Senior Software Engineer | Developer Experience
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 - $222,700.00Job Description
At Western Governors University, we are investing heavily in modern engineering platforms and internal tooling that improve how software is built, tested, deployed, and operated. We’re seeking a highly skilled Senior Backend-Focused Full Stack Software Engineer to help design and scale the internal systems, developer platforms, and automation that power our engineering organization.This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys building backend systems and APIs-but is especially energized by improving developer experience, internal tooling, and platform capabilities. You’ll work across Java and Python backend services while partnering closely with platform engineers, DevOps, and product teams to streamline the software delivery lifecycle.
You will help shape the internal “paved roads” that engineering teams rely on: CI/CD automation, service scaffolding, developer portals, observability systems, internal APIs, and shared platform services. Your work will directly improve engineering velocity, reliability, and consistency across the organization.
What You’ll Do
Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services that power internal developer platforms and tooling
Develop APIs, automation services, and platform components using Java and Python
Improve and evolve internal developer experience (DevEx) systems, including build, test, and deployment pipelines
Build and maintain internal tooling for service provisioning, environment management, and release automation
Partner with DevOps and platform teams to enhance CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure automation
Develop internal APIs and service frameworks that enable teams to build and ship software faster
Improve observability, logging, tracing, and monitoring systems for engineering teams
Collaborate with frontend engineers working in Angular and Flutter on internal dashboards and tooling interfaces
Reduce operational friction by identifying bottlenecks in the SDLC and building scalable solutions
Lead technical design discussions for platform architecture and internal systems
Mentor engineers and help drive best practices in DevEx, automation, and platform engineering
Support and improve reliability of internal systems used by engineering teams across the organization
Required Qualifications
5+ years of professional software engineering experience
Strong backend development experience with Java and Python
Experience building internal tools, platforms, or developer-facing systems
Experience with Spring Boot, FastAPI, Flask, Django, or similar frameworks
Solid understanding of distributed systems and service-oriented architecture
Experience building APIs and automation services at scale
Familiarity with frontend integration using Angular and TypeScript
Experience with CI/CD systems and software delivery pipelines
Strong understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
Experience with Docker and Kubernetes in production environments
Experience working with relational and NoSQL databases
Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and systems thinking skills
Excellent communication skills and ability to work across engineering teams
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in platform engineering, DevEx, or internal developer tooling teams
Experience with event-driven systems and message queues
Experience building developer portals or internal self-service platforms
Familiarity with GraphQL and API gateway architectures
Experience with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform or similar)
Strong knowledge of observability tooling (metrics, logging, tracing)
Experience improving build systems, test automation, or release engineering
Experience supporting large-scale engineering organizations or monorepo environments
Passion for improving engineering velocity and developer productivity
What Success Looks Like
Engineers across the organization ship software faster and with fewer friction points
Internal tooling and platforms are reliable, scalable, and easy to use
CI/CD pipelines and release processes are streamlined and automated
Improved visibility into system health through strong observability practices
Reduced operational overhead through self-service developer platforms
Strong collaboration between platform, product, and application engineering teams
Consistent engineering standards and improved developer experience across teams
Why Join Us?
Direct impact on how hundreds of engineers build and deliver software
Opportunity to shape modern developer platforms and internal tooling ecosystems
Work on high-impact systems that improve engineering velocity at scale
Modern cloud-native stack and automation-first engineering culture
Collaborative, platform-focused engineering organization
Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits
Flexible work environment
Strong career growth in platform engineering and technical leadership
Mission-driven organization focused on expanding access to education
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.