Director, Software Engineer

Western Governors University; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 190,000 - 342,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

HSA/FSA

Retirement savings plan

Wellbeing program

Tuition discount

Flexible PTO

Parental leave

Job summary

Western Governors University seeks a Director of Software Engineering to provide technical leadership across multiple teams. You will drive product roadmaps, manage resources, and oversee agile delivery in a full-time, in-office role in Salt Lake City, UT.

Expect collaboration across business units and a focus on scalable, high-quality software solutions. The role requires strong leadership, deep technical knowledge of web services, and experience with Agile/Scrum practices, TDD, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 10 years related experience.
• 5 years leading a team, including at least 2 years at Senior Manager/Director level.

Responsibilities

• Manage activities of software developers to deliver high-quality solutions on time and within scope.
• Partner with internal customers to gather requirements and drive delivery.
• Lead full software development lifecycle from requirements to maintenance.
• Develop project plans and oversee scheduling and resource planning.
• Mentor software development teams and oversee design/code reviews.

Skills

Leadership

Agile methodologies

Project management

Communication

Vendor management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related field

Tools

REST

SOAP

SOA

XML

HTML

Job description

About the University

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: Executive Technical 716 Pay Range: $190,100.00 - $342,200.00

Job Description

The Director, Software Engineering provides technical leadership, vision, direction, and mentorship for multiple software engineering teams responsible for designing, developing, and supporting applications that meet business needs. This leader will drive product and feature roadmaps while providing overall leadership and day-to-day management for a team of software development professionals. The Director will also oversee resource planning, project scheduling, and software delivery using Agile/Scrum development methodologies.

Location: This is a full-time, in-office position requiring 5 days per week in Salt Lake City, UT. Designed to foster the collaboration and connection that fuel our best work.

What we are looking for

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Meets business needs by managing the activities of software developers and ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality solutions on time, within budget, and within scope.
• Partners with internal customers to gather and understand business processes and project requirements.
• Actively drives the full software development life cycle, including requirements analysis, feasibility estimates, design, coding, documentation, testing, implementation, and ongoing support.
• Develops project plans and oversees resource planning, scheduling, and development timelines.
• Builds and manages multidisciplinary software teams and oversees development processes using industry best practices.
• Leads design reviews and code reviews and provides ongoing mentorship to the software development team.
• Supports the change management process, including software releases, application patching, and changes to production configurations.
• Manages multiple priorities and responsibilities in high-pressure environments, with the ability to identify and resolve issues early in the project life cycle to minimize unnecessary cost and time.
• Provides oversight and management of department expenses and budget planning.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong people leadership and management skills, with the ability to effectively interact with staff, colleagues, cross-functional teams, and third parties.
• Ability to drive a culture of quality, ownership, and personal accountability across development and delivery teams.
• Demonstrated commitment to quality and the ability to translate complex technical requirements into functional software using industry best practices.
• Expert-level experience in vendor contract management and the management of distributed development teams and resources.
• Expertise in Agile methodologies, including Scrum and Test-Driven Development (TDD).
• Experience in application architecture, including making informed buy-versus-build and interface decisions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in both self-managed and team-based Agile/Scrum environments.
• Deep technical knowledge of web applications and web services, including REST, SOAP, SOA, XML, and HTML.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• 10 years of related experience.
• 5 years of experience leading a team, including at least 2 years at the Senior Manager or Director level.

Preferred Qualifications

• 12 to 15 years of related experience.
• 7 years of experience leading a team.

This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one or 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;

Benefits & Perks

• 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

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [e-mail].

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

In 1997, a coalition of 19 U.S. governors founded Western Governors University with a singular vision: to make higher education more accessible by offering full degree programs online. Starting small, we quickly expanded. Today, we’re one of the largest accredited online universities in the U.S.