Principal Software Engineer, Architect | Education | RVPR

At RV Education (EDU), we believe in the power of online learning to create opportunities and transform lives. In partnership with over 300 colleges and universities, we help individuals make smart educational decisions that meet their needs and career aspirations. Our trusted brands like BestColleges serve over 90 million unique annual visitors with educational resources and advice.

At Red Ventures, we believe in creating transformative digital experiences that guide people through life’s most important decisions. As a Principal Software Engineer in our EDU division, you’ll operate at the intersection of engineering excellence and architectural strategy. You'll be responsible for leading the design and implementation of modern, scalable software systems that support millions of students as they explore educational opportunities.

We’re looking for a hands-on technical leader with deep expertise in full-stack development, cloud-native architectures, and modern infrastructure practices. You'll help shape our technical vision, mentor engineers, and drive cross-functional alignment around secure, maintainable, and cost-effective solutions.

RV EDU is proudly headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and is dedicated to cultivating local talent and driving economic development on the island. While many of our roles are located in Puerto Rico, some are also located at RV’s main campus south of Charlotte, NC, or are remote-based.

As a requirement for this role, the selected candidate must be based in Puerto Rico. We are seeking individuals who are currently residing on the island or are willing to relocate to Puerto Rico. This location-based requirement is essential to foster our commitment to local talent and contribute to the economic growth of Puerto Rico. This role requires a hybrid schedule and will be based out of our San Juan, Puerto Rico office with in-office Monday-Thursday and fully remote work on Fridays each week.

Please note that relocation assistance may be provided for qualified candidates who are interested in joining our team in Puerto Rico. If you are a talented professional seeking a new adventure and are open to the possibility of relocating to Puerto Rico, we encourage you to apply.

What You'll Do:

• Lead the design and development of scalable full-stack solutions using Next.js, React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS.
• Build and maintain backend services using Node.js, ensuring performance, security, and maintainability at scale.
• Architect cloud-native systems on AWS using best practices in microservices, event-driven patterns, and flexible data modeling.
• Define and implement infrastructure-as-code using AWS CDK and/or Terraform.
• Design systems that handle both relational (e.g., RDS) and unstructured data (e.g., DynamoDB, S3), optimizing for scalability, cost, and performance.
• Ensure security, compliance, and observability are integral to every stage of design and development.
• Partner with product managers and cross-functional leadership early in the planning process to shape initiatives with a strong technical foundation.
• Translate business objectives into clear architectural options and delivery plans, balancing speed, sustainability, and long-term value.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineers across multiple teams.
• Establish and advocate for engineering standards, architectural guardrails, and best practices across the EDU division.
• Evaluate new technologies and frameworks, contributing to the evolution of our technical ecosystem.

What We're Looking For:

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, with a strong foundation in modern full-stack development.
• Deep expertise with:
• Frontend: Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS, TypeScript
• Backend: Node.js
• Cloud: AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, S3, DynamoDB, RDS, etc.)
• Infrastructure: CDK and/or Terraform
• Demonstrated experience designing secure, scalable, and observable distributed systems.
• Strong understanding of architectural trade-offs, data modeling (both SQL and NoSQL), and system reliability.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with product and engineering leadership during early planning to influence scope and direction.
• Experience leading technical initiatives, mentoring engineers, and driving cross-team alignment.
• Comfort working in fast-paced environments with ambiguity, iteration, and continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice To Have:

• Experience with headless CMS or content systems (e.g., WordPress, Contentful)
• Background in education, lead generation, or high-scale consumer platforms
• Familiarity with event-driven architectures and domain-driven design
• Previous experience in a Principal Engineer or Staff+ level role in a modern SaaS environment

Why You'll Love It Here:

• You'll work on meaningful products that help people make life-changing decisions.
• You'll be surrounded by smart, driven, and kind people who are passionate about their work.
• You'll have the opportunity to shape the future of education technology within Red Ventures.
• You'll work onsite at our Puerto Rico office, with a vibrant local team and direct impact on business strategy.

Additionally, the following benefits are provided by Red Ventures, subject to eligibility requirements.

• Matching 401(k) plan
• Flexible PTO
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Casual dress code, yes, that means jeans!

Who We Are:

Founded in 2000, Red Ventures (RV) is home to a diverse portfolio of industry-leading brands and businesses, strategic partnerships and proprietary technology – including Bankrate, Lonely Planet, The Points Guy, BestColleges and more. Together, RV helps millions of people worldwide make life’s most important decisions, accelerates digital adaptation, and innovates the online consumer experience by improving every step of the consumer journey – from first discovery of information, throughout the decision-making process, to transactions. Headquartered south of Charlotte, NC, Red Ventures employs thousands of people across the US and Puerto Rico, with international offices in the UK and Brazil. For more information, visit https://redventures.com and follow @RedVentures on social platforms.

At Red Ventures, we believe diverse, inclusive teams are better. To help you better understand our core values and beliefs, we encourage you to watch this brief YouTube video: Our Belief Statements. This will give you insight into the principles that guide our work and our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment.

We offer competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits program for full-time employees, including medical, dental and vision coverage, paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, 401(k) plan and a paid parental leave program.

Red Ventures is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or any other basis protected by law. Employment at Red Ventures is based solely on a person's merit and qualifications.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities. This includes providing reasonable accommodation where appropriate. Should you require a reasonable accommodation to apply or participate in the job application or interview process, please contact accommodation@redventures.com.

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents linked here.

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