Role Summary

We are looking for a Full-Stack Software Engineer to design, build, and maintain the critical systems that synchronize Student Information System (SIS) data to state education agencies via the Ed-Fi standard. In this role, you will own the implementation of the core Ed-Fi sync engine, API client, resource mappers, and admin tooling — beginning with Arizona’s AzEDS integration.

Working under the technical direction of the Ed-Fi Implementation Consultant and the Engineering Lead, you will collaborate closely with the IT team. Once the initial Ed-Fi implementation is complete, this position offers the potential to transition into other backend engineering initiatives, which may include backend REST API development, mobile application development, or migrating the core SIS to the Laravel framework.

Key Information:

• Engagement Type: Full-Time.
• Work Model: Remote from LATAM (Except Uruguay)
• Schedule Requirement: Daily overlap with U.S. Mountain Time (MT).
• Tech Stack Core: PHP 8.2+, MySQL, REST APIs, Docker, PHPUnit.

Core Responsibilities (Top 5 Essential Duties)

1. Ed-Fi Core Sync Engine Development

• Implement the Core Sync Engine in PHP 8.2+ against MySQL, including the queue manager, change detector, dependency resolver, and sync orchestrator.
• Build the OAuth 2.0 API client (utilizing client credentials flow, token caching, and refresh mechanisms) for seamless Ed-Fi ODS/API communication.
• Integrate robust architectural resilience features, including retry logic with exponential backoff, dead-letter queuing, and rate limiting.

2. Resource Mappers & Data Transformation

• Build and maintain the resource mappers responsible for transforming SIS data into valid Ed-Fi JSON payloads, prioritized by state requirements.
• Implement the descriptor resolution framework to accurately map SIS values to Ed-Fi and state-specific descriptor URIs.
• Address and resolve SIS data gaps (e.g., calendar dates, attendance aggregation, discipline tables) in close coordination with the engineering team.

3. AzEDS State Integration (Arizona)

• Implement the AzEDS Identity API integration to handle SSID lookup/creation and duplicate data resolution.
• Apply Arizona-specific descriptor namespaces and extensions (including membership FTE, tuition payer, date of responsibility, and instructional minutes) and support the 915 multi-year submission process.
• Implement client-side pre-validation frameworks aligned with common ADE integrity rules.

4. Error Handling, Monitoring & Admin Dashboard

• Build an admin dashboard to monitor sync status, connection health, error-queue management, and manual sync triggers.
• Implement structured logging, error notifications, and secure audit logging (ensuring zero student PII is exposed in logs).
• Guarantee the secure handling of API secrets and tokens using encryption and HTTPS/TLS protocols.

5. Testing, Certification Support & Documentation

• Write robust integration and unit tests using PHPUnit against a local Docker Ed-Fi ODS, supporting sandbox environment testing.
• Participate actively in live AzEDS vendor certification sessions with the Arizona Department of Education.
• Document technical architecture decisions, data mappings, and operational runbooks within a Git/GitHub pull-request review process.

Required Qualifications (Hard Skills - Must-Haves)

• Professional Experience: 3 to 7 years of proven experience in backend software development roles.
• PHP Mastery: Strong proficiency in modern PHP 8.x, with advanced knowledge of classes, interfaces, traits, enums, typed properties, and attributes.
• Database Management: Solid expertise in MySQL, including complex query optimization, schema design, indexing, and transactional workflows.
• API Development: Extensive background building robust REST API clients that securely handle authentication, pagination, rate limiting, and retries.
• Security & Auth: Direct experience implementing OAuth 2.0 client credentials flows.
• System Design: Proven experience working with queue/job systems, complex JSON data transformations, and a Git-based workflow.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-Haves / Pluses)

• Strongly preferred: Hands-on Ed-Fi framework integration or state-reporting platform experience (AzEDS, TSDS, CALPADS).
• Familiarity with K-12 EdTech data architectures and educational information standards.
• Practical daily use of Docker containerization and automated testing via PHPUnit.