Key responsibilities

• Front-End: Develop and implement intuitive and visually appealing user interfaces as well as performant and scalable logical components for our app based on react-native.
• Back-End: Build and maintain server-side logic and databases using technologies like node.js, python and firestore. Ensure seamless communication with third party service providers and our own machine learning tools.
• Write and execute tests, perform debugging and conduct code reviews.
• Work closely with product owners, designers and other engineers to deliver high-quality products.
• Suggest improvements and new features to enhance product functionality.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science or related technical field
• 2+ years of experience with web or app development
• Experience with Typescript, React, firebase and node.js
• Passion, discipline and dedication to clean code and simple architecture
• Strong critical thinking attitude and ability to work independently
• Interested in EdTech
• Eligibility to Work in Switzerland: Must be Swiss/EU/EFTA citizen or hold a valid Swiss work permit
• Fluent in English

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Computer Science or related technical field
• Experience with react-native
• Experience with automated testing, CI/CD, prompt engineering
• Basic understanding of German

About the interview

Interviewing for a Software Engineering Role at Univerbal

Hi 👋

Hey there! We're Univerbal, an ETH Zurich spinoff and YC W23 startup. Our mission is to make personalized education accessible to everyone through our AI language tutor. If you share our passion for edtech and have a strong background in full stack development with React (preferably React Native) and Node.js we'd love to hear from you! Send your questions to christopher@univerbal.app.

At Univerbal, our core values are transparency & respectfulness, no bullsh*t, flat hierarchy, and pride in building high-quality products. These values are crucial to us, and we're seeking like-minded individuals to join our team.

The Interview Process

Coding Exercise: Show Us What You've Got!

Before we dive into informal chats and technical discussions, you'll start your journey with us by solving a coding exercise that we'll send your way. This will be a timed challenge designed to assess your coding skills and problem-solving abilities.

Video Call: Getting to Know Each Other

Our first interaction is a friendly and informal video call where we chat about your past experiences and get to know each other. You can expect a light technical question related to your past projects. The aim is to understand how well you can work autonomously and if you're the right fit for our team culture.

Onsite

Technical: Showcasing Your Skills

In the technical interview, we will dive deeper into your past experiences. Depending on your expertise, you may be asked to code a simple React component and redesign a screen from our app.

The goal is to evaluate your problem-solving skills and ensure you're up for the challenge.

Behavioral: Finding the Perfect Fit

Sam will lead the behavioral interview to assess your cultural fit within our team. We're looking for candidates who are authentic, open-minded, have the ability to admit when they're wrong, and can collaborate effectively with others. We love people who are funny, ambitious, and not afraid to call out bullsh*t when they see it!

The final one: Experience Day ✨

The experience day is a unique part of our hiring process at Univerbal. We invite potential team members to spend a full day with us, experiencing our day-to-day operations and our unique work culture.

During the day, you'll be given a brief assignment related to your potential role. This is an opportunity for you to showcase your practical skills, not just your theoretical knowledge. These might include:

• Prototyping a new feature that we're thinking about.
• Creating or improving a new screen in the app.

You'll be working independently, mirroring the autonomy you'd be given as a member of our team. Our aim is to see how you manage your time, how you approach problem-solving, and how you tackle broad problem statements.

Lunch is a collective effort at Univerbal, and you're invited to join us. We believe in taking the time to step away from our screens, chat, and enjoy a meal together. It's a great opportunity to mingle with our team in a casual setting, ask questions, and let your personality shine through.

At the end of the day, we can grab something to drink and chat some more.

Through the Experience Day, we aren't just assessing your technical skills--we're also evaluating the fit between you and the rest of the team. We believe successful collaboration stems from people feeling comfortable and connected with each other.

Remember, the Experience Day is as much about us getting to know you as it is about you getting to know us. We want you to walk away feeling excited about the prospect of joining Univerbal, so don't hesitate to ask any questions or voice any concerns.

Timing: Results in No Time!

At Univerbal, we're fast-paced, and our hiring process is no exception. Depending on your availability, the entire interview process may take approximately 3 weeks. We'll keep you updated every step of the way.

We're excited to meet you and hope to embark on this thrilling journey together. Good luck!