Software Engineer- Full-Stack Python and React

Job Description

The Staff Software Engineer is a position of technical expertise, influence, and leadership in the technology realm. The position will be required to apply their expert knowledge to ensure best practices and well‑engineered architecture across the department. They will also be a key stakeholder and initiator of major changes to processes, engineering practices, and system administration. This position will be required to work in a space of solving critical issues and initiatives across multiple teams.

It will require an extensive and deep understanding of cutting‑edge practices and innovative approaches to problems. Principal Software Engineers are also tasked with establishing and maintaining a positive and productive culture based on the WGU Leadership Principles.

• Acts as an expert in multiple areas of software engineering.
• Maintains accountability for the quality of services in multiple areas and teams for the success of the assigned project for on‑time, on‑budget, and on‑scope delivery.
• Contributes as a lead or consultant for their domain area or multiple teams. Is a ‘go‑to’ person in at least one sub‑discipline and competent and trusted in several other disciplines or application areas.
• Contributes formally and informally to the effectiveness of teams through formal and informal mentoring and direction during team meetings and problem‑solving.
• Contributes, often identifies systemic issues to be solved, and helps resolve them.
• Actively ensures that engineering has the skill sets they need to be successful with current and future technologies.
• Acts as a planning consultant for Portfolio when identifying technical risks and dependencies. Identifies problems far in advance, finds multiple solutions, and recommends the preferred solution to teams and to management.
• Speaks authoritatively and accurately with respect to questions related to their area of ownership or for the platform, as a whole.
• Actively improves operational excellence measured by the availability of the platform to students, faculty, and staff.
• 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.
• Understands implications of functional and non‑functional requirements on the system. Identifies deficiencies in requirements and works with product owners to provide alternatives.
• 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, 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 its subsystems to users and how the various subsystems interoperate 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 online higher education, including competitive landscape,…