to grow and learn as a software engineer
Our take
Turnitin has a global reputation for being one of the best plagiarism detection softwares on the market. It’s well-earned, too. Besides simple paraphrasing plagiarism, its software also employs sophisticated techniques like identifying macro replacement and analysing metadata to weed out essay mill papers.
Academic plagiarism has become increasingly complex over the years, exacerbated in part by the COVID period of online schooling, and in part by a skyrocketing rise in computer literacy and plagiarism tricks. Software like Turnitin is therefore playing an increasingly crucial role in maintaining academic integrity. Additionally, it helps understaffed institutions ease the burden placed on a teaching workforce which are, in some regions, perilously close to collapse.
Turnitin is not without its issues, however. Some institutions lean too heavily on the software, and essay mills have begun using Turnitin software to prove product authenticity. Historically, Turnitin has neatly addressed these problems by releasing new or improved capabilities including Chat GPT screening updates in 2023. If it can continue to demonstrate remarkable competence and proactive development in this regard, Turnitin’s glowing reputation seems assured.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
9% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company benefits
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Supplemental Life Insurance
Company HQ
Downtown, Oakland, CA
Leadership
Chris Caren
(CEO)Held a number of senior positions at major corporations, including serving as a GM at Microsoft, and a board member at Avetta, Liaison International, Illuminate Education, and The IRONMAN Group. They are additionally a member of YPO and chairman of Procare Solutions.
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