Nonprofit Software Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Position Title: Lead Software Engineer

FLSA: Full-time, Exempt (salary) plus benefits

Pay: $147,288 to $167,286 annually (depending on experience)

Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Location: SDBB HQ – 3636 Gateway Center Ave, Ste 100, San Diego, CA 92102

 Are you passionate about making a real difference in your community? Are you looking for a job where you can contribute to a meaningful cause and grow professionally? If so, San Diego Blood Bank invites you to join our dynamic & diverse team dedicated to the mission of saving & improving lives through blood and biotherapies.

WHY CHOOSE SDBB?
At San Diego Blood Bank, we provide Southern California regional hospitals with a wide range of blood banking services. These include blood collection, component preparation, platelet­pheresis, plasmapheresis, leukapheresis, washed blood, frozen blood, autologous storage, designated donation services, and a reference laboratory. San Diego Blood Bank’s Cord Blood Banking Program provides lifesaving stem cell transplants to patients worldwide.

Founded in 1950, San Diego Blood Bank has been an important institution in the San Diego community for decades. Today, SDBB is continuing to grow to meet the changing needs of our healthcare community.

San Diego Blood Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization also operating as Southern California Blood Bank. We serve hospitals in San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange Counties. We are the primary blood provider to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and the safety net for hospitals in our region. Every year, more than 150,000 units of blood provided by San Diego Blood Bank are transfused into patients of all ages, socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds throughout Southern California. These patients are struggling with life-threatening medical conditions including cancer and other blood disorders, severe burns, organ transplants, emergency surgery, trauma, childbirth complications and more.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (Job Summary)

The Lead Software Engineer reports to the IT Director and provides hands-on technical leadership for the software development team. The role owns the software architecture, technology selection, and engineering standards for a new browser-based business application while remaining an active builder, spending most of their time (approximately 70%) designing and writing production code.

This position directly supervises and mentors two Software Engineer I roles, developing their skills through code review, pair programming, and structured guidance. The Lead Software Engineer works with business stakeholders to translate the application vision into a technical roadmap, delivery estimates, and prioritized development work.

The Lead Software Engineer champions the effective and responsible use of Al-assisted development tools across the team, integrating them into programming workflows while ensuring all output meets the team's standards for quality, security, and maintainability.

The Lead Software Engineer position will provide excellent internal customer service.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE (Key Responsibilities):

• Define and document the overall software architecture for the business application, including selection of programming languages, frameworks, databases, and hosting infrastructure.
• Design, develop, test, and maintain production code across the full application stack.
• Establish and maintain engineering standards, including coding conventions, version control workflow, code review practices, automated testing, and build/deployment (Cl/CD) processes.
• Translate business requirements into technical specifications, work breakdowns, and delivery estimates in partnership with stakeholders.
• Plan and prioritize the development backlog and assign work appropriate to each developer's skill level.
• Supervise, mentor, and develop two Software Engineer I roles through code reviews, pair programming, and regular one-on-one coaching.
• Review all code prior to release to ensure quality, maintainability, and adherence to standards.
• Implement and maintain application security best practices, including authentication, authorization, and protection of sensitive data.
• Establish and maintain development, test, and production environments and release management processes.
• Monitor application performance and availability; troubleshoot and resolve production issues through to root cause.
• Maintain technical documentation, including architecture diagrams, data models, and operational runbooks.
• Conduct research on products, tools, and services to enhance the application and development practices. Make recommendations for adoption of technologies to further organizational goals.
• Coordinate with IT infrastructure and security staff on integrations, backups, and disaster recovery planning.
• Embody and promote an overall culture of compliance that encourages ethical conduct and a commitment to compliance with laws, regulations, and standards.
• Perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED (Minimum Qualifications)

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related field/discipline from an accredited college or university, or equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience.

Experience:

• Seven or more years of progressively responsible professional software development experience building and supporting web applications.
• Two or more years leading, supervising, or mentoring software developers.
• Demonstrated experience designing software architecture and selecting technology stacks for new applications

Skills:

• Proficiency across the full stack, including front-end frameworks, server-side development, relational databases, and APls.
• Experience with modern engineering practices, including Git-based version control, automated testing, and Cl/CD pipelines.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Leadership and mentoring skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple initiatives and meet deadlines.
• Ability to learn and apply emerging technologies, including Al-assisted development tools.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within cross-functional teams.

BENEFITS FOR YOU

We take care of you, while you take care of others. As a mission-based organization, we believe our team needs great support to do great work. Our comprehensive benefits help you in balancing home and work. With our resources and perks, you have amazing possibilities at the San Diego Blood Bank including:

• Employees working 30 or more hours per week are eligible for employer sponsored health benefits (Medical, Dental, & Vision plans)
• Earn up to 120 hours of paid vacation in your first year.
• 7 paid Holidays + 1 personal holiday provided annually.
• 40 hours of paid sick time provided annually.
• 403b retirement plan with 3% employer match starting on your first day.
• Employee Assistance Program - Free for employees and their families
• Service Awards and recognition.

Apply now! Join our team to make a difference every day.
The San Diego Blood Bank is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.