Software Engineer - Product

About this role

<div class="content-intro"><h2><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">WHO WE ARE</span></h2> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to a fair and just marketplace for all. CR is known for our rigorous testing and trusted ratings on thousands of products and services.  We report extensively on consumer trends and challenges, and survey millions of people in the U.S. each year. We leverage our evidence-based approach to advocate for consumer rights, working with policymakers and companies to find solutions for safer products and fair practices. </span>  </p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our mission starts with you. We offer medical benefits that start on your first day as a CR employee that include behavioral health coverage, family planning and a generous 401K match. <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/careers/landing-page/index.htm">Learn more about how CR advocates on behalf of our employees.</a></span></p></div><p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>OVERVIEW</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We’re seeking a passionate Software Engineer to join our Experimental Engineering team focused on enhancing and developing our AskCR Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) application. This individual will play a crucial role in building intelligent consumer-facing features and seamlessly integrating AI-powered functionalities across our web and mobile platforms. As part of the AskCR team, you'll collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver robust, scalable solutions that leverage modern AI technologies.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is a remote position. This position is not eligible for sponsorship or relocation assistance. </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>How You'll Make An Impact</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">As a Software Engineer focused on the AskCR product, you will work across the stack to:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Develop, optimize, and maintain the AskCR chatbot and associated features, ensuring seamless integration across user devices and platforms.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Collaborate with product, design, and engineering teams to translate user needs and business requirements into innovative features and experiences.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Write clean, efficient and maintainable frontend code in React</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Implement efficient, scalable APIs and services using Python, FastAPI, and related technologies.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Integrate and leverage OpenAI's LLMs to enhance the chatbot's conversational and generative capabilities, including through prompt engineering and foundation model experimentation.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Continuously research, test, and incorporate emerging AI technologies to enhance product experience and maintain competitive edge.</span></li> <li style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Promote and adhere to best practices in software development, security, and responsible AI usage.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>ABOUT YOU</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>You’ll Be Highly Rated If:</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>You have the degree. </strong>Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, or a related field.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>You have 5+ years of professional software engineering experience </strong>with demonstrated expertise in Python and web development frameworks, particularly FastAPI.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family:…