ETCH Jobs of the Week 1/19/24
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ETCH Jobs of the Week (JOTW) is a collaboration between ETCH, your home for EdTech news and information; and my recruiting practice, Tenzing, which helps orgs positively impacting education efficiently attract, source, vet and hire mission-aligned talent.
A new year means new predictions and fresh insights as we try and learn from 2023. Here’s how some of my favorite writers / Substackers in EdTech have been reflecting and prognosticating:
Matt Tower (editor of this Substack) characterized 2023 as “unsteady” in his ETCH 2023 Review: The Year of AI? Matt highlighted the significant slowdown in large venture funding rounds and public market exits, with notable company failures impacting the industry's financial landscape. While Matt also discussed the regulatory challenges faced by Online Program Management providers, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. 8 out of the 15 major public EdTech companies outperformed the market, and AI is making a positive difference when embedded in tutoring and language learning applications. The post is also worth a read to see the ETCH funding database in action powering the visualizations and data-driven investment insights.
Speaking of funding, Transcend Network is out with their 2024 State of EdTech Fundraising authored by Alberto Arenaza and Michael Narea. No surprise, it highlights a significant decrease in valuations and check sizes, with investors focusing more on lower valuations. They also note a shift in the fundraising environment, including a growing "first-check gap" for early-stage startups and a decline in late-stage investing. Despite these challenges, there are signs of optimism, as investors are noticing higher quality startups emerging, “65% of investors surveyed will be raising a new fund in 2024,” and they see new funding mechanisms and business models emerging.
On the topic of nontraditional funding mechanisms, EdTech Insiders asked if this is The Year of the EdTech Venture Studio? Ben Kornell and David Fu describe venture studios as: “Half accelerator and half incubator, venture studios (sometimes called startup studios, innovation studios, or innovation labs) are organizations designed to help early stage ideas, companies, or products take flight, surrounded by a rotating cast of subject matter experts.” Also, check out their post for their EdTech Venture Studios to Watch list. On a personal note, Venture Studios are near and dear to my heart. Working with one of the OG EdTech venture studios, Entangled, was what brought me into the EdTech talent acquisition world. And I continue to love working with studios, especially my friends at Cambiar Education and Workshop Ventures. Also be sure to read EdTech Insider’s 2024 EdTech Predictions!
GSV’s Claire Zau went all in on AI with her 2023 AI in Education Wrapped, which breaks down last year’s landmark AI moments by month. The cliff notes version (not generated by AI) is that it starts with a massive investment and ends with a lawsuit.
Last, but certainly not least, Michael Horn came out with his Four Disruptive Trends for Higher Ed in 2024. These trends include the closure or merger of more colleges due to financial challenges, the continued rise of online learning with a focus on value and price competition, “the big colleges and universities will get bigger,” and everyone loves apprenticeships (especially Jeb! Bush and Ryan Craig).
Now, let’s get to the Jobs of the Week…
With New Jersey Governor Murphy announcing his AI moonshot last week, now feels like a great time to highlight some EdTech jobs from the beautiful (and currently very snowy) Garden State. NOTE: Some of these opportunities are remote and just affiliated with Jersey-based organizations, and one is more Jersey-adjacent ;-)
Performance Tuning Analyst | Princeton University
Location: Princeton, NJ
Education Focus: Higher Education
Mission: Princeton University advances learning through scholarship, research, and teaching of unsurpassed quality, with an emphasis on undergraduate and doctoral education that is distinctive among the world’s great universities, and with a pervasive commitment to serve the nation and the world.
Job Summary: As a Research Software Performance Tuning Analyst at Princeton Research Computing, your role is to collaborate with researchers, assisting them in optimizing their code and workflows for advanced computing and storage systems. You'll engage with research groups, identify performance bottlenecks, and work to improve code parallelization, vectorization, and overall efficiency. Your responsibilities also include providing support to researchers in various programming languages, parallel programming, debugging, and the use of GPU accelerators. You'll actively manage support requests, lead workshops, and expand your technical skills. Qualifications for this role include 3+ years of scientific software development experience, proficiency in programming languages, parallel programming expertise, and strong communication skills. A bachelor's degree in a related field is required.
Compensation: Princeton University offers a number of benefits including healthcare plans, resources for physical, financial, & mental wellness, retirement plans, tuition assistance, PTO, parental leave, and more
Data Engineer, Data Platform | Grammarly
Location: New York, NY (Hybrid)
Education Focus: AI Education Software
Mission: Grammarly, the world’s leading AI writing assistance company, aims to assist millions in effectively communicating their ideas. This role contributes to this mission by driving strategic business partnerships and enhancing financial performance.
Job Summary: This role involves building core datasets to enable data engineers and end-users to work with analytical data at scale. Responsibilities include improving analytics efficiency, creating streaming processes, optimizing data storage, enhancing developer productivity, and mentoring team members. The ideal candidate embodies Grammarly's values, is proficient in Python, Scala, or Java, has experience with database design and APIs, and is familiar with AWS or willing to learn. This position offers the opportunity to work on high-scale distributed systems and contribute to an innovative AI-driven product.
Compensation: The expected annual salary for this position is between $134,000-$242,000 based on experience plus a comprehensive benefits package including healthcare, 401(k) matching, PTO, paid parental leave, disability and life insurance options, stipends for wellness, home office, caregivers, and pet care, in addition to educational and professional development opportunities
Research Software Engineer II (Language and Intelligence) | Princeton University
Location: Princeton, NJ
Education Focus: Higher Education
Mission: Princeton University advances learning through scholarship, research, and teaching of unsurpassed quality, with an emphasis on undergraduate and doctoral education that is distinctive among the world’s great universities, and with a pervasive commitment to serve the nation and the world.
Job Summary: The Princeton Language and Intelligence Initiative at Princeton University is seeking a Research Software Engineer (RSE) to contribute to the development and improvement of large AI models, collaborate on experiments, analyze results, and co-author research publications. Responsibilities also include enhancing shared infrastructure, maintaining software libraries, and providing support for model use, while liaising with Princeton High Performance Research Computing staff. Qualifications include a Bachelor/Masters degree in a computational field, coding skills, experience with large AI models, familiarity with GPU computing, ML frameworks, and open-source contributions.
Compensation: Princeton University offers a number of benefits including healthcare plans, resources for physical, financial, & mental wellness, retirement plans, tuition assistance, PTO, parental leave, and more
Senior Developer (Backend Focus) | ClassLink
Location: Clifton, NJ (Remote)
Education Focus: K12
Mission: ClassLink’s mission is to empower educators to improve learning through innovative systems and services. Their products improve the lives of students and educators by creating more time for learning, improving access to digital resources, and simplifying rostering and account provisioning. Their Analytics help decision-makers view trends to understand usage and adoption of software tools.
Job Summary: As Software Engineer your primary role will be to enhance ClassLink’s Analytics system's architecture. With at least 3 years of software engineering experience, you'll develop scalable backend systems, RESTful APIs, and optimize database schemas. Proficiency in the S.E.A.N. stack (SQL, Express, Angular, Node.js) is vital, and experience with AWS, data analytics, and agile methodologies is a plus. This role involves ensuring software quality, collaborating with teams and product managers, and improving software based on data-driven insights. Strong problem-solving skills and a degree in computer science or a related field are required.
Compensation: The salary for this roles is $190,000-110,000 ClassLink also offers medical, vision, & dental insurance, 401(k), tuition assistance, & disability insurance
Senior Programmer Analyst, Data | Audible
Location: Newark, NJ
Education Focus: Online Publishing
Mission: Audible is the leading producer and provider of audio storytelling. They spark listeners’ imaginations, offering immersive, cinematic experiences full of inspiration and insight to enrich people’s daily lives.
Job Summary: In this role, you'll play a pivotal part in advancing Data Engineering solutions by enhancing the existing data platform and collaborating across the global data ecosystem. Your responsibilities include data integration, modeling, ETL execution, and developing flexible data solutions, all with a focus on data quality and best data warehousing practices. As a Senior Programmer Analyst, you'll work closely with cross-functional teams, apply software engineering best practices, create and optimize data pipelines, resolve performance issues, and emphasize quality and productivity. Basic qualifications include a bachelor's degree in computer science, 3+ years of Data Warehouse experience, proficiency in SQL and database technologies, and data modeling skills. Preferred qualifications include strong communication skills, scripting knowledge, and the ability to work independently in an Agile Scrum environment.
Compensation: Audible offers a wide range of benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, wellness reimbursement, 401(k), PTO, life & disability and insurance, career development resources, Employee Assistance Programs to manage a healthy work-life balance, and more.
AI/ML Engineer - Automated Content Generation | ETS
Location: Princeton, NJ
Education Focus: Higher Education
Mission: Driven by their mission to advance quality and equity in education, ETS provides learning solutions, pioneering research and trusted assessments that help guide learners around the world on their path to new possibilities. Their educational measurement solutions and research contribute to the development of new methods and tools, inform important dialogue with education policymakers, and shed light on critical issues and potential solutions - all with the aim of creating a world where all learners are able to improve their lives through education.
Job Summary: ETS is seeking an AI Engineer to join their Product Innovation and Development team. In this role, you'll develop AI and Machine Learning models for content generation, especially focused on Large Language/Vision models. You'll be responsible for training, deploying, and maintaining these models, as well as implementing AI/ML testing methods and following best practices for model development. A Master's Degree in a related field, at least three years of AI/ML experience, and proficiency in Python, Java, and cloud-based deployment are required. Effective communication and teamwork skills are also essential for success in this role.
Compensation: ETS offers a number of benefits including medical, vision, & dental insurance, PTO, tuition reimbursement, paid volunteer hours, (401(a)) and traditional Roth (403b) with company contribution, commuter benefits, and pet insurance
Principal Applied Scientist | Audible
Location: Newark, NJ
Education Focus: Online Publishing
Mission: Audible is the leading producer and provider of audio storytelling. They spark listeners’ imaginations, offering immersive, cinematic experiences full of inspiration and insight to enrich people’s daily lives.
Job Summary: As a Principal Applied Scientist, your role involves solving complex real-world problems at scale by designing and deploying innovative models in areas like machine learning, AI, NLP, RL, and real-time systems. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams, mentor other scientists, and drive strategic initiatives to leverage the latest advances in ML/AI. With a Ph.D. and over 10 years of industry experience, you should be proficient in Python, SQL, and programming languages like Java and C++. AWS and big data engineering experience is crucial, and expertise in deep learning, NLP, reinforcement learning, and speech processing is expected. Additionally, domain knowledge and a track record of innovation are preferred qualifications.
Compensation: Audible offers a wide range of benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, wellness reimbursement, 401(k), PTO, life & disability and insurance, career development resources, Employee Assistance Programs to manage a healthy work-life balance, and more.
Hiring or looking for a role in EdTech? Check out the ETCH Jobs Community!
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