Manager, Software Engineer

The Center for Applied Learning Science (CALS) at WGU Labs develops habit-forming learning applications leading to educational attainment and life-long success. We learn how to help people learn. Leveraging advances in cognitive and behavioral sciences and emerging technology, the Center fosters innovation from idea through incubation, continuously improving student learning at WGU and beyond. 

Responsibilities

The Manager role leads engineers on CALS’ fast-paced new product development and integration teams. They will provide vision, training, technical standards, and direction to full-stack, QA, and cloud engineers. They will work closely with CALS leadership and WGU IT to strengthen a culture of collaboration and innovation within highly-effective agile 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 tradeoffs between usability and performance needs, determining platforms, components, software applications, technologies, and security measures.

• Interfaces with CALS, WGU IT, and 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 between CALS and internal and external partners and maintains productive working relationships.

• Develops web services using REST, JSON, HTTP, and other web technologies using Java.

• Develops the web application user interface utilizing JavaScript/TypeScript and Angular.

• Integrates products with existing WGU IT infrastructure.

• Optimizes 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.

• Fulfills other duties as assigned.

Required Skills

• 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 and a feeling of pride and ownership over the quality of CALS products

• Exhibit excellent judgment.

Required Experience

Basic Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer sciences, information technology, or related field

• 5 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

• Please provide samples or a link to your portfolio with your resume

Preferred Qualifications:

• 2 year of experience leading teams of software engineering professionals

• Master’s degree in computer science, information technology, or related field