Software Engineer, Backend Developer

Practice with Joy gives nurse practitioners everything they need to launch and grow a thriving independent clinic — the tools, technology, and non-clinical support to run it like a business.

About Joy

Practice with Joy gives nurse practitioners everything they need to launch and grow a thriving independent clinic — the tools, technology, and non-clinical support to run it like a business.

Running an independent practice means drowning in everything other than patient care. We're building tools that take that weight off clinicians' shoulders. A few examples of what we're working on

• The Joyful Visit — an AI-assisted visit experience that lets physicians focus on the patient instead of the keyboard, reducing the documentation burden while keeping the clinician in control of the note.
• Rapid intake — a streamlined process that reduces the friction in moving new patients from first contact to first visit
• Admin Cowork — an AI practice manager that helps run the business: credentialing, FP&A, recruiting, billing, and the long tail of administrative work that usually eats a clinic's week.
• Smart Inbox — a way to cut down the back-and-forth of patient messaging, helping providers triage and respond to patient messages faster.
• Population Health Services — helping practices stay ahead of their patient panel, surfacing care gaps and prompting the right outreach before issues become emergencies.
• Reputation Management — helping new practices build and manage their online presence, run post-visit surveys, and grow their patient panel.

The Role

We're looking for a Software Engineer who's energized by the intersection of backend systems and applied AI. You'll build the AI agents and workflows that reduce administrative burden for small medical practices — working primarily in our Python backend, with room to contribute across the stack as you grow. You'll work closely with a small, senior team, so you'll get real ownership early, learn fast, and see your work in front of users almost immediately.

We care about finding the right balance between quality and velocity — and about building responsibly, since we work with sensitive health data.

What You'll Do

• Build backend systems in Python on AWS.
• Develop AI agents and workflows that integrate with LLM APIs to automate healthcare administrative tasks.
• Contribute to our React/Type Script frontend as the product needs it — and grow into full-stack work over time.
• Prototype quickly with new AI capabilities, then help harden the promising ones into reliable, production-grade features.
• Help build thoughtful testing and deployment practices for non-deterministic AI systems — where "correct" isn't always black and white.
• Handle patient data with the care it deserves, building with privacy, security, and HIPAA expectations in mind from the start.
• Work directly with founders and the product team to turn fuzzy problems into shipped solutions.

What We're Looking For

• 1–4 years of software engineering experience with solid backend fundamentals.
• Strong Python skills.
• Hands-on experience building on top of LLM APIs or AI services.
• Fluency with AI-assisted coding tools — Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, or similar — and genuine curiosity about pushing what they can do, balanced with the judgment to use them safely in a healthcare context.
• Clear communication and comfort with async, transparent, written collaboration.
• Comfort with ambiguity — you're happy helping figure out the right path rather than waiting to be handed one.
• Based in the DC metro area.

Nice to Have

• Frontend experience with React/Type Script (a real plus — we want people who can eventually work across the stack).
• AWS experience, especially with serverless architectures.
• Familiarity with healthcare, clinical operations, or working with PHI.

Compensation & Logistics

• Salary: $100,000–$145,000, depending on experience.
• Equity
• Location:
  
  Hybrid, Mostly remote - available for once weekly in-office in Alexandria, VA

Why Joy

• Your work reaches real clinicians and patients fast — at our stage, what you build this month is in production this quarter.
• You'll build AI agents end-to-end, on a product where the impact on healthcare is direct and visible.
• You'll work alongside an experienced team, with the kind of breadth and responsibility that's hard to find on a larger org chart — and a real chance to grow quickly.
• You'll help shape how AI gets applied responsibly to patient data in a market that genuinely needs it.

Equal Opportunity

Practice with Joy is an equal opportunity employer. We're committed to building a team that reflects a range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we make hiring decisions without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. If you need an accommodation at any point in the process, let us know — we're glad to help.