Staff Software Engineer

About the role

We are seeking a Staff Software Engineer to join Shepherd’s NYC engineering team as its first member. You will work closely with underwriters, actuaries and product leaders to build and ship high‑impact features for our commercial risk platform.

Key responsibilities

• Lead major initiatives and own large areas of Shepherd’s product experience across data collection, automated underwriting, and policy administration.
• Drive technical decisions, contribute to architecture and product strategy, and collaborate with PM, CTO and insurance experts.
• Mentor and help grow the engineering team as it scales.

Required profile

• Comfortable with ambiguity and eager to ship product daily while maintaining high quality.
• Strong ownership mindset, taking end‑to‑end responsibility from conception to release.
• Passion for improving construction safety and productivity, and experience in insurance or InsurTech is a plus.

Required skills

• JavaScript / TypeScript (frontend and/or backend)
• React and Next.js
• GraphQL (Apollo)
• Node.js
• PostgreSQL and Redis

What we offer

• Premium health, dental and vision coverage (100% employer contribution)
• Unlimited PTO and flexible work environment
• Daily meals, snacks and a dog‑friendly office
• Competitive 401(k) plan and professional development coaching