Principal Software Engineer

If youre passionate about building a better future for individuals communities and our countryand youre committed to working hard to play your part in building that futureconsider 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

• Coordinates with executive team on strategy and long-term road map for cutting-edge applications and services to increase and improve the student experience.
• Helps achieve higher levels of maturity and delivery of business value via improved communication across the idea intake process.
• Develops and grooms the idea and product prioritization process and fosters a culture of accountability for on time product delivery product quality cost and operations.
• Fosters and utilizes innovative approaches to problems and functionality that focuses on students and all key stakeholders.
• Owns technologies focusing on student success and scalability while supporting student-focused user experience.
• Establishes a balance between strategic planning and initiatives with development communication troubleshooting and problem solving.
• Mentors and advises engineering teams on new languages and technologies; acts as a resident expert when needed.
• Directly intakes ideas originating from university leadership and manages those relationships.
• Provides leadership and direction for the software engineering group across the University.
• Clearly communicates the product strategy to the executive team exposing risks and trade-offs.
• Collaborates with developers designers testing and product management to develop features and innovative approaches to applications and features.
• Acts as a key stakeholder in the evaluation of potential technologies for use within the enterprise.
• Evaluates new tools and technologies create prototypes and proofs of concept and shares the results with peers.
• Identifies system redundancies and inefficiencies proposing innovative and cost-effective solutions.
• Works with internal customers to gather business processes and project requirements.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

• Expert 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 of the system. 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 subsystems to users and how the various subsystems inter-operate to provide features. Able to act as a partner with Operations in solving platform 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 on-line 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 out 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 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.

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science Information Technology or related field
• 12 years of experience in software development; pioneering new approaches and technologies in engineering working in a fast-paced environment managing multiple teams
• Experience in web-based applications and web services using Java REST SQL GIT and other technologies including experience integrating third-party products
• 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 the discretion of the hiring manager.

• Masters Degree or PhD in Computer Science Information Technology or related field
• Technical Experience in any of the following: 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 phones and protocols QoS IVRs and call recording
• Experience architecting implementing and managing enterprise-level contact center solutions
• Strong experience with distance education and distance learning students
• Technical Certifications

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. Its 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

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