Staff 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 411Pay Range: $161,000.00 - $249,500.00Job DescriptionAt Western Governors University, we are scaling our engineering organization by investing deeply in internal platforms, developer tooling, and software delivery systems that accelerate how teams build, test, and deploy software. We’re seeking a Staff Software Engineer to lead the design and evolution of these systems and help define the future of developer experience across the organization.This is a senior technical leadership role focused on backend systems and internal platforms. You will architect and drive the development of core developer infrastructure—including CI/CD systems, internal APIs, service frameworks, automation tooling, and developer-facing platforms that improve productivity and reliability at scale.You will operate across teams and domains, influencing architecture, engineering standards, and platform strategy while remaining hands-on in designing and building critical systems.What You’ll DoLead the architecture and development of internal developer platforms, tooling, and backend servicesDefine technical strategy for developer experience (DevEx), including CI/CD, build systems, and deployment automationDesign and implement scalable backend services and APIs using Java and PythonEstablish engineering standards and patterns for internal tooling, service development, and platform integrationsPartner with DevOps and platform teams to evolve infrastructure automation and cloud-native delivery systemsDrive improvements in observability, monitoring, logging, and system diagnostics across engineering platformsBuild and enhance self-service tooling for service provisioning, environments, and deploymentsCollaborate with engineering leadership to identify systemic bottlenecks in software delivery and resolve them through platform solutionsLead cross-team initiatives that improve engineering velocity, reliability, and operational efficiencyMentor senior and mid-level engineers, providing architectural guidance and technical leadershipInfluence long-term platform roadmap and contribute to organizational engineering strategyParticipate in design reviews, technical governance, and large-scale system planningRequired Qualifications10+ years of professional software engineering experienceDeep expertise in backend development with Java and/or PythonProven experience building internal platforms, developer tooling, or large-scale infrastructure systemsStrong background in distributed systems, microservices, and API designExperience designing and scaling CI/CD systems and software delivery pipelinesStrong understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)Experience with Docker and Kubernetes in production environmentsExperience building and operating high-reliability backend servicesFamiliarity with frontend integration using Angular and TypeScript for internal toolsExperience with relational and NoSQL databasesStrong systems thinking and ability to operate across multiple technical domainsProven ability to influence without authority across engineering organizationsExcellent communication skills and technical leadership capabilitiesPreferred QualificationsExperience in Staff or Principal-level roles in platform engineering or DevEx organizationsExperience building developer portals, internal PaaS systems, or self-service infrastructureStrong experience with event-driven architectures and message queuesExperience with API gateways, GraphQL, or service mesh technologiesDeep knowledge of observability platforms and SRE practicesExperience with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform or similar)Experience improving large-scale monorepos or multi-team engineering environmentsBackground in release engineering or build system optimizationPassion for improving developer productivity at organizational scaleWhat Success Looks LikeEngineering teams across the organization ship faster with reduced frictionCI/CD and release systems are reliable, scalable, and largely self-serviceDeveloper experience improvements measurably increase engineering productivityInternal platforms reduce operational burden and eliminate repetitive engineering workObservability and system insight are standardized across servicesStrong alignment between platform engineering and product engineering teamsArchitectural consistency and engineering standards improve across the organizationStaff engineer leadership raises the technical bar across multiple teamsWhy Join Us?Opportunity to define and scale internal developer platforms at enterprise levelHigh-impact role shaping how hundreds of engineers build and ship softwareModern cloud-native architecture with strong investment in platform engineeringCollaborative, engineering-led culture with autonomy and technical ownershipCompetitive compensation and comprehensive benefitsFlexible work environmentSignificant influence over technical direction and engineering strategyMission-driven organization expanding access to education through technologyPosition & Application DetailsFull-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 InformationDisclaimer: 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 View email address on click.appcast.io Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.SummaryLocation: Salt Lake City, UTType: Full time