Software Engineer Intern

About daedae is a Connecticut-based nonprofit innovation studio for learning. We operate as an immersive school, community hub, and incubator where youth explore emerging technologies through project-based work and mentorship, and adult learners develop technical and human competencies for careers in emerging technology fields.About the RoleThe Software Engineer Intern supports the design, development, testing, deployment, and continuous improvement of dae’s educational technology platforms and internal software products. The role contributes to the development of applications that support student learning, educational operations, and emerging organizational initiatives.Current priorities include development of dae’s Student Information System and Learning Management System (SIS/LMS), Student Project Storage and Showcase platform, and related educational technology initiatives. As dae’s technology ecosystem evolves, the Software Engineer Intern may contribute to additional software products and technical solutions that support the organization’s mission.This is a hands-on software engineering role for someone who can work across frontend development, backend services, databases, cloud infrastructure, testing, deployment, and technical documentation while learning existing systems before introducing changes. The intern works within established engineering, security, documentation, and review practices while contributing to production-quality software that supports students, educators, staff, and educational operations.Reports to: Director, Learning StudioHours: 15 hours per week from September through December 2026ResponsibilitiesSoftware DevelopmentSupport the design, development, enhancement, and maintenance of dae’s educational technology platforms and internal software products.Contribute to current development priorities, including the Student Information System and Learning Management System (SIS/LMS), Student Project Storage and Showcase platform, and future organizational software initiatives.Build and maintain frontend, backend, and database components supporting student, educator, and educational operations workflows.Develop APIs, business logic, user interfaces, and integrations following established architectural patterns and development standards.Write and review SQL to retrieve, validate, update, and report organizational information.Contribute complete technical solutions that may include databases, APIs, interfaces, testing, deployment, and documentation.Database, Data Integration & MigrationSupport database design, schema development, migrations, indexing, and data-quality practices using PostgreSQL and related technologies.Assist with preparing, validating, importing, exporting, and migrating organizational data across approved systems.Follow established standards for safe, secure, and auditable data changes, including documentation, version control, and change history.Support integration between student, academic, educational operations, and organizational systems where appropriate.Handle student and organizational information with appropriate attention to privacy, permissions, and security.Platform Development & Technical OperationsSupport the continued development, maintenance, and improvement of dae’s software platforms, including the Student Information System and Learning Management System (SIS/LMS) and the Student Project Storage and Showcase platform.Assist with technical work related to organizing, validating, archiving, retrieving, and maintaining student projects and associated metadata.Support features that enable student lifecycle management, enrollment, attendance, academic records, reporting, secure storage, search, sharing, and management of digital assets and educational content.Troubleshoot technical issues affecting platform functionality, data integrity, performance, integrations, or user experience.Assist with implementing new platform capabilities that support educational operations and emerging organizational priorities as additional software products are introduced.Testing & Quality AssuranceWrite, maintain, and execute tests for assigned features, enhancements, and bug fixes.Conduct structured manual testing across user roles, workflows, permissions, and edge cases.Verify that software changes do not create unintended effects across existing applications, shared services, and organizational platforms.Document defects clearly and support timely resolution.Participate in code reviews and respond constructively to technical feedback.Cloud Infrastructure, DevOps & DeploymentSupport application deployment and maintenance using dae’s established AWS and serverless infrastructure.Assist with services including S3, CloudFront, Lambda, CloudWatch, IAM, Systems Manager, and related cloud technologies.Follow established Git workflows, branching strategies, pull request processes, testing requirements, and continuous integration practices.Assist with troubleshooting deployment issues, CI/CD failures, and operational incidents.Support secure, scalable, and cost-conscious technical implementation aligned with dae’s architectural standards.Documentation & Team CollaborationReview existing code, documentation, architecture, and established engineering patterns before implementing new solutions.Maintain clear documentation for software features, database changes, testing procedures, deployment processes, and technical decisions.Communicate progress, risks, questions, and blockers clearly throughout development work.Collaborate with engineers, educators, program staff, and cross-functional stakeholders to understand requirements and deliver technical solutions supporting educational operations and organizational priorities.Complete assigned work in accordance with established engineering practices, organizational priorities, timelines, and security expectations.QualificationsCore Experience & Qualifications (Required)EducationCurrent undergraduate or graduate student, or recent graduate, pursuing or holding a degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Data Science, Cybersecurity, or a related technical field.ExperienceAcademic, project-based, internship, freelance, or professional experience developing web applications.Experience contributing to software projects using Git and a structured development workflow.Experience working with frontend, backend, or full-stack application development.Experience working with relational databases and writing SQL.Experience testing, debugging, and documenting software.Ability to work 15 hours per week from September through December 2026.Knowledge, Skills & AbilitiesFoundational experience with React, TypeScript, component-based development, hooks, forms, responsive layouts, and accessibility practices.Foundational experience with Node.js, Express, RESTful APIs, middleware, validation, authentication, and permission-based application logic.Working knowledge of PostgreSQL, relational data modeling, schema changes, migrations, indexing, and data integrity.Ability to write and reason about SQL directly rather than relying solely on object-relational mapping tools.Familiarity with AWS cloud services and serverless application concepts.Understanding of secure software development practices, including authentication, authorization, input validation, and protection of sensitive information.Familiarity with automated testing tools such as Jest and disciplined manual quality assurance practices.Comfort using AI-assisted development tools responsibly to support software development, debugging, research, and documentation.Ability to investigate existing code, documentation, and engineering patterns before implementing new solutions.Ability to contribute across frontend, backend, databases, testing, deployment, and documentation as project needs evolve.Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, organization, communication, and follow-through.Comfort working with evolving requirements while collaborating effectively in a fast-paced development environment.Commitment to dae’s mission and collaborative approach to building high-quality educational technology.Preferred (Not Required)Experience building dashboards, analytics interfaces, or other data-rich web applications.Experience with GraphQL or complex API-query patterns.Familiarity with real-time application features such as WebSockets, notifications, messaging, or publish-subscribe architectures.Experience working with multi-tenant applications or role-based access control.Familiarity with AWS serverless architecture, Aurora PostgreSQL, or related cloud technologies.Experience with enterprise authentication platforms such as Auth0 or Stytch.Familiarity with FERPA, student data privacy, or secure application design.Experience with monitoring, observability, or application performance tools.Experience building AI-enabled software features or working with modern AI development frameworks.Experience integrating third-party services or APIs.Experience planning or supporting software migrations from development through deployment.Prior exposure to education technology, Student Information Systems (SIS), Learning Management Systems (LMS), student records, academic operations, or similar technology environments.