Learning Analytics Applications Developer

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• CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
• If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.

POSITION SPECIFICS

Join Penn State IT’s innovative Data Empowered Learning team, dedicated to enhancing student success through cutting-edge learning analytics tools like Course Insights and Elevate. We are seeking a skilled Front-End Developer to design, build, and maintain intuitive and impactful user interfaces for our next generation of learning analytics applications.

The successful candidate will bring strong front-end engineering skills together with sound systems thinking, product-minded design judgment, and the ability to work in a dynamic team based environment. This role requires an engineer who can translate educational use cases and analytics into reliable, user-centered software solutions, while thoughtfully incorporating AI-assisted features where appropriate.

This is not a prompt-only prototyping role. We are seeking an engineer who can pair thoughtful product and systems design with disciplined implementation, testing, and evaluation. Candidates should be able to communicate effectively with technical stakeholders, articulate architectural decisions and tradeoffs, discuss code and data flows in depth, and demonstrate a strong understanding of software quality.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, test, and deploy high-quality, responsive, and accessible user interfaces for learning analytics applications using Angular.
• Collaborate closely with backend developers, data scientists, and educational stakeholders to implement application features.
• Work within our established NX monorepo structure and NodeJS development environment.
• Maintain and enhance existing Angular applications, ensuring performance, scalability, accessibility, and long-term maintainability.
• Troubleshoot and debug front-end and integration issues across application layers
• Apply sound software engineering and design patterns when integrating AI-assisted capabilities, including human-in-the-loop workflows, fallback behaviors, logging, and monitoring.
• Research and integrate advancements in front-end technologies, AI application development practices, and responsible engineering best practices.

• Proven experience as an Applications Developer, Front-End Developer, or similar role.
• Strong proficiency in modern Angular framework, TypeScript, HTML5, and CSS3/SCSS.
• Experience working within a NodeJS environment for development workflows, including build tools and package management.
• Experience consuming RESTful APIs and integrating front-end applications with backend services.
• Proficiency with version control systems, particularly Git.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and commitment to producing maintainable, production-quality software.
• Demonstrated ability to think beyond feature delivery and contribute to application architecture, technical design, and system reliability.
• Familiarity with user-centered design, design thinking, or related approaches for translating stakeholder needs into effective software solutions.
• Ability to evaluate technical tradeoffs and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical partners.
• U.S Citizenship - sponsored VISAs are unavailable for this position.

Bachelor's Degree 3+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted Required Certifications: None

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Science, or a related field.
• Familiarity with NX monorepos or similar monorepo management tools.
• Experience with data visualization libraries (e.g., D3.js, Chart.js).
• Understanding of UI/UX principles and accessibility standards (WCAG).
• Experience working in Higher Education or EdTech environments.
• Familiarity with Python for backend development.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled application development, including prompt orchestration, retrieval-augmented workflows, agent-based patterns, or integration with LLM-powered services.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools productively while maintaining engineering rigor, code quality, and accountability.

The Data Empowered Learning team is primarily located on campus at University Park, and this position requires a partial in-person presence of at least 1–2 days in the office per week to drive collaborative success. While local hybrid presence is required for the role, the team offers flexibility regarding daily work hours to accommodate individual schedules.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

Penn State does not sponsor or take over sponsorship of a staff employment Visa. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Salary & Benefits

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $81,312.00 - $122,016.00.

Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

EEO IS THE LAW

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.

Penn State is committed to and accountable for advancing equity, respect, and belonging. We embrace individual uniqueness, as well as a culture of belonging that supports equity initiatives, leverages the educational and institutional benefits of inclusion in society, and provides opportunities for engagement intended to help all members of the community thrive. We value belonging as a core strength and an essential element of the university’s teaching, research, and service mission.

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