Staff Software Engineer

About the role

At WGU, technology powers meaningful outcomes for students, faculty, and staff. As a Staff Software Engineer, you will serve as a highly influential technical leader, partnering across teams to solve complex challenges, shape engineering strategy, and drive the delivery of scalable, reliable solutions that advance the university's mission.

Responsibilities

• Act as a technical expert across multiple areas of software engineering, providing leadership, guidance, and architectural direction.
• Drive the adoption of engineering best practices, well-engineered solutions, and operational excellence across teams.
• Lead and influence major initiatives involving software architecture, engineering processes, and system administration.
• Partner across multiple teams to identify and solve critical technical challenges, risks, and dependencies.
• Mentor and develop engineers through formal and informal coaching, technical leadership, and collaborative problem solving.
• Improve platform reliability, scalability, security, and performance for students, faculty, and staff.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and innovative approaches that can improve university platforms, engineering efficiency, and business outcomes.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
• 10 years of experience in software development; pioneering new approaches and technologies in engineering.
• Experience in web-based applications and web services such as Java, REST, SQL, GIT, and other technologies, including experience integrating third-party products.
• Expert understanding of software development practices including planning, measurement, coding, testing, reuse, tools, abstraction, algorithms and complexity, security, and system design.
• Ability to design and implement software solutions that meet both functional and non-functional requirements, including scalability, security, fault tolerance, and maintainability.
• Strong understanding of Software Development Life Cycle methodologies and the practical application of different delivery models.
• Experience designing and operating software in public cloud environments with a focus on scale, reliability, cost optimization, and performance metrics.
• Outstanding communication skills with the ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders, present solutions, and manage expectations effectively.
• Ability to identify, mitigate, and proactively manage technical risks and dependencies.
• Demonstrated ability to make teams stronger, more collaborative, and more effective.
• Ability to demonstrate a sense of urgency when solving complex technical problems.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree or PhD in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
• Technical experience with GIT, SQL, Spring, Spring Boot, Java, Angular 2 or later, and AWS services.
• Experience with Salesforce development lifecycle techniques and Salesforce governor limits.
• Experience with cloud-based telephony, CTI, SIP/VoIP technologies, QoS, IVRs, and call recording solutions.
• Experience architecting, implementing, and managing enterprise-level contact center solutions.
• Experience supporting distance education or distance learning environments.
• Relevant technical certifications.

Experience in Lieu of Education: Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this role may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as one year of experience for one year of education and is at the discretion of the hiring manager.

Pay

The salary range for this position is Grade: Technical 411 Pay Range: $161,000.00 – $249,500.00. The range takes into account skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

Schedule

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring five days per week in our Salt Lake City, Utah office.

Occasional travel of up to 20% is required, including attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed.

Benefits

• Eligible for bonuses
• Medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare
• Health savings account and flexible spending account
• Basic and voluntary life insurance
• Disability coverage
• Accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages
• Legal and identity theft coverage
• Retirement savings plan
• Wellbeing program
• Discounted WGU tuition
• Flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual
• Flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual
• 11 paid holidays
• Other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave