Senior Software Engineer

Hawaii Department of Human Service; Hawaii; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Hawaii Department of Human Service seeks a Senior Software Engineer to lead technical discovery, design and deliver modernized software, and guide strategic engineering decisions for Med-QUEST and related programs. You will balance complex policy needs with secure, scalable solutions, working across vendor teams and government stakeholders.

The role emphasizes enterprise-grade integrations, API development, and cloud‑based modernization, with a focus on compliance, cost control, and public

Qualifications

• Minimum five (5) years of professional software engineering experience, with two or more years in technical leadership.
• Experience with enterprise systems, integrations, or large-scale production environments.
• Experience modernizing legacy systems, API development, and modular architectures.
• Ability to navigate vendor relationships, procurement processes, or contract accountability in technology delivery.
• Proven ability to influence program direction through expert technical guidance.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical discovery to understand current system behavior and modernization path.
• Design, build, and maintain software, integrations, and components using modern engineering practices.
• Evaluate trade-offs across feasibility, risk, cost, compliance, and timelines.
• Collaborate with vendor teams and contractors, evaluate deliverables, and ensure cost, quality, security, and interoperability.
• Mentor engineers and build internal engineering capability within the organization.

Skills

Software engineering

Technical leadership

Systems thinking

Vendor management

API development

Cloud architecture

Security & compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

APIs

Cloud platforms

CI/CD

Containerization

Job description

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Med-QUEST, Hawaii's Medicaid program, provides healthcare coverage to just under 400,000 people in Hawaii's diverse community, including working families, children, older adults, and people with disabilities. New federal mandates introduced in 2025 through H.R. 1, including work requirements for expansion populations and a shift from annual to semi-annual eligibility redeterminations, create urgency and opportunity for Med-QUEST to modernize its technology, redesign service delivery, and stand-up new capabilities.

As the senior engineering expert in Med-QUEST's Customer Experience Office, the Senior Software Engineer serves as the definitive technical authority for the division's customer experience and digital service delivery programs and sets the engineering standards and technical direction the division depends on. This position advises the CX Transformation Officer and senior leaders, translating complex engineering realities into recommendations that shape strategy, prioritization, and procurement. The role requires a holistic, systems-level view of Med-QUEST's technology landscape and the ability to move fluidly across the stack, tracing how a change in legislation, eligibility policy, or system architecture ripples through integrations, data flows, and user-facing services. Projects are not standalone; each touches and depends on others, and the engineer must hold that full picture while diving deep to determine what is technically possible, what is sustainable, and how to make it work.

Day to day, the Senior Software Engineer leads technical discovery to understand how existing systems behave, where they fail, and how they should be modernized, and designs, builds, and maintains software, integrations, and system components using modern engineering practices when hands‑on delivery is the most effective path. The work moves between hands‑on engineering and higher‑level judgment: evaluating trade‑offs across feasibility, risk, cost, compliance, and timelines, scrutinizing vendor‑delivered systems against what was promised, and translating federal policy requirements into secure, workable technical direction.

Priorities include:

• Engineering system changes for H.R. 1 work requirement implementation
• Building and improving online renewal flows to reduce eligibility worker burden
• Maintaining the infrastructure behind Hawaii's nation‑leading ex parte renewal rates
• Modernizing complex legacy Medicaid systems into modular, modern architectures while maintaining 24/7 service

The Senior Software Engineer delivers work both directly and collaboratively with vendor teams and contractors, setting engineering standards, evaluating deliverables and change orders, and holding that work accountable for cost, quality, security, and interoperability, while building internal engineering capacity through mentoring staff and partners.

This is senior digital service delivery work navigating complex technical, policy, and operational systems, meeting time‑sensitive federal requirements, and ensuring compliance and effective service delivery.

This position's official title is "Customer Experience Transformation Fellow (Software Engineer)." This announcement refers to the role as Senior Software Engineer. The two refer to the same position.

LEGAL AUTHORIZATION TO WORK REQUIREMENT: The State of Hawaii requires all persons seeking employment with the government of the State shall be citizens, nationals, or permanent resident aliens of the United States, or eligibles under federal law for unrestricted employment in the United States.

EDUCATION: Graduation from an accredited four (4) year college or university with a bachelor’s degree or four years of equivalent experience.

EXPERIENCE: Minimum five (5) years of professional experience in software engineering, with demonstrated progression into work of increasing technical complexity, scope, and independence, and at least two (2) years leading engineering and technical direction in complex, regulated, or large‑scale settings. This experience should include:

• Enterprise systems, integrations, or large‑scale production environments
• Legacy modernization, API development, and/or cloud or modular architecture
• Navigating vendor relationships, procurement processes, or contract accountability in technology delivery
• Demonstrated ability to function as a top‑level technical contributor, performing the most advanced engineering work and providing expert guidance that shapes program direction and outcomes

DESIRED EXPERIENCE:

• Government, healthcare, or nonprofit technology environments serving large populations
• Federal/state policy, compliance, and procurement constraints
• Eligibility systems or benefits administration platforms
• Experience originating technical approaches in environments where precedent is limited
• Mentoring engineers or building engineering capacity within organizations

KNOWLEDGE:

• One or more core engineering disciplines combined with the breadth to operate effectively across the full technical stack
• Modern software engineering principles, practices, and architecture patterns across the full development lifecycle
• Systems integration, APIs, data flows, and distributed systems
• Legacy system environments and modernisation strategies
• CI/CD, automated testing, and infrastructure‑as‑code
• Human‑centered design principles and how engineering decisions affect service delivery outcomes
• Government service delivery contexts or large‑scale public‑facing systems
• Government procurement processes, vendor management, contract structures, and cost drivers in technology delivery
• Federal and state regulatory environments governing benefits administration and eligibility systems

DESIRED KNOWLEDGE: Knowledge of Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or other government benefits programs.

SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Proven ability to deliver outcomes in environments with complex processes, multiple stakeholders, or regulatory constraints
• Strong hands‑on technical proficiency paired with the judgment to know when the work requires engineering, analysis, influence, or strategic advisement
• Ability to scrutinize vendor deliverables, evaluate change orders, and navigate procurement dynamics to protect the state's interests and ensure public funds are spent effectively
• Demonstrated ability to work across organizational boundaries, bridging policy, operations, legal, and technology with diverse stakeholders including federal agencies and state leadership
• Strong communication skills, including comfort engaging with executives, frontline staff, technical teams, and federal counterparts
• Ability to analyze and communicate technical trade‑offs for both technical and non‑technical audiences
• Understanding of cost drivers, contract structures, and fiscal implications of technical decisions
• Ability to plan, evaluate, and adjust technical approaches in response to shifting program priorities, federal requirements, and resource constraints
• Strategic thinking; ability to hold a systems‑level view while managing detailed execution
• Empathy and user focus and deep commitment to improving outcomes for vulnerable populations
• Adaptability to thrive in ambiguous environments and adjusts approach based on evolving information, constraints, and priorities.

Other Information

This position is exempt from civil service and considered temporary in nature. Therefore, if you are appointed to the position, your employment is considered "at will" which means you may be discharged from your employment at the prerogative of your department head or designee at any time.

The appointment will have a specified not‑to‑exceed (NTE) date and is subject to the availability of funding and the operational needs of the department. Appointment duration, including any extension, is determined by the department and applicable State requirements.

Work Location

The primary work location for this position is identified in the job announcement. Any telework or alternative work arrangement is subject to departmental policy and approval and is not guaranteed as a condition of employment.

Eligibility for employee benefits depends on the type and duration of the appointment, work schedule, applicable benefit plans, and federal and State requirements. Employees appointed to exempt positions may be eligible for the State's applicable employee benefits, subject to the requirements of the applicable plans and policies, or may be subject to different benefit provisions.

The information above is intended to provide a general description of the position. Actual employment terms and benefit eligibility are governed by pertinent appointment documents, applicable State laws and rules, Department of Human Resources Development policies and procedures, benefit plan documents, and other applicable departmental requirements.