Description
Reliability Engineer (temporary)

About this role...

The Reliability Engineering team at NWEA is a hybrid development and operations team within our Technical Operations group. The primary focus of the team is to maintain the integrity and performance of our continuously-integrated platform through understanding the relationships between infrastructure-layer code, functional application pools, SQL and PostgreSQL databases, message queues and data caches, all running in a mixture of private data centers and Content Delivery Networks. This team uses a mixture of monitoring tools to identify and mitigate possible client affecting issues.

As part of this team, the Site Reliability Engineer develops, configures , and runs the load and stress tests and collects scalability and performance data. Working with the Reliability Engineering team and adjacent development teams, the performance test engineer analyzes and publishes test results and troubleshoots failures occurring during the tests. The Site Reliability Engineer recommends system configuration and tuning improvements based on observations made during the load tests. This is a temporary position with 6 to 12 months in assignment duration and possibility for extension. Candidates may work remotely from any location in the U.S.
Your next challenge...

• Analyze the current state of the application and infrastructure, designing appropriate solutions and working with teams to implement them
• Design, develop and execute automated tests to validate solutions and environments
• Maintain and extend the load test framework including all programs and scripts that prep environments, create data sets, consolidate results, and clean up after load tests.
• Execute Load/Performance Tests that integrate workloads from multiple teams
• Perform analysis of performance test results
• Assist in finding and removing performance bottlenecks that prevent NWEA from exceeding its targeted concurrency and SLA goals
• Participate in regular meetings, both within the team and across it, to discuss previous accomplishments, upcoming goals, and any roadblocks in the way

Traits for success...

• Experience with Maven, Ant, Puppet, Continuous Integration, etc.
• Deep Linux systems knowledge and administration background, Windows experience is a plus
• Hands-on experience with SQL with ability to apply experience to PostgreSQL
• Understanding of and ability to work within Java or Python
• Demonstrated ability to follow through with all tasks, promises and commitments
• Ability to communicate and work effectively within priorities
• Ability to work under tight timelines in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent analytical, troubleshooting and communication skills
• Experience with Application Performance Management (APM), Network Performance Management (NPM), and Real User Monitoring (RUM) tools and data are a big plus
• Ability to support the web platform during off-hours

Competencies

• Instill trust : gain the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity
• Communicate effectively : develop and deliver multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences
• Customer focus : build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions
• Drive results : consistently achieve results, even under tough circumstances

Education and experience

• Minimum bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered in lieu of a degree
• 5+ years relevant work experience in one or more of the following: Software QA Engineering, Software Development or Linux System Engineering.
• 2+ years creating and performing Load/Performance tests with JMeter , SOASTA or LoadRunner or similar tools.
• Demonstrated experience planning, developing, and collaborating on load test frameworks with one or more of the following: Python, PERL, Java, C++, or similar languages.
• Database knowledge preferably PostgreSQL and MongoDB.
• Understanding of Internet protocols and programming, including HTTP, session management, HTML.
• Experience, preferably extensive experience working in a Linux/UNIX based environment.
• Familiarity with networking (TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, firewalls, routing) a plus
• Strong written and oral communication skills

About us...
NWEA® is a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency-and provide timely data to help tailor instruction. For more than 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K-12 assessments, including our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; our progress monitoring and skills mastery tool, MAP® Skills™; and our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™. Educators trust our professional learning offerings to accelerate student learning and our research to support assessment validity and data interpretation. More than 11 million students in 146 countries use our solutions to support their learning and growth each year.

NWEA strives to make diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices the center of our work. Our organization's mission, Partnering to Help All Kids Learn, is the foundation for our DEIA commitment as we work to reflect, value, and support the educators, students, colleagues, and communities we serve. We seek to empower and engage all stakeholders in the research, services, solutions, and products we provide, our organizational culture, and the partnerships we establish with schools, districts, states, and countries.
NWEA endeavors to make www.nwea.org accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please call us at (503) 624-1951 or e-mail us at [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request, your location and your contact information. This is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
NWEA is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. For our EEO Policy Statement, please visit our website. If you'd like more information on your EEO rights under the law, please visit the EEOC website