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.

What You'll Do

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.

What You'll Bring

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.

Bonus Points

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.

What to Expect

At WGU, our mission drives everything we do, including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work through meaningful conversations and collaboration.

We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission.

Introductory call with a Talent Partner

Technical Team interview

Hiring leader interview

Work Location

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring five days per week in our Salt Lake City, Utah office, designed to foster the collaboration and connection that fuel our best work.

Visa Sponsorship

While we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, WGU is not able to provide visa sponsorship for this role.

Travel Requirement

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required 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. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is 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; and 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, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

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.