Senior Software Engineer - Web Scraping Specialist

About Alethea:

Founded in 2019, Alethea is a tech company that detects and mitigates instances of disinformation and social media manipulation to help clients navigate the new digital reality. We protect clients from the threat of disinformation that targets brands, reputations, employee safety, or financial bottom lines through our industry-leading investigation and remediation services. 

Position Summary: 

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Software Engineer - Web Scraping Specialist with extensive experience in backend data extraction (web crawlers, ingestion services etc.). The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining web scraping processes to gather data from various online sources efficiently and accurately. This role demands technical expertise in backend development and experience with leading technical projects. 

Key Responsibilities & Skills:

• Design and implement effective web scraping strategies to extract data from targeted websites. Incorporate data cleansing and validation logic into the framework to uphold data integrity and accuracy.
• Optimize services for efficiency and scalability, especially when dealing with a large volume of data or multiple data sources.
• Stay up-to-date with legal and ethical considerations related to web scraping, including website terms of service, copyright, and privacy regulations.
• Research and nominate appropriate tools, libraries, frameworks etc. for technical project designs based on factors such as performance, reliability, cost.
• Engage with cross-functional teams and product management to gather requirements and generate ideas for improvements.
• Drive complex projects with contributions from multiple engineers.
• Mentor engineers and develop their performance through code/design reviews and providing technical direction.
• Champion continual process and practice improvement to ensure efficient and high-quality software delivery.
• Problem Solving: Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to a dynamic business environment.
• Growth Mindset: Flexible attitude with a growth mindset and the ability to rapidly action feedback. Comfortable with a fast-paced start-up environment that involves regular iteration. 
• Curiosity and Drive: Independent thinker with an insatiable curiosity and unstoppable drive to succeed.

Qualifications:

• 8+ years of relevant experience in backend development, demonstrating deep expertise in writing efficient, clean, and maintainable code.
• Proficiency in Python is a must have.
• Knowledge and experience in best of class data storage and retrieval of large volumes of scraped data.
• Understanding of web scraping best practices, including handling dynamic content, user-agent rotation, and IP address management.
• Proven ability in scaling and maintaining backend components in a production environment.
• Experience with containerized deployments (docker, kubernetes, terraform etc.) and cloud computing (AWS is a plus).
• Conversant with continuous integration, continuous deployment, and test driven development practices.
• Demonstrated experience in mentoring and coaching engineers, fostering their professional growth and enhancing team performance.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills and good project management capabilities.
• Outstanding communication and collaboration skills.

Compensation and Benefits: 

The salary range for this position is $145,000 to $210,000, depending on the candidate's skills, experience, and qualifications. This range represents the base salary; actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors. In addition to the base salary, we offer stock options, comprehensive benefits, unlimited PTO, and generous company holidays. We provide opportunities for professional growth, development, and advancement. Annual reviews include the potential for salary adjustments and additional stock option grants.

Alethea is an equal opportunity employer that encourages people of all backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, abilities, and sexual orientations to apply. We are committed to being an inclusive place to work, while maintaining a workforce that represents the communities we serve.