Staff Software Engineer

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career. Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families. The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to 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. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:   Grade: Technical 411 Pay Range: $161,000.00 - $249,500.00 Job Description 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.

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.

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.