Western Governors University · 1 day ago
Senior Software Engineer-Site Reliability
Salt Lake City Office
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$140K/yr - $217K/yr
6+ years expWestern Governors University is committed to expanding access to higher education through innovative online programs. The Senior Software Engineer-Site Reliability will act as an expert in software engineering, mentoring junior engineers and ensuring the quality and success of projects through effective communication and problem-solving.
Higher Education
Responsibilities
Acts as an expert in assigned areas of software engineering. Mentors other more junior engineers to be more effective in their role
Maintains accountability for quality of services in their assigned area and success of assigned projects for on-time, on-budget, and on-scope delivery
Contributes as a lead or consultant for at least one team. May be a ‘go-to’ person in a particular sub-discipline or application area
Contributes formally and informally to effectiveness of the team through formal and informal mentoring and direction during team meetings and problem solving
Communicates effectively and regularly with other disciplines to identify and resolve problems and contribute to organization success
Leads teams or cross-functional groups in identifying and transferring knowledge through formal and informal means (formal presentations, internal white-papers, etc)
Acts as a planning consultant for team or portfolio when identifying technical risks and dependencies. Identifies potential problems, as well as potential solutions, far in advance and mentors other engineers in risk management
Speaks authoritatively and accurately with respect to questions related to their area of ownership or the platform as a whole
Contributes directly, and leads others, in rapid identification of system problems minimizing time to restoration of services
Assists engineering management in identifying opportunities for improvement within the team, including training, technical feedback, emerging problems, etc
Applies strategies and tools to plan and execute testing strategies to find the ‘sweet spot’ that maximizes quality while minimizing costs. Demonstrates the ‘good enough’ principle that balances quality and time to implement
Interprets functional, non-functional, and implied requirements into designs and code that meet those specifications. Identifies gaps, risks, and deficiencies in such requirements and proposes solutions. Guides more junior engineers on how to plan and execute on requirements delivery
Performs other job-related duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
6 years of experience in software development; pioneering new approaches and technologies in engineering
Experience in web-based applications and web services using Java, REST, ServiceNow, and other web technologies, including experience interfacing with databases, and integrating third party products with existing infrastructure
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
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 for an application or at the system level. 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 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 our 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
Preferred
Master's Degree or PhD in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
Experience with IntellliJ/VS Code, JIRA, Git
Experience with Agile/Scrum Project Development
Experience with Java or a similar Object-oriented language
Experience with IDM/OSSO, Hibernate/Seam, Banner
Experience with Application Integration with legacy systems
Experience with Cloud-Native Development, and/or Porting/Refactoring of On-Site to Cloud (preferably AWS)
Experience with J2EE, Java EE, JavaScript, and SQL
Technical Certifications
Benefits
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
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
Other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave
Company
Western Governors University
Western Governors University focuses on improving lives by creating pathways to opportunity for its students.
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Western Governors University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (6)
2024 (4)
2023 (12)
2022 (30)
2021 (17)
2020 (37)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
unknownKey Investors
Kauffman Foundation
2025-05-08Grant
Leadership Team
Stephen Herzig
Vice President of Enterprise Solutions
Kacey Thorne
Senior Director, Academic Strategic Initiatives
Recent News
2025-12-02
2025-10-29
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2025-10-03
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