Staff Site Reliability Engineer

Overview:

Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, high-quality text-based mental health support and crisis intervention by empowering a community of trained volunteers to support people in their moments of need.

Our mission is at the intersection of empathy and innovation — we promote mental well-being for people wherever they are.

Our vision is an empathetic world where nobody feels alone.

Our core values are at the heart of all we do: connect with empathy, center equity, get it done together, and reflect and evolve.

Why you should join our team:

• Our work is transforming the way people in pain access support at their fingertips
• Our work is innovative in the crisis response space
• Our dynamic, fun, and diverse culture
• Our meaningful cause, led by empathy and innovation
• Our strong values at the center of all we do
• Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Our commitment to engagement and belonging
• Our commitment to our employees and their holistic wellbeing
• Our value of work/life balance
• Our growth mindset and prioritize professional development
• Our leaders who truly care

What you'll be doing:

Job Summary : As a Staff Site Reliability Engineer, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the reliability, scalability, and security of our platform, helping to architect, build, scale, and maintain the tooling that supports our software engineering teams and the infrastructure that enables our staff and volunteers to provide the Crisis Text Line service. You will assist in the technical leadership within the SRE team and work closely with developers to optimize performance, implement best practices, and maintain a secure environment. Much of your time will be focused on improving the productivity of other engineers. The team you help lead and the services you develop make it possible for our organization to pursue its mission and support our texters, volunteers, and staff. This position requires a strong background in infrastructure management and Site Reliability Engineering practices.

Responsibilities:

Function 1 - Infrastructure Management

• Develop and maintain monitoring, logging, and alerting systems to ensure system health and performance.
• Spread knowledge, provide mentorship, and promote technical best practices
• Write and review high-quality, easy-to-read, and testable code that follows best practices

Function 2 - Automation and Incident Response

• Design, implement, and maintain our highly available and scalable AWS infrastructure that powers our service.
• Automate repetitive tasks and processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual intervention.
• Assist in the operation of your team by providing engineering input and estimating work timelines during scoping meetings
• Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments, addressing any identified issues.

Function 3 - Communication & Collaboration

• Assisting to lead and mentor a team of SREs, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Implement and enforce security best practices across the infrastructure and development processes.
• Respond to and resolve incidents, minimizing downtime and ensuring quick recovery.
• Support and encourage a diversity of backgrounds, voices, and perspectives on the engineering team

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (Master's degree preferred).
• Proven experience as a Staff SRE or in a similar SRE role, with a strong focus on infrastructure and DevOps.
• Proficiency in cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure) and infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation).
• Strong scripting and automation skills (e.g., Python, Bash, Ansible) and in-depth knowledge of containerization and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Proven experience in implementing CI/CD pipelines and tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, GIthub Actions) and observability tools (e.g., Datadog, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack).
• A commitment to ethical practices, data privacy, and security.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Experience implementing Failure Injection / Chaos Engineering practices.
• Cloud Solution Architect certifications or completed training (e.g. AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials and/or AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate) GCP or Azure.
• Strong experience with AWS Solution Architecture across Next.js, Go, PHP APIs, GraphQL, Databricks, and AI/ML workloads.
• Knowledge of compliance and regulatory standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, SOC2, etc.).
• Experience in a non-profit or mission-driven organization.

Reliable High-Speed Internet Required: Must have a stable high-speed internet connection to support seamless remote collaboration, virtual meetings, online job tasks, etc.

**The full salary range for this position, across all United States geographies, is $126,000-$162,500 per year. The upper portion of the salary range is typically reserved for existing employees who demonstrate strong performance over time. Starting salary will vary by location, qualifications, and prior experience; during the interview process, candidates will learn the starting salary range applicable for their location. We pay competitively in the tech-forward nonprofit space and offer a robust benefits package.

Only candidates in the following states will be eligible for employment: CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, MD, MA, MI, MO, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA.

Benefits:

Crisis Text Line employee benefits are thoughtfully designed using an equity lens, acknowledging that we are all unique human beings with individual life circumstances that require flexibility and support.

Benefits include:

• 20 paid holidays including:
  • Federal holidays like Juneteenth and Labor Day
  • Election day
  • Holiday break from Dec 24 through January 1
  • 2 renewal days
  • 2 floating holidays
• Flexible paid time off, including:
  • 15 vacation days
  • 3 personal days
  • 7 sick days
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits for the staff member and family at no cost to the employee
• 403B retirement plan (the nonprofit equivalent of a 401K): 3% contribution by Crisis Text Line to support building financial wellness, regardless of personal contribution
• 12 weeks paid parental leave (after 6 months of employment)
• Student loan repayment (after 2 years of continuous full time service)
• Family support through a virtual childcare platform
• Stipends/Allowances
  • Mental health (Monthly)
  • Internet Service (Monthly)
  • Professional Development (Annual)
  • Wellness (Annual)
  • Home office setup (One time/First year)

(Benefits are only for US-based employees. International benefits may differ).

Crisis Text Line is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We provide reasonable accommodation to individuals who have a disability and meet the skill, experience, education, and other job-related requirements of the role to allow the individual to perform the essential functions of the job.