Senior Software Engineer - Creator Growth and Monetization at Kit

About Kit

Kit is a pioneering email-first operating system designed for creators focused on business growth and monetization. We empower coaches, YouTubers, authors, podcasters, and other creatives to effortlessly expand their audience, automate email marketing, and sell digital products, all from a unified platform. Our mission is to help creators achieve $1 billion in earnings through our innovative marketing platform. Kit prides itself on being 100% independent and fully remote. We seek individuals who share our enthusiasm for helping creators thrive and believe in our vision and values. We also thoughtfully integrate AI into our development and hiring processes to foster an adaptable and innovative team.

The Role: Senior Software Engineer - Creator Growth and Monetization

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to develop impactful products that enable creators to scale their audience growth and monetization strategies. Joining the Network Squad, you will focus on Creator Growth through recommendation systems and Creator Monetization via our Newsletter Sponsorships and Commerce platforms. Your work will contribute to products where network effects are key, meaning as more creators participate, everyone benefits. This role directly influences how thousands of creators find their audience and generate income, with tangible outcomes like doubling audience growth for creators leveraging our recommendation network.

This is a hands-on position ideal for a product-minded engineer with strong product engineering skills and frontend expertise. You will engage across the full stack, from React frontends to our Rails backend and sophisticated analytics systems, with a deep commitment to exceptional user experiences. You will collaborate closely with Design and Product throughout the development lifecycle, from initial concepts to refining ideas and breaking down complex features into iterative, shippable deliverables that provide immediate value to creators. You will actively participate in scoping discussions, identify Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), and support iterative release planning to ensure continuous benefits for creators. Being data-driven, you will contribute to product improvements while applying modern approaches to performance and user experience. Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools like Claude Code and Cursor is expected to amplify your impact.

Your Support System

You will report to Mark Southard, who leads the Network Squad, a dynamic cross-functional product team at Kit. You will work in close collaboration with a Product Manager, Product Designer, and fellow Software Engineers. Additionally, you will have access to a broader group of Engineers across Kit for ongoing support and mentorship. Your onboarding will include a dedicated peer buddy to help you navigate our systems and codebase efficiently.

What You'll Achieve

• First Week: Immerse yourself in our codebase and understand the functionality of our growth and monetization products. Set up your local development environment and successfully merge your initial production code. Engage in "Get To Know You" (GTKYs) sessions to connect with our distributed team.
• First Month: Drive your own ramp-up by thoroughly learning our product and codebase, aiming to deliver meaningful value to creators by month's end. Gain a deep understanding of how our recommendation and monetization products support creators, and how our systems - including the Rails backend, React frontend, and ClickHouse analytics layer - operate synergistically. Participate actively in team planning, building, and measurement activities. Contribute to code reviews and submit Pull Requests weekly.
• First Six Months: Take ownership and successfully deliver multiple complex features from conception to launch. Enhance our codebase through thoughtful refactoring while upholding high-quality standards. Ensure service reliability by participating in on-call rotations. Deliver at least one Lunch & Learn presentation. Proactively identify and act on opportunities to improve both our product and development processes.

What Will Set You Up for Success (S.E.T.)

Skills

• Strong experience developing rich, performant web applications using React, JavaScript, and modern CSS frameworks like Tailwind.
• Proficiency with Ruby on Rails (preferred) or other backend frameworks. While strongest on the frontend, you are comfortable and capable of working across the full stack.
• Ability to help scope ambitious designs into iterative releases, contributing to MVP identification, sequencing deliverables, and incrementally shipping value.
• Proficiency using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude) to accelerate development and enhance code quality.
• Ability to plan, estimate, and execute complex, ambiguous projects independently while effectively keeping stakeholders informed.
• Ability to write high-quality, well-tested, maintainable, and accessible code with minimal supervision.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills for fostering clarity and alignment across Engineering, Product, and Design teams.

Experiences

• Breaking down complex, polished designs into shippable increments. Constructively challenging and shaping scope, and partnering with Product and Design to define iterative release plans.
• Working with large-scale data systems to power user experiences, analytics, or optimization initiatives.
• Navigating and evolving a legacy codebase safely through migrations, refactors, and modernization of frontend components.
• Planning, estimating, and executing complex projects autonomously while ensuring stakeholders are consistently informed.
• Diagnosing root causes of problems and proposing effective solutions with clear trade-offs and business impact.
• Sharing knowledge and context through code reviews, documentation, and mentorship to support the team's technical growth.

Traits

• High agency and ownership, comfortable working independently while maintaining close collaboration with teammates.
• Demonstrates a growth mindset through continuous learning and rapid skill development.
• Adapts flexibly to dynamic environments while proactively owning outcomes.
• Creates momentum by bringing ideas to life without waiting for perfect conditions.
• Strong interest in AI and eagerness to experiment with evolving AI tools to enhance work efficiency and effectiveness.
• Integrates feedback naturally into workflow, both providing actionable input and iterating based on received feedback.
• Shapes and champions solutions that deeply align with user needs, balancing technical excellence with product impact.

Nice to Haves

Candidates will stand out with:

• Experience with machine learning concepts, recommendation systems, or personalization algorithms.
• Experience with OLAP systems like ClickHouse, Druid, or similar data stores.
• Experience building commerce products, advertising platforms, or marketplace systems.
• Direct work experience within the creator economy space.

What Won't Set You Up for Success

• Thriving only in highly structured environments with detailed specifications, as our work often involves ambiguity and evolving requirements.
• Preferring to work in isolation, as our collaborative approach necessitates regular interaction with cross-functional teams.
• Needing full consensus or explicit permission before moving forward with initiatives.
• Being uncomfortable with a direct feedback culture, both in giving and receiving constructive input.
• Wanting to avoid legacy code, as we value our codebase history and seek engineers who can respectfully evolve rather than rewrite everything.
• Reluctance to adopt AI development tools, as we expect engineers to actively leverage AI to enhance their work.

Working Hours and Location

Kit operates as a 100% remote company with team members located globally. We strategically concentrate meetings within a core 4-hour overlap window (10am-2pm Eastern Time) to effectively balance collaborative work with individual focus time. Depending on your geographical location, this may involve early mornings or late afternoons, but we are committed to keeping meetings confined to this specific window.

Compensation, Perks, and Benefits

Kit employs standardized salaries based on position, irrespective of your geographic location. For this role, we are hiring at Level 2 (Software Engineer | $126,000) or Level 3 (Senior Software Engineer | $158,000). Your level will be determined based on experience and our interview process.

Perks and Benefits Include:

• Profit Sharing
• Kit equity
• 401k with a 5% company match
• Health Insurance: We cover up to $2,100 per month towards medical premiums, with dental and vision premiums fully covered. Plans are offered through Aetna.
• Home Office Stipend: $2,000 equipment allowance for your first two years, followed by a $1,000 budget every subsequent two years. Company-provided laptops are issued separately and are not part of this budget.
• Learning Budget: Individual learning and development budget of $3,500 per year.
• Gender-affirming benefits.
• Child Care Support: Childcare benefit up to $3,000 annually through JOON.
• Paid Time Off: Twenty (20) days of paid time off each year.
• Paid Paid Vacation: An after-tax bonus of $1,000 for taking five consecutive days of vacation where you are completely unplugged from work.
• Ten (10) paid holidays per year.
• Paid Sick Time: Two weeks of paid sick time annually, which includes mental health and well-being days.
• Paid Parental Leave: Twelve (12) weeks of paid parental leave and flexible scheduling during your child's first year.
• Extended Paid Leave: Up to six weeks of paid bereavement leave, medical leave, and disaster leave after six months of employment (two weeks of each paid leave in your first six months).
• Winter Break Closure: Kit closes for a week at the end of December, providing a collective break for the holiday season. Essential support services remain available, with teams coordinating coverage.
• Company Retreats: Four-week, paid sabbatical after five years with the team, and fantastic in-person or virtual retreats twice a year.

How to Apply

We typically receive a high volume of applications and aim to follow up with you within two weeks, regardless of the outcome. Here is an overview of our hiring process:

1. Phone screen with our recruiter (30 min)
2. Hiring manager interview (45 min)
3. Take-home assignment
4. Technical interview (75 min)
5. Technical execution and collaboration interview (60 min)

We will keep you informed at every stage. To begin, please complete this application, including a cover letter and answers to the questions on the next page. We meticulously review every application, and your cover letter and responses are crucial for providing context to your experience.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Kit is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in all its forms. Research indicates that applicants who are female or non-binary, as well as people of color, are often less likely to apply for roles if they don't feel 100% qualified. If you believe you meet more than 50% but fewer than 100% of our requirements, we strongly encourage you to apply. We recognize that our job postings may not always perfectly communicate every nuance, so consider them a starting point for discussion rather than a rigid set of prerequisites. Kit does not discriminate based on race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other reason prohibited by law in the provision of employment opportunities and benefits.