Backend Engineer for Youth Empowerment Volunteer Part-Time

Company

Description:

Empowered Futures is a forward-thinking nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting emerging adults as they transition into independence and adulthood. Our mission is to empower young people to become confident, emotionally intelligent, and resourceful individuals by providing access to self-development resources, business mentorship, and personalized guidance. Through our programs, we help emerging adults build essential life and career skills, expand their networks, and unlock their full potential.

At Empowered Futures, volunteers and leaders play a critical role in shaping the future of the next generation, making it a rewarding environment for those passionate about youth development, social impact, and transformational mentorship.

We are seeking an experienced and analytical Back End Engineer to design, develop, and maintain scalable server-side applications and distributed systems. The ideal candidate has strong software engineering fundamentals, expertise in APIs and databases, and experience building reliable, secure, and high-performance backend services. This role works closely with front-end engineers, product managers, Dev Ops teams, and architects to deliver robust applications and platform capabilities.

• Design, develop, and maintain backend services, APIs, and microservices
• Build scalable and secure server-side applications
• Design and optimize database schemas, queries, and data pipelines
• Integrate third-party APIs and internal systems
• Improve application performance, reliability, and scalability
• Implement authentication, authorization, and data protection mechanisms
• Collaborate with front-end engineers to support seamless integration
• Write clean, maintainable, and testable code
• Participate in code reviews, technical discussions, and architecture planning
• Monitor systems, troubleshoot production issues, and implement fixes
• Contribute to CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation
• Maintain technical documentation and engineering standards

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• 3+ years of backend software development experience
• Strong proficiency in one or more backend programming languages such as Java, Python, Go, C#, or Node.js
• Experience building RESTful or GraphQL APIs
• Strong understanding of database systems including SQL and No
  
  SQL technologies
• Experience with cloud platforms and containerized applications
• Familiarity with version control systems such as Git
• Knowledge of software design patterns and distributed systems concepts
• Experience with testing, debugging, and monitoring tools
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage competing priorities
• Continuous improvement mindset

• Experience with microservices architecture
• Familiarity with event-driven systems and message brokers
• Knowledge of caching technologies such as Redis or Memcached
• Experience with orchestration platforms such as Kubernetes
• Familiarity with CI/CD tools and infrastructure automation
• Understanding of security best practices and compliance standards
• Experience working in Agile or Scrum environments

Programming Languages

• Java
• Python
• Go
• C#
• JavaScript / Type Script (Node.js)

Frameworks & Technologies

• Spring Boot
• Django
• Express.js
• ASP.NET Core

Databases

• PostgreSQL
• MySQL
• MongoDB
• Redis

Cloud & Dev Ops

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Google Cloud
• Microsoft Azure
• Docker
• Kubernetes

• Empowering emerging adults with their growth and development.
• Innovating the movement towards mental wellness.
• Collaboration with multidisciplinary senior board members.
• Growing your professional network.
• Room for advancement and growth within the organization to serve as a board member.

Join our team and make a meaningful impact on the lives of young adults while shaping a brighter future for mental health and well-being. Together, we can inspire hope and create lasting change.

This is a part-time and unpaid volunteer position (5-8 hours a week)