Senior Backend Software Engineer

About engineering at Headway

Building a new mental healthcare system at Headway is only possible because of the scale and leverage that software can provide.  The engineering team at Headway is a small but mighty team using technology to build that future (and have a fun time while doing it!).

Principles that guide us:

• Focus on the mission: We view software as a means of affecting change in the world, not as an end unto itself. We write software to empower our patients and therapists to better solve the problems they’re facing. 
• Ship small, learn fast: We are building new and novel products and believe that we learn what our users need by quickly shipping and iteration
• Everything is a product: Whether it's our patient search experience or a developer productivity improvement, we treat everything we build at Headway as a product with end-users in mind.
• Optimize for trust: We believe that engineers should be continually learning. To learn effectively and to be productive, engineers must feel safe asking questions and discussing mistakes.

Tools we use:

• Languages: Python 3, TypeScript
• Libraries & Frameworks: FastAPI, SQLAlchemy, React, Remix, Next.js
• Datastores: Postgres, Redis
• Infrastructure: AWS (Fargate, ECS, S3, and more), Spark and Kafka
• Monitoring: Datadog, PagerDuty, Sentry
• Version Control: Github, PagerDuty
• Vulnerability Management: Snyk, Semgrep
• Cloud Security: Lacework

Projects we’re working on:

There is a lot that we're building at Headway, but here are a few projects to give you an idea of the problems we're tackling.

• Financial Processing and Bookkeeping: One way to think about Headway is that we help thousands of independent providers operate a small practice. Having detailed and accurate financial systems is critical to their success. Their livelihood depends on us and as their trusted partner, we take that seriously.
• Claims Management and Insurance Processing: We make a guarantee to patients when they seek care that they will have a predictable cost with us. We make a guarantee with providers that they will have easy insurance operations. Meanwhile, Headway processes hundreds of thousands of claims monthly across all states, all major insurance networks and governmental programs. Our systems must be up to the task.
• Internal Tooling Platform: In healthcare there is always a human component. Engineers build internal tools for multiple non-technical teams and need a scalable, quality platform to deliver them. This platform supports tools for our CX team who is interfacing directly with patients and providers, our ops team who is dealing with claims denials and escalations, and our medical team who is dealing with care quality.
• Therapist practice management: Building a best-in-class platform for Headway therapists to manage their patients, appointments, payments, and more.
• Patient search and matching: Transforming the therapist search experience and becoming the trusted guide for patients to find the right therapist.

Who you are

We’re looking for experienced engineers who have the ability to deal with ambiguity and learn new technologies and systems.  Below are some additional experiences we think help engineers succeed at Headway.

For all engineers:

• You have experience working on systems that power businesses and support modern web applications. 
• Strong understanding of at least one programming language and comfortability with others
• Shaped work to achieve company and team goals
• Flexed into new technical and non-technical areas as projects require
• Committed team member supporting the growth of those around them

For Senior Engineers:

• Designed software architecture at the systems-level
• Led shaping of technical requirements, roadmaps, and strategy
• Led and mentored teams of engineers
• Evaluated new technologies and build vs. buy decisions
• Recruited, interviewed, and on-boarded engineers

Our interview process

After you apply to Headway, here are some details of what to expect during the interview process.

• Initial screen: You’ll connect with someone in recruiting so you can learn more about the team, Headway’s mission and exciting growth, and we can get a better idea of your background. 
• First round: You'll meet with an engineer on the team to do some live coding and learn more about the engineering team.
• Final rounds: You’ll meet several more team members for technical and non-technical interviews and leave with a fuller picture of what it’s like to work at Headway.
• References and the Offer: Our favorite part of the process! We'll send over all of the details, including specifics on employee equity, and congratulatory messages from excited future team members!

Compensation and Benefits:

The expected base pay range for this position is $164,900 - $233,000, based on a variety of factors including qualifications, experience, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for performance-based variable compensation and an equity grant, depending on the position and level.

We are committed to offering a comprehensive and competitive total rewards package, including robust health and wellness benefits, retirement savings, and meaningful ownership opportunities through equity. Compensation decisions are made holistically, ensuring fairness and alignment with market benchmarks while recognizing individual contributions and potential.

• Benefits offered include:
• Equity Compensation
• Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
• HSA / FSA
• 401K
• Work-from-Home Stipend
• Therapy Reimbursement
• 16-week parental leave for eligible employees
• Carrot Fertility annual reimbursement and membership
• 13 paid holidays each year as well as a Holiday Break during the week between December 25th and December 31st
• Flexible PTO
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Training and professional development