We are seeking a Software Engineer to join ReFED’s Data and Insights team. You will play a critical role within the organization  by collecting and analyzing data to measure food waste. You will also build applications that make that data available to those working in the food waste reduction space. This position will report to the VP, Data and Insight Products. This is an exempt, full-time, remote position. 

About The Organization

ReFED is a national nonprofit working to end food loss and waste across the food system by advancing data-driven solutions to the problem. We leverage data and insights to highlight supply chain inefficiencies and economic opportunities; mobilize and connect supporters to take targeted action; and catalyze capital to spur innovation and scale high-impact initiatives. 

Starting with the 2016 Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste, ReFED has developed a trusted history of producing first-of-their-kind tools and resources, providing a full-supply-chain picture of U.S. food waste, cost-effective solutions to reduce it, and methods to track progress. In February 2021, ReFED launched the Roadmap to 2030 and Insights Engine, an online data center serving as the next generation of data, insights, and guidance on U.S. food waste reduction. Reducing food waste will have a significant impact on mitigating climate change, optimizing use of water, land, and other resources, and providing meals for the over 50 million people in the United States who currently face food insecurity. We are growing our team in an effort to further build our capacity to achieve our vision of a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food system that optimizes environmental resources, minimizes climate impacts, and makes the best use of the food we grow.

We are a team of doers and we get a lot accomplished. We create outsized impact and everyone on the team contributes to accomplishing our goals. Learning & professional development are heavily embedded in our culture at ReFED.  We promote cross functional work to embrace diverse perspectives, experiences, and skills in an effort to ensure we are an inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your past experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.   

Learn more at www.refed.org. 

About The Work

In this role, you will help address the following:

1. The first is to provide technical support (scoping bug fixes and features, quality assurance, and development work) for the Capital Tracker, a tool for tracking investments in the food waste and loss reduction space. The Capital Tracker has two main development branches. The first is a backend application that ingests financial data from a variety of sources, processes that data, and then stores it in a database for the frontend application to visualize. The second part of the project is a frontend application, which allows users to interact with the data. This work is currently being done by a web development company based in Spain, Vizzuality. The Software Engineer would act as a bridge between Vizzuality and ReFED to facilitate an effective translation process, conduct code reviews, support quality assurance, verify that documentation meets industry standards, and contribute to features and bug fixes.

2. The second would be to work closely with the rest of the team to build and deploy our data pipeline. A work plan would be developed and agreed upon by all the relevant stakeholders.

3. The third would be to conduct an audit of ReFED’s code base, technology stack, and devops, and develop and implement a plan for bringing coherence, sustainability, and scalability to our data and technology work. Currently, ReFED’s applications and data are spread across multiple github accounts (without any clear ownership). We also use a mix of Google Cloud Platform, Azure, AWS, and Heroku products. We believe this audit is an essential step to begin planning future development work for the Insights Engine.

Some other things you would engage in:

1. Fullstack Web Development and Software Engineering

   1. Collaborate with technical and non-technical staff across ReFED to scope user and application requirements 

   2. Write and maintain clean, testable, and well-documented code in collaboration with other relevant staff and contractors

   3. Refactor and document existing code as necessary

   4. Create and maintain product and application documentation 

2. DevOps

   1. Oversee and maintain ReFED’s application infrastructure and code with an eye toward sustainability, scalability, and security 

3. Technical Project Management

   1. Collaboratively develop and implement conventions, best practices, and technical standards for ReFED’s data and software engineering, and web development work

   2. In collaboration with project manager(s) and external vendor(s), maintain product roadmap, assess quality, and conduct code review of external software vendors’ work 

   3. Work closely with external software vendors to scope ReFED’s application user requirements and oversee the implementation, including code reviews

   4.  Support quality assurance of all new features and bug fixes

   5. Review , merge, and deploy  bug fixes and new features produced by external vendors 

You could be a great candidate for this role if you:

1. Have experience with a range of frontend and backend development languages and a demonstrated ability to learn new languages and packages (ReFED’s current code base includes ruby on rails, SQL, javascript, R, and python)

2. Have experience and/or familiarity  with a range of cloud tools, such as Github, Google Cloud Platform, AWS, and Heroku

3. Have worked with non-technical partners to scope and implement features and bug fixes 

We think you would thrive in this role and at ReFED if you:

1. Are comfortable working and communicating asynchronously

2. Are passionate about the role of technology and data to spur action

3. Are comfortable wearing many hats and collaborating with both technical and non-technical colleagues 

4. Thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth organization

5. Hate wasting food

We don’t require:

1. Specific degrees or certifications 

2. Non-profit experience 

If you don't meet all of the criteria above but still are interested in the job, please apply! Nobody checks every box, and we are looking for someone excited to join the team who possesses important skills we likely have not thought of. If that is you, don’t hesitate to reach out and tell us about yourself.

Our Recruitment Process

Our recruitment process includes the following steps:

1. Initial screening interview over zoom

2. 2-3 interviews over zoom with various team members

3. Skills assessment over zoom which may or may not include an ask to complete work ahead of time and present during the skills assessment meeting. All necessary information and guidance will be provided ahead of time.

4. Reference checks, typically three are requested 

We aim to be as communicative as possible throughout the recruitment process but may not have the bandwidth to respond to every initial application. Our process always involves multiple team members representing diverse backgrounds and viewpoints from across the organization. 

Our Operating Environment

ReFED is an entirely remote organization with 20 staff distributed across the U.S. As such, we work with a variety of digital collaboration and connectivity tools to enable our work. Our operating stack includes: Google suite (mail, calendar, docs, sheets, slides, drive), Zoom, Slack, Monday, Salesforce, Miro, Evernote, MS Office, Adobe, and Insperity. 

We build our culture remotely, with two key in-person gatherings of the full team each year. These include our annual team retreat and the Food Waste Solutions Summit, an annual conference that we host. Our remote culture building includes team-hosted casual get-togethers, ask-me-anythings with our Board and Advisory Council members, peer recognition on our shoutouts channel in slack and through our Big Dill spot bonus program, as well as engagement on our watercooler channel in slack. Our in person moments are incredibly valuable with big focuses on team building, learning, and fun.

Learn more about our culture here. 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Commitment

ReFED is an equal opportunity employer. We believe that everyone has a seat at the table, and that this table always has room for growth. The success of the organization is rooted in the visible and invisible qualities of our people. Our people embody a variety of views, perspectives, and backgrounds to push the envelope of what is possible and better meet the needs of the community in the hopes of building a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food system. Community is more than a word here. As stewards of this food system that benefits from the inclusion and enhancement of diverse voices, ReFED recognizes that systemic barriers limit opportunities for certain groups which contributes to ongoing disparities. Furthermore, we accept that our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) means a commitment to constant learning, listening, and interaction in all aspects of our work. ReFED is an organization that seeks to attract exceptional and dedicated talent to advance our mission, and we firmly believe that inclusion through recruiting, hiring, developing, training, and promoting employees of all genders, races, religions, ages, national origins, political affiliations, ancestries, sexual orientations, disabilities, and veteran status, creates an atmosphere that enables us to lead with an entrepreneurial spirit and innovate with enterprise.

Compensation & Benefits

ReFED offers a competitive salary and benefits package, opportunities for professional development, and policies and programs that encourage a healthy work-life balance. ReFED’s U.S. benefits package includes:

• 100% employee and 50% dependent premium coverage for medical, dental, and vision benefits;

• Participation in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans with up to 4% employer matching;

• Professional development opportunities - including annual budget - and option to participate in ReFED’s mentor program;

• 18 paid vacation days annually;

• 10 paid sick days annually;

• Early closure in July and August for Summer Fridays;

• Paid family leave;

• Approximately 13 paid company holidays annually - including closed offices the last week of the year;

• Short- and long-term disability coverage and term life insurance; and

• Flexible work environment with option to work from home or a co-working space.

Learn more about our values, team, and commitment to employees at refed.com/careers. Benefits for Canadian employees are available upon request.