---
title: 'Senior/Staff Full Stack Engineer at Playground'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-full-stack-engineer-playground-new-york-ape7ak3safrs'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-06'
---

# Senior/Staff Full Stack Engineer at Playground

- **Company:** Playground
- **Location:** New York, NY
- **Compensation:** $170k–$270k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-08-21
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/playground/4a93c13a-a270-4772-9399-9ba5804f97a6/application

**Skills:** React, TypeScript, JavaScript, Node.js, Express, RESTful APIs, GCP, Cloud Infrastructure, Performance Tuning

> Build new products from zero-to-one across the full stack, including APIs and backend services, and frontend experiences. Own projects end-to-end, collaborating with cross-functional teams to design and scale core systems for child care management software.

## Job description

## About Playground

Playground is working to make excellent child care accessible to all. Playground has built best in class software to manage all aspects of running a child care business. Playground has raised millions of dollars in funding, has several Statewide contracts, and is working with thousands of schools across the country. Our founders were recently recognized by Forbes as 30 under 30, and our work has been recognized across the country.

Playground is at an inflection point, growing at a quick pace, and we are looking to expand our engineering team as quickly as possible. Playground is a team of owners who are not afraid to dive into large, complex projects.

Job Description

As part of Playground's engineering team, you will be responsible for building new products from zero-to-one across the full stack, from the APIs and backend services that power our platform, to the frontend experiences that delight our users. You'll play a critical role in shaping the future of child care, working directly on products relied on by thousands of child care businesses, agencies, and government organizations.

This role spans the entire stack. You'll own projects end-to-end: designing and scaling core backend systems, building performant and maintainable frontend features, and everything in between. We're looking for self-starters who thrive on ownership, operate with urgency, and are excited to use modern AI coding tools to dramatically increase their leverage and output.

## Responsibilities

- Collaborate with a cross-functional team to design and build features end to end with a strong focus on customer needs and product impact
- Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code across the stack — React and TypeScript on the frontend, Node.js and Express on the backend.
- Lead the design and delivery of mission-critical backend APIs and services, with a focus on performance, security, and long-term maintainability.
- Build and improve frontend features in our web app, contributing to a best-in-class user experience for thousands of child care businesses
- Participate in code reviews to maintain code quality and share knowledge across the team.
- Interact directly with customers to gather feedback and understand their needs.
- Proactively identify technical debt and drive improvements across both frontend and backend architecture.

## Requirements

- 5+ years of experience in full stack or software development, with meaningful exposure to both frontend and backend technologies.
- Proficiency in React and TypeScript (or JavaScript) on the frontend.
- Strong proficiency in Node.js and Express (or similar backend frameworks).
- Experience designing and maintaining RESTful APIs in production environments.
- Strong experience operating systems in the cloud (GCP preferred but not essential), including infrastructure, performance tuning, and reliability best practices.
- Ability to ship quickly and focus on work that has the highest impact
- Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and excellent communication abilities.
- Demonstrated ownership of high-impact, complex projects from concept to reality.

## Compensation

- The annual salary range for this position is $170,000 – $270,000, subject to standard withholding and applicable taxes.
- Job level and actual compensation will be decided on factors including, but not limited to, individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process (including skills and prior relevant experience, potential impact, and scope of role), market demands, and specific work location. The listed range is a guideline, and the range for this role may be modified.

## WHY JOIN PLAYGROUND

- Competitive salary + equity
- 3 weeks of PTO
- Health, vision, and dental benefits
- $1200/year education stipend
- Free lunch daily
- New MacBook
- Collaborative and supportive work culture with a high level of autonomy and room for growth
- Help accelerate our mission to make excellent child care accessible to all!

How to Apply If you're excited to join a mission-driven, early-stage company where ownership, craftsmanship, and empathy are at the center of what we do, apply now. The Playground Team is fully in-office in Union Square, NYC. Please ensure you are open to a fully in-person role before applying.

Check out our journey https://www.tryplayground.com/about to learn more about our co-founders Dan, Josh, and Sasha.

## About Playground

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Playground provides an all-in-one child care management platform that streamlines operations—including billing, attendance, registration, communication, payroll, and AI-powered assistance—for early education providers.
- **Entity Type**: Private (early-stage startup; funding details not fully disclosed)
- **Headquarters**: New York City, New York, USA (with a second office in Denver, Colorado)
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Daniel Andrews, Josh Andrews, and Sasha Reiss

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Child care management software / Early education technology
- **Target customers**: B2B – child care programs of all sizes (home-based, centers, multi-site, and government)
- **Mission/purpose**: To make excellent child care accessible to all by giving providers the tools to focus on teaching and caring, not administration.

## Products & Services
- **Playground Platform (Core)**: SaaS platform handling attendance tracking, billing, registration, communication, paperwork, payroll, and expense management. Includes predictive enrollment forecasting and free data migration.
- **Camber (AI Employee)**: An AI agent that answers phone calls, qualifies leads, handles admin tasks, drafts messages, processes refunds, reconciles subsidies, and answers staff/family questions using the program’s handbook and state licensing rules.
- **Payroll (Built-in)**: Full-service payroll with tax filing and time tracking tailored for child care.
- **Learning Module**: Tools for activity planning, milestone tracking, and family sharing.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly available
- **Key Metric**: Estimated annual revenue between $5 M and $25 M (LinkedIn estimate). Serves 5,000+ child care programs and 500,000+ families across all 50 U.S. states.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not disclosed publicly (careers page mentions “amazing investors” but no names listed)
- **Growth Signals**: LinkedIn follower base grew 98.9% year over year; strong brand presence with 300,000+ users on the platform; continuously expanding AI capabilities (Camber launch); hiring across engineering, sales, customer success, and marketing for both NYC and Denver offices.

## Competitive Advantages
- **AI-first solution** – Camber acts as a virtual part-time hire, handling inquiries and admin tasks that previously required separate tools or staff.
- **All-in-one integration** – Replaces multiple legacy tools (separate billing, attendance, payroll, communication) with a single platform designed specifically for child care.
- **Predictive analytics** – Forecasting tools help centers anticipate enrollment openings and optimize capacity.
- **Free data migration** – Low switching friction for new customers.
- **Deeply rooted in the industry** – Founders grew up in a child care family and built the product to solve real pain points they experienced firsthand.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI expansion** – Deepening the Camber assistant’s capabilities (inquiry handling, staff support, reporting) and integrating it more tightly with core operations.
- **Scaling across segments** – Serving programs of all sizes, from home-based daycares to large multi-site and government-run centers.
- **Product unification** – Continuing to consolidate previously fragmented workflows (payroll, billing, learning) into a single, intuitive platform.
- **Geographic coverage** – Already active in all 50 states; likely targeting deeper penetration and perhaps eventual international expansion.

## Why Work Here
- **Transparent culture** – Leadership holds twice-monthly founder-led all‑hands, sends weekly CEO updates, and runs open “Ask Me Anything” office hours. Biannual anonymous employee surveys are shared with action plans.
- **Ownership and autonomy** – The company values “high agency people” who act like owners; employees are encouraged to act independently and intelligently.
- **Hybrid/in‑office model** – Teams work from offices in New York City (downtown) and Denver (downtown). On‑site days are the norm, and the interview process includes a paid half‑day onsite.
- **Perks & benefits**:
  - Equity for all full-time employees
  - Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans
  - Free daily lunch ($4,800/year value)
  - $1,200 annual education stipend
  - Generous paid time off
  - MacBook + desk setup stipend
  - Discounts on child care supplies (diapers, wipes, etc.)
- **Meaningful mission** – Employees build tools that directly free up child care providers’ time, enabling them to focus on children and families.

## Sources
1. [tryplayground.com – Homepage](https://www.tryplayground.com/)  
2. [Playground Careers page](https://www.tryplayground.com/careers)  
3. [Playground About page](https://www.tryplayground.com/about)  
4. [LinkedIn Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/tryplayground)  
5. [Built In Colorado – Workplace Perception](https://www.builtincolorado.com/company/playground-tryplaygroundcom/faq/workplace-perception)

## Other roles at Playground

- [Staff/Senior Product Manager, Payments](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-senior-product-manager-payments-playground-new-york-7crt08t1wdz0) — New York, NY
- [Staff Product Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-product-designer-playground-new-york-syhzwxzegg85) — New York, NY
- [Senior Product Designer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-product-designer-playground-new-york-8f7w0tfn6krx) — New York, NY
- [Staff Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-playground-new-york-csp4swxec1v7) — New York, NY
- [Growth and Demand Gen Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/growth-and-demand-gen-lead-playground-new-york-v4ew3byvb9pq) — New York, NY
- [SaaS Account Executive](https://feeny.ai/job/saas-account-executive-playground-denver-0tqpmc8x7wr7) — Denver, CO
- [VP of SMB Sales](https://feeny.ai/job/vp-of-smb-sales-playground-denver-ma7v9atzgr0d) — Denver, CO
- [Senior/Staff Full Stack Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-full-stack-engineer-ethos-remote-b5p45my3yy0d)
- [Senior/Staff Full Stack Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-full-stack-engineer-fora-new-york-dhc7pn1hq8kb) — New York, NY