Software Engineer Sr in Los Angeles, California at The J. Paul Getty Trust

Software Engineer Sr

US-CA-Los Angeles

Job ID: 2026-4781
Type: LT Full-Time
# of Openings: 1
Category: Information Technology
Getty

Overview

The Getty Digital Interpretive Development Team is the primary steward of Getty.edu and a growing suite of rich media experiences. We are seeking an experienced Senior Software Engineer with a passion for crafting exceptional digital visitor experiences and a genuine interest in the mission of a world-class cultural heritage institution. You will work closely with our team on broader initiatives that shape how visitors discover, explore, and engage with Getty's work — both on-site and online. We are a highly collaborative team where thoughtful communication, co-working sessions, code reviews, and pair programming are everyday practices.

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will partner with a team of engineers and architects to drive improvements across the Getty.edu platform and digital initiatives spanning the institution. You will own meaningful parts of the stack — identifying opportunities to reduce technical debt, shaping technical direction, and delivering reliable, scalable features that raise the bar for how visitors experience Getty's work. You'll collaborate closely with UX researchers, designers, and subject matter experts to build experiences that are fast, accessible, and impactful at scale.

Our work integrates deeply with Getty's internal CMS systems, connecting content operations to the public-facing experiences we build. We move fast, hold ourselves to a high engineering bar, and believe that the best digital experiences are built by teams who take end-to-end ownership of what they ship.

The Getty is among the most respected cultural heritage organizations in the world, and a hub for discovery and discourse on the critical issues facing the field — from digital preservation and sustainability to the evolving ways communities engage with art. Scientists, curators, librarians, archivists, and academics are drawn here by a shared dedication to furthering the study of art and advancing the fields of art history, conservation, and cultural heritage preservation. We offer excellent benefits and a genuine commitment to work-life balance, and we believe that the software we build together is part of that larger mission.

This is a three-year limited term position.

This position is a hybrid work environment opportunity; The successful candidate must reside within a commutable distance of Getty, and must work at least one day per week, and more often as needed, on Getty's campus in Los Angeles.

Responsibilities

• Design and build deep integrations with Getty's internal CMS APIs, ensuring content workflows connect seamlessly to the experiences visitors see and use
• Architect and develop Backend for Frontend (BFF) that power Getty.edu, optimizing data delivery for performance, flexibility, and developer usability
• Development of performant, scalable front-end applications using modern JavaScript frameworks (Vue.js) with a sharp focus on interactions, load times, and rendering performance to deliver experiences that feel effortless at scale
• Build and maintain application-level services to support real-time events, workflows, and dynamic user experiences.
• Utilize and support established CI/CD pipelines to ensure the consistent, reliable, and frequent deployment of software
• Help streamline the team's day-to-day workflow by identifying bottlenecks in how we write, test, and run code locally
• Partner closely with UX researchers, designers, and product stakeholders to shape and deliver digital experiences that are intuitive, accessible, and impactful across the full visitor journey
• Participate in the team's software development lifecycle, contributing to application design, implementation, testing, and code reviews
• Provide thoughtful, constructive feedback to peer developers and contribute to a culture of engineering excellence

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or a combination of education and relevant experience
• 5-8 years software development experience