Job description
Role Overview
Encoura is seeking a mission-driven Software Architect to join our Data Science Team, playing a foundational role in shaping the software architecture that powers our predictive modeling, data enrichment, and analytics products. As a key technical leader, you will design and evolve the backend infrastructure supporting our expanding suite of cloud-based AI-powered solutions—such as Smart+, Opportunity+, Yield+ and the Encourage College Recommendation Engine—which together aim to drive institutional outcomes and support student success.
In this role, you will lead development efforts for high-performing, scalable systems that manage massive datasets, streamline model scoring pipelines, and support the deployment of agentic AI solutions. Your work will directly enable product innovation, operational efficiency, and market growth in higher education enrollment and marketing technologies.
A Day in the Life
- Architect Scalable Systems: Design robust cloud-native architectures to support the orchestration of predictive models, and real-time data workflows across a growing analytics product portfolio.
- AI-Enabled Automation: Spearhead implementation of intelligent agentic systems to streamline and automate data ingestion, transformation, model scoring, and decision routing.
- Data Science Integration: Build and maintain high-throughput pipelines for predictive model validation, automatic retraining, and model scoring. Optimize a PySpark-based ETL job and deploy your changes via CI/CD pipelines to a cloud environment.
- Databricks Architecture & Optimization: Design and optimize Databricks workspaces, clusters, and workflows to support large-scale data processing, machine learning operations, and production model serving.
- AI-Enabled Data Pipelines: Architect end-to-end ML pipelines within the Databricks ecosystem, from data ingestion to model deployment and monitoring.
- Delta Lake Implementation: Leverage Delta Lake for reliable data storage, versioning, and ACID transactions that support our predictive models and data services.
- MLflow Integration: Design systems for model lifecycle management, including experiment tracking, model registry management, and deployment workflows.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with data scientists, product managers, and engineers to deliver architecture that balances flexibility, performance, and innovation.
- API & Platform Design: Develop GraphQL and REST APIs to expose data science services to internal platforms and client-facing dashboards.
- Cloud & Container Expertise: Leverage AWS, Docker, and Databricks to scale computational resources, optimize model serving, and support high-volume data operations.
- Observability & Optimization: Implement system observability practices to monitor the performance of predictive workflows in production.
Role Progression
- Within 1 month, you’ll: Onboard into Encoura’s platforms and understand current products andinfrastructure, including the Insights Cloud and analytics toolset.
- Within 3 months, you’ll: Lead architectural support for production data science environments, with contributions to new workflows and enhanced data processing systems.
- Within 6 months, you’ll: Architect and deploy new AI-native systems to support productized predictive intelligence across client solutions like Opportunity Model and Financial Aid Optimization.
- Within 1 year, you’ll: Serve as the go-to architect for Encoura’s next-gen data products, leading the shift toward scalable, self-improving systems that differentiate our portfolio in the market.
About You
- You are passionate about turning data science into deployable, scalable software products.
- You are a self-starter who thrives in ambiguous problem spaces and loves architecting clean, modular systems.
- Hands-on with Databricks, or equivalent Spark-based data processing environments.
- Python (advanced) and associated libraries: Pandas, PySpark, Polars, NumPy.
- Proven experience designing data pipelines and backend systems for ML/AI workflows.
- Cloud platforms, especially AWS (S3, EC2, ElastiCache, Lambda, SageMaker, Glue, Athena, etc.) and Kubernetes.
- Containerization with Docker; orchestration experience a plus (e.g. we standardize on Kubernetes).
- Familiarity with Streamlit, GitHub workflows, and CI/CD best practices.
- Expertise in development and exposing ML models with REST and/or GraphQL API.
- Experience in higher ed, enrollment tech, or education analytics is a plus but not required.
- Knowledge of large-scale model management, ML ops, and distributed preferred computing.
- Exposure to business intelligence, cost optimization strategies, or institutional research domains preferred.
What Sets Us Apart
- Mission driven culture
- Comprehensive health and benefits package
- 401k company match that vests immediately upon participation
- Paid holidays and a generous PTO policy
- Paid parental leave
About Us
Encoura’s mission is to empower students and institutions to create meaningful connections so everyone can make the most informed decisions to achieve their goals. Since 1972, the company has evolved its products and services to better represent the link between students and higher education institutions and to create the highest probability of student success.
With the launch of the Encoura platform in 2017, the company provides custom technology solutions that combine Eduventures research, data science, strategic enrollment, and multichannel marketing services to over 2,000 higher ed institutions. The company also offers Encourage® —the nation’s largest free college and career planning program used by millions of high school students and educators nationwide.
It is the policy of the Company to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. All applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.
Encoura endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability and need an alternative method for applying, please contact the Talent Team.
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To review our privacy policy, please click this link: https://encoura.org/privacy-policy/
