Application Guide
How to Apply for Sr. Software Engineer
at Unify America
🏢 About Unify America
Unify America is a mission-driven nonprofit with about 30 people, working to replace political fighting with collaborative problem-solving through programs like Civic Gym (50,000+ college students) and Democracy Leagues (starting in Akron). It's unique because you'd be building software that directly reduces polarization, not just another commercial product, and the engineering team is small enough that every engineer has a real voice in technical decisions.
About This Role
As a Senior Software Engineer, you'll ship features end to end for both the mature Civic Gym platform (currently being refactored) and the early-stage Democracy Leagues product suite. You'll work closely with the CTO, product manager, and program teams to turn real-world civic engagement needs into reliable, thoughtfully designed software. This role is impactful because your code will directly enable thousands of Americans to have better cross-partisan conversations and solve shared problems.
💡 A Day in the Life
You might start your day with a stand-up with the CTO and product manager, then dive into refactoring a component of Civic Gym or building a new feature for Democracy Leagues. Later, you could pair with a junior engineer to review code or discuss technical trade-offs, and end the day with a meeting with program teams to understand a new civic engagement need and sketch out a solution. Expect a mix of hands-on coding, technical decision-making, and collaboration with non-engineers.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Unify America Is Looking For
- Full-stack engineer with 5+ years of experience who can take features from concept to production, including frontend, backend, and database work.
- Comfortable working in a small, mission-driven team where you'll mentor other engineers and set a high bar for code quality, while also being hands-on with refactoring legacy code.
- Experienced in collaborating with non-technical stakeholders (program teams, product managers) to translate civic engagement needs into technical solutions.
- Passionate about Unify America's mission to reduce polarization and eager to work on software that supports deliberative democracy and civic skills training.
📝 Tips for Applying to Unify America
Highlight any experience you have with refactoring or modernizing legacy code, since Civic Gym is currently being refactored and you'll need to improve existing systems.
Show enthusiasm for the mission by referencing specific Unify America programs (Civic Gym, Democracy Leagues) and explaining why you want to apply your engineering skills to civic engagement.
Demonstrate experience working in small teams or startups where you had to wear multiple hats and make technical decisions with limited resources.
Mention any experience with building platforms that facilitate user conversations, collaboration, or educational tools, as these are directly relevant to both programs.
Include examples of mentoring or leading other engineers, as the role explicitly involves setting a high bar for code quality and mentoring.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Your motivation for joining a mission-driven organization focused on reducing political polarization, and how your personal values align with Unify America's work.", 'Concrete examples of shipping features end-to-end in a small team, especially where you had to balance speed with code quality and reliability.', "Experience with refactoring or scaling a product, as you'll be working on both a mature platform (Civic Gym) and a new product suite (Democracy Leagues).", "Your ability to collaborate with non-technical stakeholders and translate program needs into technical requirements, since you'll work closely with the CTO, product manager, and program teams."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Explore Unify America's website, especially the Civic Gym and Democracy Leagues programs, to understand the user base and the type of civic experiences they create.
- → Read about the company's mission and recent news, such as the Akron pilot for Democracy Leagues, to speak concretely about their work in your application.
- → Look up the backgrounds of the CTO and product manager on LinkedIn to understand their technical and product philosophies, which may inform your interview conversations.
- → Research the technical stack if possible (e.g., through job postings or engineering blogs) to anticipate what technologies you might work with, though the job description doesn't specify.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Focusing only on technical skills without showing any interest in or understanding of Unify America's mission to reduce polarization—this is a mission-driven organization and cultural fit matters.
- Assuming you'll only work on greenfield projects; the role involves refactoring a mature platform, so showing reluctance to work with legacy code is a red flag.
- Overemphasizing experience in large corporate environments without demonstrating adaptability to a small, scrappy team where you'll have broad responsibilities and direct access to leadership.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!