Do you want to help shape local democracies for the digital age? Are you looking for an international and fast-paced yet collaborative environment to thrive in? You have come to the right place.

CitizenLab is a Brussels-based social impact scale-up that aims to improve democracy for the digital era. The SaaS platform is already being used by 200 cities and municipalities in +10 different countries, facilitating two-way communication between local governments and its citizens. Since it was founded in 2015, CitizenLab gave 250.000 citizens a direct voice in local politics and got recognized as 'Best Social Impact Startup in Europe'. After recently having raised a significant funding round, CitizenLab is looking for mission-driven talent to join on its mission to have 2,5 million citizens actively participate via its e-democracy platforms in cities all over the world.

Full-Stack Elixir Engineer at CitizenLab (Workshops)

As the pandemic hit Europe in March 2020, we reached out to our customers, local governments, to understand how we could help them best. They told us physical civic participation meetings became impossible, but the online alternatives weren't optimal. The need to combine multiple tools proved to be a real barrier to get all participants aligned and get the most value out of the meeting, and the tools didn't do much to facilitate an effective debate.

So we switched gears, stepped up, and delivered them online workshops as an addition to our platform. We chose Elixir, embracing Phoenix LiveView, for its best in class real time capabilities, paired up with Jitsi for embedded video conferencing.

As a full-stack Elixir engineer, you will take the lead on bringing our online workshops to the next level. In close collaboration with the product manager, product designer and a fellow developer, you'll expand the capabilities, improve the architecture for scale and fine tune the user experience. You'll also work on stronger integrations between online workshops and the rest of the CitizenLab platform.

At CitizenLab, we work in small teams where members collectively take ownership of the outcome of the features they build. Engineers don’t merely implement specifications, but are empowered to come up with solutions, in close collaboration with their peers and with direct exposure to the end user. We work in small iterations and release continuously. We’re strong believers in automated testing and code reviews.

What do we expect from you?

• You have 3+ years of experience in building end-to-end web applications
• You’re experienced in Elixir and Phoenix, and have played around with Liveview
• Professional experience with Ruby and React are a big plus
• You like to think along and collaborate on the solution, not just on the implementation
• You're open to relocate to Brussels when circumstances allow for it
• You know how to implement a modern user interface
• You know how to implement a sound API
• You're good at working autonomously, while being very transparent on your progress and plans

What can you expect from us?

• Unlock your full potential and have an impact at scale. We're working with +125 governments on a daily basis to connect them to their citizens.
• Grow your skills by becoming part of a talented and experienced product development team (15 people)
• Be a key factor in our rapid transition from startup to scaleup (40 employees).
• Work in a fast-paced, collaborative and supportive environment—right in the heart of Brussels.
• Be part of our dynamic European team. In non-Covid times, we organise many team activities and go for lots of spontaneous after-works.
• Informal work vibe with open communication and full transparency on results.
• Participate in inspiring team lunches, bi-quarterly strategic town halls, bi-yearly off-site team retreats.
• Receive a competitive salary package, incl. 20 + 6 paid holidays, your own laptop, flexibility on working from home, and more.

Deadline for applications

Please send in your cv and cover letter by January 11th. Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis and this deadline may be extended.

CitizenLab is committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage applicants of different backgrounds, cultures, genders, experiences, abilities and perspectives to apply.