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:
 

Grade: Technical 410Pay Range: $143,700.00 - $222,700.00

Job Description

Senior Software Engineer

Impact at WGU

Join a team that is helping shape the future of higher education through technology, AI, and workforce development. As a Senior Software Engineer, you will play a key role in designing, building, and evolving the platforms that support WGU students and internal teams. You will provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, and help drive the adoption of innovative development practices that position WGU at the forefront of AI-enabled software engineering. 

• Lead the development of technology solutions that advance WGU's mission and student outcomes. 
• Serve as a technical leader and trusted advisor within an experienced engineering organization. 
• Help define how AI transforms software development through emerging AI-first engineering practices. 
• Mentor and develop other engineers while fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning. 
• Contribute to scalable, reliable solutions that support the future of online education and career development. 

What You'll Do

• Research, design, develop, test, implement, and support software applications and systems. 
• Lead the delivery of software solutions while maintaining accountability for quality, scope, timelines, and outcomes. 
• Mentor engineers through technical guidance, code reviews, architecture discussions, and problem solving. 
• Translate functional and non-functional requirements into scalable, maintainable software solutions. 
• Identify technical risks, dependencies, and opportunities well in advance and help teams develop mitigation strategies. 
• Partner closely with engineering, product, and operations teams to improve systems and drive business outcomes. 
• Utilize AI-assisted development tools and modern engineering practices to accelerate innovation and delivery. 

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. 
• 6 years of experience in software development, including experience pioneering new approaches and technologies in engineering. 
• Experience developing web-based applications and web services using Java, REST, ServiceNow, and other web technologies. 
• Experience interfacing with databases and integrating third-party products with existing infrastructure. 
• Strong backend engineering experience and expertise building scalable software solutions. 
• Demonstrated experience mentoring engineers and contributing to the success of highly collaborative teams. 
• Strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, curiosity, and the ability to collaborate effectively across diverse audiences and teams.

Bonus Points

• Master's Degree or PhD in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. 
• Experience with IntelliJ, VS Code, Jira, Git, Agile/Scrum development, JavaScript, SQL, J2EE, or Java EE. 
• Experience with cloud-native development, AWS, AI-assisted development tools such as Claude or Kiro, application integration, legacy system modernization, or relevant technical certifications. 

Experience in Lieu of Education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this position may substitute for the education requirement.

• Generally, one year of relevant experience may substitute for one year of education.
• Experience equivalency is determined 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.

• Hiring Manager Interview (Director, Technical Product Management and Engineering)
• Technical Interview with a Senior Software Engineer and Manager, Software Engineering

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.

• Full-time position.
• Based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• Five days per week in office.
• Join a team of experienced full-stack engineers working closely together in a highly collaborative environment. 

WGU will consider qualified candidates who require current or future employment 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.

• Attend company summits and team events as needed.
• Travel to conferences, company locations, and business-related meetings when required.

Additional travel may be assigned to support business needs. 

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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 [email protected].

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