Quality & Support Engineer - Remote Eligible

Quality & Support Engineer

Reporting to the Director of Innovation and Technology in Professor Yeatman's Brain Development and Education Lab, the Quality & Support Engineer plays a key role in ensuring the reliability, usability, and day-to-day operation of the ROAR platform.

This role combines quality assurance and regression testing with first-line technical support. The Quality & Support Engineer serves as an initial point of contact for reported issues, working closely with ROAR's Account Manager to triage incoming tickets, reproduce bugs, respond to straightforward user issues, and escalate confirmed defects or complex problems to the engineering team. In addition, this role partners closely with Product and Engineering to validate new features, execute smoke and regression testing, and help ensure high-quality releases.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, technically curious, and interested in learning how production web applications are tested, supported, and improved in a real-world educational research environment. This role focuses on quality assurance and support, requiring technical investigation and clear communication. It may include limited, well-scoped code contributions when appropriate, but ownership of production systems remains with senior engineers.

Core to our team's mission are:

• Research-Practice Partnership model: Develop technology that catalyzes research while supporting practitioners. We envision a collaborative research model where stakeholders (i.e., teachers and administrators) are critical players in the research and design process.
• Transparency and open-access: Create technology that meets a critical need in diverse school districts and can be used under an open-access, not-for-profit model.

Core duties:

• Quality Assurance & Testing
• Attend daily engineering team scrum meetings
• Execute structured manual regression tests prior to releases
• Perform exploratory testing of new or updated features
• Validate bug fixes in staging and production environments
• Develop, follow, and maintain QA checklists, test plans, and documentation
• Identify usability issues, regressions, and edge cases across browsers and devices
• Participate in pre-release validation (smoke testing) to confirm production readiness
• Support & Ticket Triage
• Serve as a first-line responder for incoming support and bug tickets
• Reproduce reported issues and gather necessary details (environment, steps, evidence)
• Respond directly to straightforward issues such as user error or known limitations
• Escalate confirmed bugs or complex issues to engineering with clear documentation
• Coordinate closely with the Account Manager to track issues and communicate status
• Bug Reporting & Coordination
• File clear, actionable bug reports including steps to reproduce, expected vs. actual behavior, browser/device/environment details, screenshots or screen recordings
• Track issue status and verify fixes once deployed
• Help identify recurring issues or patterns in reported bugs

A successful candidate should have enthusiasm about the ROAR mission in addition to:

Minimum Requirements

Education & Experience: Bachelor's degree and experience testing or supporting web applications or a combination of education and relevant experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong written communication skills and attention to detail
• Comfort following structured checklists and procedures
• Technical fluency with web applications and browsers
• Familiarity with modern web applications and how frontend and backend systems interact
• Ability to use browser developer tools (console, network tab) to investigate and document issues
• Ability to distinguish between user error and software defects
• Ability to clearly document issues and reproduce bugs reliably
• Ability to work collaboratively with engineering and non-technical stakeholders
• Interest in educational technology, research software, or mission-driven work

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with bug tracking or ticketing systems (e.g., GitHub Issues, Jira, Zendesk)
• Familiarity with browser developer tools (console, network tab)
• Experience testing web applications across different browsers or devices
• Exposure to accessibility testing (keyboard navigation, focus states)
• Exposure to JavaScript or web application development concepts (e.g., client/server interactions, REST APIs)
• Experience reading error messages, stack traces, or network responses when diagnosing issues
• Experience working in or supporting an educational or research environment

Physical Requirements*:

• Constantly perform desk-based computer tasks, grasp lightly/fine manipulation.
• Frequently sitting.
• Occasionally stand/walk, use a telephone.
• Rarely writing by hand, lift/carry/push/pull objects that weigh up to 10 pounds.
• Strong visual acuity.

* - Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodation to any employee with a disability who requires accommodation to perform the essential functions of the job.

Working Conditions:

• This is a Remote position.

This role is open to candidates anywhere in the United States. Stanford University has five Regional Pay Structures. The compensation for this position will be based on the location of the successful candidate. The expected pay range for this position is $33.44 to $38.46 per hour. Stanford University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location and external market pay for comparable jobs.

At Stanford University, base pay represents only one aspect of the comprehensive rewards package. The Cardinal at Work website provides detailed information on Stanford's extensive range of benefits and rewards offered to employees. Specifics about the rewards package for this position may be discussed during the hiring process.

Stanford's dedicated 16,000+ staff, who come from diverse educational and career backgrounds. We are a collaborative environment that thrives on innovation and continuous improvement. At Stanford, we seek talent committed to excellence, driven to impact the future of our legacy, and improve lives on a global scale. We provide market competitive salaries, excellent health care and retirement plans, and a generous vacation policy, including additional time off during our winter closure. Our unique perks align with what matters to you:

• Freedom to grow. As one of the greatest intellectual hubs in the world, take advantage of development programs, tuition reimbursement plus $800 you receive annually towards skill-building classes, or audit a Stanford course. Join a TedTalk, film screening, or listen to a renowned author or leader discuss global issues.
• A caring culture. We understand the importance of your personal and family time and provide you access to wellness programs, child-care resources, parent education and consultation, elder care and caregiving support.
• A healthier you. We make wellness a priority by providing access to world-class exercise facilities. Climb our rock wall, or participate in one of hundreds of health or fitness classes.
• Discovery and fun. Stroll through historic sculptures, trails, and museums. Create an avatar and participate in virtual reality adventures or join one with fellow staff on Stanford vacations!
• Envenible resources. We offer free commuter programs and ridesharing incentives. Enjoy discounts for computing, cell phones, outdoor recreation, travel, entertainment, and more.

We pride ourselves in being a culture that encourages and empowers you.

The job duties listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Specific duties and responsibilities may vary depending on department or program needs without changing the general nature and scope of the job or level of responsibility. Employees may also perform other duties as assigned.

Consistent with its obligations under the law, the University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities