Software Engineer (7300U), Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) #87220

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom, and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty, and staff. As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic, and social value. We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, Principles of Community, and Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley.

Departmental Overview

Founded in 1969, the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) embodies the intellectual rigor, entrepreneurial spirit, public mission, and social commitment characteristic of UC Berkeley. As a professional school of public policy grounded in scholarly practice, GSPP mobilizes the rich academic resources of the campus to provide a transformational academic and cultural experience that instills standards of excellence and a deep sense of pride in one's work, community, and academic home. GSPP consistently ranks among the top policy schools in the country, currently ranked #1 in policy analysis and #2 in social policy according to U.S. News and World Report. GSPP helped define the art and science of modern public policy and pioneered the data-driven, evidence-based approach that remains our hallmark.

GSPP offers three graduate degree programs (with approximately 330 students), a doctoral program, an undergraduate minor, and several concurrent degrees. GSPP's 40+ faculty represent the top researchers in their respective fields-including economics, political science, law, social psychology, and engineering-and their expertise ranges from education policy to racial profiling to clean energy. Fundamental to GSPP's success is our culture, shaped by individuals from across the globe whose diverse perspectives and life experiences enrich our community. GSPP students, faculty, and staff are distinguished by exceptional talent, broad experience, and a shared commitment to GSPP's public mission. Come join GSPP, and discover How a Better Future is Made.

Position Summary

The Software Engineer designs, develops, implements, and maintains web applications, content management systems, and cloud-based services that support the Goldman School of Public Policy's academic, administrative, and public-facing operations. Provides advanced technical support for custom web development, application security, accessibility compliance, systems integration, and web infrastructure management. Collaborates with technical and non-technical stakeholders to identify business needs, troubleshoot complex issues, and implement scalable, secure, and sustainable software solutions that improve operational efficiency and user experience across GSPP digital platforms.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: July 14, 2026. For full consideration, please apply on or before the first review date.

Responsibilities

Active Development and Application Support

• Designs, develops, maintains, and enhances custom web applications, CMS plugins, and software solutions supporting GSPP academic, administrative, and operational needs.
• Implements leadership-directed enhancements and new functionality to improve business processes, operational efficiency, and user experience.
• Refactors and optimizes existing source code to improve application performance, scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
• Applies regular software, CMS, PHP, and dependency security patches and updates to maintain system integrity, mitigate vulnerabilities, and ensure stable application performance.
• Diagnoses and resolves application, CMS, and server-side errors and performance issues to ensure continuous and reliable service availability.
• Executes and validates automated and manual data import processes prior to Fall and Spring semesters to ensure accurate loading and synchronization of academic and user data.
• Triggers and monitors class import processes within the ExpressionEngine Control Panel to support course evaluation and academic systems operations.
• Coordinates and initiates course evaluation processes each academic term, including verifying course and instructor data, triggering evaluation workflows, and confirming successful student distribution.
• Be available as a first responder for cybersecurity incidents related to GSPP's public websites and critical web application infrastructure.

Research, Planning, and Systems Administration

• Researches, evaluates, and recommends new technologies, software solutions, and development practices to support evolving departmental and institutional needs.
• Collaborates with faculty, staff, students, and campus partners to identify operational requirements and develop technical solutions.
• Designs front-end and back-end architecture for new and existing web applications and services.
• Coordinates software deployments, migrations, and production releases to minimize disruption and ensure continuity of services.
• Oversees web hosting configuration and environment provisioning for GSPP websites and applications, including deployment readiness and operational stability.
• Coordinates domain management and DNS-related activities with campus security and infrastructure teams to ensure secure and compliant web service routing.
• Supports onboarding and offboarding processes for Berkeley Public Policy Journal (BPPJ) members by managing account provisioning, permissions, and access transitions across systems and tools.
• Distributes and manages licensed software resources, including Stata deployment and access through Google Drive and related campus-supported platforms.

Accessibility, Security, and Policy Compliance

• Leads and supports initiatives to improve digital accessibility compliance across GSPP web platforms and applications.
• Monitors websites and applications for compliance with WCAG accessibility standards, UC policies, and security requirements.
• Advises faculty, staff, research centers, and student organizations on accessibility requirements, security best practices, and web governance standards.
• Provides oversight and guidance for accessibility compliance efforts related to research center websites and externally managed web services.
• Coordinates with campus security, DNS, and external vendors to maintain secure and compliant web environments.
• Applies security best practices, performs vulnerability mitigation activities, and ensures systems remain compliant with institutional requirements.

Testing, Documentation, Training, and Content Management

• Uses automated testing and monitoring tools, including Siteimprove and GitHub workflows, to support accessibility validation, quality assurance, and application testing.
• Creates and maintains technical documentation, deployment procedures, training materials, and user support resources for web applications and services.
• Provides website maintenance and content management support, including content updates, organization, publishing workflows, and quality review.
• Maintains version control repositories and deployment documentation to ensure accurate tracking of application changes and releases.
• Advises GSPP community members on mailing list management, moderation settings, posting policies, and communication best practices.
• Maintains core internal mailing lists for students, faculty, and staff, including configuration updates and ongoing administrative support.

DevOps and Cloud Infrastructure

• Implements and maintains Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) workflows to automate testing, deployment, and release management processes.
• Configures, maintains, and supports virtual machines, cloud-hosted environments, and web servers across AWS and Google Cloud Platform infrastructure.
• Monitors application hosting environments and system performance to ensure uptime, reliability, and operational continuity.
• Supports backup, recovery, and deployment procedures for web applications and associated infrastructure services.

Communication, Coordination, and Vendor Management

• Coordinates with campus departments and technical teams, including Research, Teaching, and Learning (RTL), DNS, security, and infrastructure partners, to support application and web service operations.
• Serves as a liaison with external vendors supporting GSPP and research center websites, coordinating requirements, deliverables, implementation timelines, and quality assurance activities.
• Participates in departmental committees and collaborative initiatives supporting community engagement and operational effectiveness.
• Provides technical consultation and support to faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders regarding web applications, accessibility, hosting, and digital services.

Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Requires thorough knowledge of applications programming.
• Must have knowledge relating to the design and development of applications programs across the organization.
• Requires knowledge of other related areas of IT.
• Knowledge of and/or ability to learn department processes and procedures.
• Requires advanced skills associated with programming design, modification and implementation.
• Requires interpersonal skills in order to work with both technical and non-technical personnel at various levels in the organization, and with partners at outside organizations, in a clear and concise manner.
• Has skills needed to develop conversion and system implementation plans.
• Requires ability to understand business needs and how business systems can support those needs.
• Must be self-motivated, work independently or as part of a team, able to learn quickly, meet deadlines and demonstrate problem solving skills.
• Must have advanced skills in web applications, web programming language and object oriented programming concepts, such as JavaScript, PHP, Python, HTML, SQL, MongoDB, and content management systems like ExpressionEngine, WordPress, and Drupal.
• Requires knowledge of WCAG accessibility standards.
• Work closely with other developers and system administrators to deploy web applications locally and in cloud environments like AWS and Google Cloud.

Education / Training

• Bachelor's degree in related area and/or equivalent experience/training. (Required)

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $82,800.00 - $99,550.00.

• This is an exempt, monthly-paid position.
• This is a full-time (40 hours/week) Career position eligible for UC benefits.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.

Other Information

• This is not a visa opportunity. This position does not include sponsorship of a new consular H-1B visa petition that would require payment of the $100,000 supplemental fee.

Conviction History Background

This is a designated position requiring fingerprinting and a background check due to the nature of the job responsibilities. Berkeley does hire people with conviction histories and reviews information received in the context of the job responsibilities. The University reserves the right to make employment contingent upon successful completion of the background check.

Misconduct

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

"Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:

UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.