Staff Software Engineer Site Reliability

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

About WGU

At Western Governors University (WGU) were transforming higher education through innovation technology and purpose-driven design. Our engineering teams build systems that empower learners across the nation creating scalable reliable and high-performing platforms that make education more accessible than ever.

Were seeking a Staff Software Engineer whos ready to shape the future of online education by architecting resilient modern systems and mentoring the next generation of engineering talent.

Our Mission

At WGU we are dedicated to changing lives by creating pathways to opportunity. Every system application and solution we build is designed to empower students remove barriers and support success at scale.

The Role

As a Staff Software Engineer at WGU youll play a key role in designing developing testing and deploying enterprise-grade applications that support our mission. Youll collaborate across disciplines contribute code that drives measurable impact and champion engineering best practices that elevate quality reliability and user experience.

This role also blends elements of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) by ensuring systems are scalable observable and built for resilience. Youll automate key processes improve system-level objectives and help teams adopt strong operational excellence practices.

What Youll Do

• Lead and Mentor: Serve as a technical expert and guide for junior engineers raising the bar for code quality performance and innovation.
• Design and Build: Research architect and implement scalable applications and services that power WGUs digital ecosystem.
• Improve Systems: Eliminate redundant or low-value processes and prioritize work that improves reliability software delivery speed and the student experience.
• Champion Resilience: Advocate for distributed-system best practices by including graceful degradation stateless design and fault tolerance.
• Enhance Reliability: Guide teams in defining and achieving SLIs/SLOs and managing error budgets to balance speed and stability.
• Collaborate Effectively: Partner with cross-functional teams to solve complex challenges identify risks early and deliver sustainable solutions.
• Innovate for Impact: Identify emerging technologies and creative solutions that advance WGUs mission improve platform performance and scale educational access.
• Drive Continuous Improvement: Contribute to incident resolution system monitoring and proactive enhancements that minimize downtime and optimize service restoration.
• Test with Purpose: Use modern tools and strategies to balance quality assurance and delivery efficiency by finding the sweet spot between speed and stability.
• Contribute to Culture: Foster a culture of accountability empathy and technical excellence through collaboration feedback and shared success.

What You Bring (Knowledge Skills & Abilities)

• Deep understanding of modern software development practices including design patterns system decomposition fault tolerance and secure coding.
• Strong proficiency with object-oriented or functional design principles and methodologies (e.g. OO design data-centered design).
• Proven experience in full SDLC processes planning coding testing and release management with a focus on quality and scalability.
• Ability to design for cloud-native environments and understand implications of SaaS architectures including cost scalability and reliability.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills with the ability to influence and align teams without formal authority.
• Sharp analytical mindset with the ability to identify risks manage dependencies and deliver thoughtful solutions.
• Understanding of the higher education technology landscape is a plus particularly challenges and opportunities in online learning platforms.
• A mindset of urgency ownership and curiosity eager to solve problems and elevate both systems and people.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science Information Technology or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 10 years of experience in software development with a track record of technical leadership and innovation.
• Hands-on experience developing web-based applications and RESTful services using technologies such as Java ServiceNow and web integrations.
• Strong knowledge of databases API integrations and enterprise software architecture.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters or Ph.D. in Computer Science IT or related field.
• Experience with tools like IntelliJ/VS Code JIRA and Git.
• Background in Agile/Scrum methodologies.
• Proficiency with Java EE / J2EE JavaScript SQL and frameworks such as Hibernate Seam or Banner.
• Familiarity with Identity Management (IDM/OSSO) and cloud migration or refactoring (preferably AWS).
• Relevant technical certifications are a plus.

Why Join WGU

• Be part of a mission-driven organization changing the landscape of education.
• Work with cutting-edge cloud and enterprise technologies.
• Collaborate with a passionate diverse and forward-thinking engineering community.
• Enjoy a flexible remote-friendly culture that values balance innovation and growth.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged period

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.