Senior 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:

Job Description

Job Duties

• Acts as an expert in assigned areas of software engineering. Mentors other more junior engineers to be more effective in their role.
• Maintains accountability for the quality of services in their assigned area and the success of assigned projects for on-time, on-budget, and on-scope delivery.
• Contributes as a lead or consultant for at least one team. May be a 'go-to' person in a particular sub-discipline or application area.
• Contributes formally and informally to the effectiveness of the team through formal and informal mentoring and direction during team meetings and problem solving.
• Communicates effectively and regularly with other disciplines to identify and resolve problems and contribute to organizational success.
• Leads teams or cross-functional groups in identifying and transferring knowledge through formal and informal means (formal presentations, internal white-papers, etc).
• Acts as a planning consultant for a team or portfolio when identifying technical risks and dependencies. Identifies potential problems, as well as potential solutions, far in advance and mentors other engineers in risk management.
• Speaks authoritatively and accurately with respect to questions related to their area of ownership or the platform as a whole.
• Contributes directly and leads others in the rapid identification of system problems, minimizing time to the restoration of services.
• Assists engineering management in identifying opportunities for improvement within the team, including training, technical feedback, emerging problems, etc.
• Applies strategies and tools to plan and execute testing strategies to find the 'sweet spot' that maximizes quality while minimizing costs. Demonstrates the 'good enough' principle that balances quality and time to implement.
• Interprets functional, non-functional, and implied requirements into designs and code that meet those specifications. Identifies gaps, risks, and deficiencies in such requirements and proposes solutions. Guides more junior engineers on how to plan and execute on requirements delivery.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

KSAs

• Understanding of the processes associated with software development, including Planning, Measurement, Coding, Testing, Reuse, Tools, Abstraction, Algorithms, and Complexity, Security, and basic system understanding.
• Ability to employ the tools and techniques related to an engineering discipline, such as database management, user interface development, inter-process communications, etc.
• Ability to create designs that can be realized in code that achieve functional and non-functional requirements for an application or at the system level. Appropriately uses design patterns, system decomposition, security, and fault tolerance. A demonstrated capability in one or more design methodologies, such as Object-oriented design, Function-oriented design, data-centered design, and the notations appropriate for each.
• Ability to understand differences, strengths, and weaknesses of various Software Development Life Cycle models, and practical considerations of options
• Understands implications of Software as a Service in the creation of software systems. Thinks of and designs for scale, reliability, and cost in a public cloud environment. Uses data and metrics to analyze Key Performance Indicators.
• Ability to explain the basic value of a system and its subsystems to users and how the various subsystems interoperate to provide features. Able to act as a partner with Operations in solving problems at a system level. Knows what the system can and cannot do.
• Ability to demonstrate a sense of urgency when looking for solutions to problems
• Understands the general higher education landscape, particularly with online higher education, including competitive landscape, opportunities, and feature gaps.
• Ability to identify innovative ideas or technologies that represent opportunities to advance the capabilities of the university education platform, our efficiencies in improving our platform, or both. Can leverage change management processes to drive adoption.
• Ability to make the team stronger and more cohesive
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage others at the right level at the right time. Communicates effectively in group settings by knowing the audience, listening effectively, and being responsive. Presents solutions, not just problems, and effectively manages expectations.
• Ability to identify, mitigate, or avoid risks and works closely with leads or managers to make sure that such risks and dependencies are understood, accounted, and planned for through an appropriate strategy.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
• 6 years of experience in software development, pioneering new approaches and technologies in engineering
• Experience in web-based applications and web services using Java, REST, ServiceNow, and other web technologies, including experience interfacing with databases and integrating third-party products with existing infrastructure.
• Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education, and is at the discretion of the hiring manager.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree or PhD in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
• Experience with IntellliJ/VS Code, JIRA, Git
• Experience with Agile/Scrum Project Development
• Experience with Java or a similar Object-oriented language
• Experience with IDM/OSSO, Hibernate/Seam, Banner
• Experience with Application Integration with legacy systems
• Experience with Cloud-Native Development, and/or Porting/Refactoring of On-Site to Cloud (preferably AWS)
• Experience with J2EE, Java EE, JavaScript, and SQL
• Technical Certifications

Job Description Disclaimer: This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements, and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require.

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Position & Application Details

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.