Staff Software Engineer (Front end focus)

WGU; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 161,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

WGU is hiring a Staff Software Engineer focused on front-end development to shape user experience, technical direction, and engineering excellence across our platform. You will combine hands-on development with leadership, driving modern UI architecture and scalable solutions.

You will partner with engineers, product leaders, and stakeholders to solve complex challenges and deliver exceptional experiences for students, faculty, and staff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS/IT or related field.
• 10 years of software development experience.
• Experience building web-based applications and services using Java, REST, SQL, and GIT.
• Expert-level experience with Angular 9+ and frontend best practices.
• Strong understanding of UI architecture, component-based design, responsive development, and performance optimization.
• Experience implementing regression testing strategies and automation.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and evolve modern frontend applications using Angular and related technologies.
• Act as a technical expert across multiple engineering teams, influencing architecture and standards.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate business needs into scalable, maintainable solutions.
• Drive frontend quality through robust regression testing strategies and automation.
• Identify technical risks and architectural challenges early, offering effective solutions.
• Mentor engineers through guidance, design reviews, and knowledge sharing.
• Champion operational excellence, performance optimization, accessibility, reliability, and security across frontend platforms.

Skills

Angular

Frontend development

UI architecture

Mentoring engineers

Cross-team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field

Tools

Java

REST

SQL

GIT

AWS

Job description

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 411

Pay Range: $161,000.00 - $249,500.00

Job Description

As a Staff Software Engineer focused on front-end development, you will play a critical role in shaping the user experience, technical direction, and engineering excellence of our platform. This role combines hands‑on development with technical leadership, driving modern UI architecture, scalable solutions, and engineering best practices across multiple teams. You will partner with engineers, architects, product leaders, and stakeholders to solve complex technical challenges and deliver exceptional experiences for students, faculty, and staff.

What You'll Do

Work with a team to design, develop, and evolve modern front-end applications using Angular and related technologies.

Serve as a technical expert and trusted advisor across multiple engineering teams, influencing architecture, standards, and engineering practices.

Partner with cross‑functional teams to translate business and user needs into scalable, maintainable, and high‑performing solutions.

Drive front‑end quality through robust regression testing strategies, automation, and continuous improvement of testing practices.

Identify technical risks, systemic issues, and architectural challenges early, providing effective solutions and recommendations.

Mentor engineers through technical guidance, design reviews, problem‑solving, and knowledge sharing.

Champion operational excellence, performance optimization, accessibility, reliability, and security across front‑end platforms.

What You'll Bring

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.

10 years of experience in software development, including experience pioneering new approaches and technologies in engineering.

Experience developing web‑based applications and web services using technologies such as Java, REST, SQL, GIT, and related tools.

Expert‑level experience building modern user interfaces with Angular 9+ and front‑end development best practices.

Strong understanding of UI architecture, component‑based design, responsive development, and application performance optimization.

Experience developing and executing regression testing strategies that balance software quality, speed, and efficiency.

Deep understanding of software engineering principles including planning, coding, testing, security, algorithms, design patterns, fault tolerance, and system scalability.

Experience working with cloud‑based platforms and designing solutions for scale, reliability, and cost efficiency.

Strong communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders, mentor engineers, and present technical solutions effectively.

Ability to identify, assess, and mitigate technical risks while driving consensus across teams.

Bonus Points

Master's Degree or PhD in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.

Experience with Spring, Spring Boot, AWS Services, and enterprise‑scale cloud applications.

Experience with Salesforce development lifecycle practices and Salesforce governor limits.

Experience with enterprise contact center technologies, telephony platforms, CTI, SIP/VoIP, IVRs, and related solutions.

Experience in Lieu of Education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this role may substitute for education requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as one year of experience for one year of education and is at the discretion of the hiring manager.

What to Expect

At WGU, our mission drives everything we do, including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work through meaningful conversations and collabo