Environmental Science Associates (ESA) is looking for a skilled Mid-Level Software Engineer with a minimum of 5-10 years of experience to join our Corporate Technology Services AI Development Team, based in Portland, Oregon. This is a hybrid position that supports conducting most work from home or office locations. ESA’s agile teams have the option to meet in person a few times a month for sprint planning and retrospectives, and may choose to work together in ESA’s office a few days a week. We are therefore seeking candidates ideally located in the vicinity of Portland who will be available to occasionally travel to our Portland office. In this role, you will bring your critical thinking and problem-solving skills to back-end and front-end development, contributing to a range of innovative projects as part of an Agile software development team.
This mid-level position is part of our Corporate Technology team, where you will work closely with Product Owners, UX designers, data specialists, and fellow engineers to design, build, and evolve modern, AI-enabled applications that support both client-facing environmental solutions and internal operational excellence. Your day-to-day work will involve developing scalable web applications and services using modern SPA frameworks and cloud-native architectures, integrating APIs and data pipelines, and applying best practices for testing, security, and deployment. You will contribute directly to applications that leverage large language models, natural language interfaces, analytics, and automation to make complex environmental data more accessible, actionable, and impactful for users across the firm and for external clients.
This role is well suited to a progressive, mid-level engineer who is comfortable working across the full application stack and is eager to apply emerging technologies in real-world settings. You will help prototype and productionize AI-driven features using contemporary AI development tools and techniques, collaborate on data-intensive solutions built on platforms such as Databricks, and participate in iterative delivery informed by real user feedback. Beyond writing code, you will be expected to think systemically about performance, reliability, and maintainability, and to partner closely with the Product Owner to translate product intent into robust technical solutions that advance ESA’s technology strategy—accelerating environmental outcomes while supporting sustainable economic and community growth
Who You Are
- You are a growth-oriented, early- to mid-career software engineer who is motivated by building modern, production-grade applications and is actively expanding your skills in AI-enabled and data-driven development.
- You bring several years (a minimum of 5) of professional experience contributing to medium- to large-scale software systems, including designing, developing, testing, deploying, and supporting APIs, user interfaces, and data-backed application features in collaborative team environments.
- You hold a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related technical field or possess equivalent practical experience delivering contemporary software solutions.
- You are comfortable working across the full application stack and understand how front-end, back-end, and data components come together to support scalable, user-facing applications.
- You have experience collaborating with UX designers and Product Owners, translating design concepts and user flows into intuitive, high-quality user interfaces, and applying core design principles to ensure clarity, usability, and trust—particularly in data- and AI-informed interfaces.
- You are proficient in modern web application development, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript/TypeScript, with experience building single-page applications using contemporary frameworks such as Angular or similar SPA technologies.
- You bring solid back-end development experience with familiarity in technologies such as C#, .NET Core, SQL, Docker, and API-driven architectures, and an interest in applying these skills to create innovative products and services.
- You have some exposure to AI-enabled application development—such as integrating large language model APIs, Python, pyspark, RAG, LangChain/LangGraph, MCP, and working with embeddings and search, or collaborating with data or ML specialists on projects.
- You are experienced in collaborative software development practices, including version control with Git/GitHub, participating in code reviews, and contributing to shared coding standards and engineering best practices.
- You communicate clearly, thoughtfully, and respectfully, are comfortable discussing technical tradeoffs and implementation details, and work effectively across disciplines to support shared product goals.
- You approach problems analytically and systemically, bringing strong organizational skills, curiosity, and a structured mindset to diagnosing issues and designing solutions.
- You thrive in Agile, team-based environments, value continuous learning and iteration, and enjoy working closely with peers, designers, and product leadership to deliver outcomes rather than just features.
- You are based in the Portland, Oregon area.
What You Will Do for ESA
- Design, develop, and maintain modern software applications by translating user needs, business requirements, and system constraints into reliable, scalable digital solutions.
- Apply sound engineering judgment and problem-solving skills to select appropriate technologies, patterns, and implementation approaches in support of product and project goals.
- Implement user interfaces, APIs, and data workflows using inputs such as user stories, acceptance criteria, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs.
- Contribute to the configuration, integration, testing, deployment, and support of web applications, APIs, databases, and data-driven features, including AI-enabled functionality where appropriate.
- Follow established testing, release, and deployment practices to ensure quality, security, and reliability across environments.
- Assist with defining and applying consistent design patterns and technical approaches to support efficient and maintainable implementation of new functionality.
- Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams—including software engineers, UX designers, data specialists, and Product Owners—within Agile delivery frameworks.
- Prepare clear, well-structured technical documentation and materials to support internal alignment and, when required, client-facing discussions.
- Work effectively within a professional services consulting environment, balancing delivery timelines, evolving requirements, and client expectations.
- Project and code samples may be requested as part of the interview process.
What’s Special About Our Technology Team
What’s special about ESA’s Technology Team is the opportunity to work at the leading edge of environmental impact, where advanced technology is transitioning from an experiment or a side function to a core driver of differentiation, speed, and real-world outcomes. Our team is building and deploying AI-enabled, data-driven, and cloud-native solutions that help our clients and communities better understand, protect, and restore the natural systems they depend on—while also improving efficiency, resilience, and economic viability.
From applying AI and natural language interfaces to environmental data, to modernizing enterprise workflows, building shared data platforms, and accelerating innovation across the firm, Technology Services sits at the intersection of exploration and execution. This is a place for technologists who want their work to matter: delivering cutting-edge solutions that improve environmental outcomes, strengthen communities, and enable sustainable growth for both our clients and our employee-owned firm.
