Senior Manager, SWE Backend

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: Management Technical 715

Pay Range: $170,400.00 - $281,200.00

Job Description

The Senior Manager, Software Engineer role leads engineers on product development and integration teams. They will provide vision, training, technical standards, and direction to engineers who are required to know multiple languages for front-end, back-end, qa and cloud engineering responsibilities. They will work closely with leadership to strengthen a culture of collaboration and innovation within highly effective teams. They will contribute to cross-functional teams as a lead engineer mentoring or pairing with team members in technical and development tasks.

 

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
Supervises engineering team members, providing training, technical standards, and direction.
Collaborates with leadership, designers, developers, and subject matter experts to establish the technical vision and analyze trade-offs between usability and performance needs, determining platforms, components, software applications, technologies, and security measures.
Interfaces with product, project, and program offices as well as external teams in the definition and execution of development projects; maintains collaborative relationships with all appropriate stakeholders.
Works with internal and external customers to elicit technical requirements. Negotiates dependencies and maintains productive working relationships.
Ensures optimized performance for high utilization, 24x7 access, accessibility (ADA), responsiveness, and scalability.
Ensures student data is always handled securely and in compliance with applicable laws.
Develops and directs software system testing procedures, programming, and documentation.
Continuously improves team’s development approach, maximizing team’s ability to balance quick execution with security and stability.
Clearly communicates constraints, conflicts, requirements, compatibility issues, and items which could affect project outcome, final performance level, or product efficacy. Offers appropriate alternatives and contingency plans.
Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:
Provide technical and architectural leadership and successfully coach an engineering team.
Develop and direct software system testing procedures, programming, and documentation; demonstrated commitment to efficient, secure, scalable, and maintainable code and engineering practices.
Demonstrated ability to understand business needs and execute on a business strategy.
Research, design, and develop computer software systems, applying principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis.
Manage multiple tasks and responsibilities in rapid, deadline-driven environments; excelling at pinpointing and resolving problems in early project stages to avoid cost/time expenses.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical team members, external stakeholders, and management.
Maintain effective working relationships with team members and stakeholders.
Self-starter with bias for action while maintaining stable, secure user experiences.
Ability to ramp up quickly on new technologies.
Exhibit strong attention to detail.
Exhibit excellent judgment.

Competencies:
Organizational Impact:
Develops plan to accomplish division or job area responsibilities that align with department.
Performance may affect department results.
Work requires some knowledge of the University to recognize impact of decisions made.
Compiles data to prepare budgets.
Problem Solving and Decision Making:
Responsible for making improvements of processes or systems to enhance performance of the job area.
Accountable for coordinating activities and maintaining relationships with internal (and occasionally external) parties.
Assignments received and problems faced are broad and undefined, and require use of analytical concepts, investigation, and knowledge from prior experience.
Communication and Influence:
Communicates within job area and occasionally with external groups and external facing professionals (i.e. Admissions)
Communicates frequently with external groups on routine and more complex matters.
Ensures compliance with University policies and procedures within job area and may influence others outside of job area to justify and gain cooperation for policies, practices, and procedures.
Leadership and Talent Management:
Manages a team of professionals. Manages the work of assigned employees and/or supervisors who generally exercise some latitude and independence in their assignments.
Ensures proper training of team members, and actively participates in hiring, firing, and promotion decisions. Conducts performance reviews and recommends salary reviews.
Primarily achieves goals through leading a team.

Job Qualifications:
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in computer sciences, information technology, or related field OR equivalent and relevant work experience.
10+ years of experience and a proven track record in developing web-based applications and web services using Java, REST, XML, and other web technologies, including experience interfacing with databases, and integrating third party products with existing infrastructure.
2 years of experience leading teams of software engineering professionals.

Preferred Qualifications:
5 years of experience leading teams of software engineering professionals.
Master’s degree in computer science, information technology, or related field.

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

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 recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.