Employment with JA Worldwide

If you’re motivated by JA’s global mission, scale, and impact, we invite you to apply for a position with our organization.

As one of the world’s largest and most-impactful youth-serving NGOs, JA Worldwide delivers hands on, immersive learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial capability. Reaching more than 23 million young people each year through over 790,000 teachers and business volunteers, JA Worldwide is one of few organizations with the scale, experience, and passion to build a boundless future for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders. 

 JA Worldwide is a network of teams: Each JA entity has its own board of directors and staff and each operation, whether large or small, works with young people, has an online presence, raises funds, manages finances, delivers programs, organizes events, collects/shares data, and handles diverse legal and compliance issues. When it comes to technology, the JA network operates with a fixed-flexible-freestyle approach where some solutions are global (fixed) while others are regional (flexible) or entirely local (freestyle).  

JA Worldwide has been selected as one of the top ten NGOs in the world in annual rankings since 2019 and is a five-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.

JA Is for Everyone, Everywhere

At JA Worldwide, not only are we committed to diversity of race, ethnicity, age, gender and gender identity, and sexual orientation in our staff, boards, and volunteers, we also highly value diversity of ideas, skillsets, industries, and geography to ensure our students are exposed to the greatest possible range of experiences and perspectives.

To best serve our students and offer them the experiences and role models they need to build self-efficacy, we seek to ensure that the JA network—including staff, teachers, business volunteers, and board members—is as inclusive as our students and alumni. With direct access to adults who share a similar background and set of experiences, JA students gain the confidence to amplify their voices, build sustainable movements, and work toward a better world. Read more.

Credentialling Platform Developer

JA Worldwide is looking for an experienced freelance developer, small technical team, or software development vendor to help build a credentialing wallet. The role is not only to write code, but also to act as a practical delivery partner who can understand the business need, propose a realistic implementation approach, build the product, and hand it over in a maintainable way. 

The credentialing wallet should allow JA participants to access, view, store, share, and verify digital credentials, certificates, badges, and achievements. The selected partner should be comfortable working with JA’s technology team and turning a high-level product vision into a working MVP and later iterations. 

Ideal Candidate Profile

• A hands-on full-stack developer, small team, or vendor able to deliver a complete web application from concept to deployment. 

• Someone who can work independently, ask the right questions, and make sensible technical recommendations without overcomplicating the project. 

• A practical builder who understands product delivery, user experience, data protection, maintainability, and long-term scalability. 

• A partner who can use modern development workflows and AI coding tools responsibly to accelerate delivery while still reviewing, testing, and owning the quality of the code.  

Project Overview

• Understand JA’s requirements for a credentialing wallet platform and translate them into a simple, realistic delivery plan. 

• Build the web application, including the user-facing wallet and basic administrator/issuer functionality. 

• Develop clean, maintainable frontend and backend code using the agreed technology stack. 

• Set up secure authentication and role-based access, preferably aligned with JA ID / Okta, where required. 

• Create workflows for issuing, viewing, downloading, sharing, and verifying credentials. 

• Design and implement the required database structure and APIs. 

• Support testing, bug fixing, deployment, documentation, and final handover to JA’s internal technology team. 

• Communicate progress clearly and regularly, including risks, blockers, assumptions, and decisions needed from JA. 

Required Expertise

• Strong full-stack web application development experience. 

• Frontend development experience with React and/or Vue.js. 

• Experience with modern frontend tooling such as Vite.js, Next.js, Nuxt, TypeScript, component libraries, routing, state management, and responsive UI development. 

• Backend development experience with relevant technologies such as Node.js, NestJS, Python, PHP/Laravel, Java, .NET, or similar. 

• Ability to design and build REST APIs and integrations with third-party systems. 

• Database design and implementation experience using PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, or similar relational databases. 

• Experience with secure authentication and authorization, including OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, JWT, RBAC, and SSO concepts. 

• Experience deploying applications to cloud, VPS, or containerized environments. 

• Good understanding of Git, branching, pull requests, documentation, and structured development workflows. 

• Practical knowledge of web application security, including OWASP principles, secure coding, input validation, access control, and protection of personal data.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with digital credentials, Open Badges, verifiable credentials, digital certificates, or credential verification flows. 

• Experience with education technology platforms, LMS integrations, Moodle, or student-facing platforms. 

• Experience with Okta, enterprise SSO, user provisioning, or identity integrations. 

• Experience building admin dashboards, multi-role systems, or platforms used by multiple organizations or countries. 

• Experience with GDPR-aware product development, privacy-by-design, audit logs, and data minimization. 

• Experience with nonprofit, education, or global network environments would be an advantage. 

AI-Assisted Development Requirements

The ideal contractor, freelancer, or vendor should be comfortable leveraging AI-assisted development tools to improve efficiency while maintaining appropriate engineering standards, security practices, and quality controls.

• Experience using AI coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, Codex-style agents, or similar tools. 

• Ability to use AI agents for code generation, refactoring, testing, documentation, and repetitive development tasks. 

• Understanding that AI-generated code must be reviewed, tested, secured, and adapted before use in production. 

• Ability to create clear prompts, development tasks, and acceptance criteria for AI-assisted coding workflows. 

• Comfortable working in an iterative development model where AI tools help accelerate delivery but do not replace architecture, quality assurance, or accountability. 

Scope of Services and Deliverables

The selected contractor, freelancer, or vendor will be expected to:

• Clarify requirements and propose a simple development approach and delivery plan.

• Build the core credentialing wallet platform.

• Build the administrative/issuer interface needed to manage and issue credentials.

• Implement authentication, user roles, and access permissions.

• Implement credential viewing, sharing, downloading, and verification functionality.

• Prepare the application for deployment in an agreed hosting environment.

• Provide technical documentation, setup instructions, and handover notes.

• Deliver the full source code, repository structure, and any necessary configuration files.

• Provide bug fixing and stabilization during an agreed acceptance period.

• Maintain structured, transparent, and reliable communication throughout the engagement.

• Provide regular progress updates and early escalation of blockers or dependencies.

• Clearly document assumptions, decisions, and configuration choices.

• Respect security, privacy, and data protection requirements.

• Collaborate with JA's internal technology team during development and handover.

• Apply practical technical solutions that balance functionality, maintainability, and project objectives.

Proposal Requirements

Interested contractors, freelancers, or vendors should provide the following:

• Brief profile of the individual, team, or organization.

• Relevant portfolio and examples of similar projects.

• Description of experience with React, Vue.js, Vite.js, or similar frontend technologies.

• Description of relevant backend, API, database, authentication, and deployment experience.

• Description of AI-assisted development experience, including tools and workflows typically used.

• Proposed technical approach and preferred technology stack.

• Estimated project timeline and availability.

• Estimated project cost, preferably broken down by phase or milestone.

• Assumptions, dependencies, and items required from JA Worldwide to support project delivery.

• Available post-delivery support and maintenance options.

Location and Working Hours

This is a remote engagement, and applicants may be based in any location. The selected contractors, freelancers, or vendors must be available to participate in virtual meetings and collaborate with project stakeholders across multiple time zones, including regular engagement during Eastern and Mountain Time business hours as needed.

Interested contractors, freelancers, or vendors should submit their proposal, qualifications, and any supporting materials to support@jaworldwide.org.