Senior Software Engineer (AI-First, Full-Stack, AWS, Kubernetes)

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 410Pay Range: $140,200.00 - $217,200.00Job DescriptionRole OverviewWe are seeking a Senior Software Engineer who thrives in ambiguous problem spaces and excels at technical research, discovery, and analysis. This role requires strong end‑to‑end engineering skills across frontend and backend systems, along with hands‑on experience designing and delivering AI‑powered applications using Large Language Models (LLMs) deployed on AWS and Kubernetes.In this role, you will lead technical discovery efforts, explore emerging approaches, and translate loosely defined problems into scalable, production‑ready solutions. You will work closely with product, design, and engineering partners to shape user‑facing experiences and cloud‑native, containerized platform capabilities.This is a hands‑on senior individual contributor role with strong ownership of architecture, delivery, and mentoring.What You’ll DoTechnical Discovery & ResearchLead research and discovery for complex, ambiguous problem spaces through architectural spikes, prototypes, and proof‑of‑conceptsEvaluate new technologies, AWS services, Kubernetes patterns, and AI capabilitiesPerform build‑vs‑buy and managed‑service vs. self‑managed tradeoff analysesTranslate findings into clear architectural direction and implementation plansAI & Large Language ModelsDesign, implement, and evaluate AI‑powered features using Large Language ModelsApply prompt engineering, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), and agent‑based workflowsDesign AI systems that account for latency, cost, reliability, observability, and safetyDeploy AI services in containerized environments and integrate them with cloud‑native infrastructureStay current with applied AI/LLM advancements and production best practicesFull‑Stack EngineeringOwn features end‑to‑end, from frontend experiences to backend services and data layersBuild modern, responsive user interfaces using Angular, or similar frameworksDesign and implement scalable backend services and APIsEnsure solutions meet high standards for performance, reliability, security, and maintainabilityAWS, Kubernetes & Cloud‑Native ArchitectureDesign, deploy, and operate cloud‑native systems on AWS using KubernetesBuild and operate containerized workloads using Docker and Kubernetes (EKS or equivalent)Design Kubernetes deployments, services, ingress, autoscaling, and resource management strategiesImplement secure, highly available architectures using AWS and Kubernetes best practicesApply Infrastructure as Code using tools such as Terraform and HelmMonitor, troubleshoot, and optimize distributed systems using cloud and Kubernetes observability toolsDevOps & ReliabilityDesign and maintain CI/CD pipelines that build, test, and deploy containerized applicationsSupport zero‑downtime deployments and safe rollout strategies (e.g., blue/green, canary)Participate in on‑call rotations and incident response for production systemsDrive improvements in reliability, scalability, and developer experienceLeadership & CollaborationProvide technical leadership on projects and guide architectural decisionsMentor engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and hands‑on collaborationPartner with product managers and designers to align technical solutions with user needsCommunicate clearly about technical tradeoffs, risks, and system behaviorRequired QualificationsWhat We’re Looking For6+ years of professional software engineering experienceBachelor's Degree - equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirementsStrong proficiency in a modern backend language (e.g., Java, Kotlin, Python, or similar)Strong frontend experience with Angular, or equivalent frameworksSignificant experience building and operating production systems on AWSHands‑on experience deploying and managing applications on KubernetesProven ability to work in ambiguous problem spaces and drive clarity via research and experimentationExperience building or integrating AI‑powered features using Large Language ModelsKubernetes & Cloud‑Native ExperienceExperience with Kubernetes fundamentals: pods, deployments, services, ingress, and autoscalingExperience running production workloads on EKS or comparable Kubernetes platformsFamiliarity with container security, resource optimization, and operational best practicesExperience debugging and operating distributed systems in containerized environmentsAI & Discovery ExperienceExperience with prompt design, evaluation, and iterative experimentationFamiliarity with RAG architectures, tool‑using agents, or workflow orchestrationAbility to reason critically about AI behavior rather than treating models as black boxesPreferred QualificationsExperience building SaaS or platform products using AWS and KubernetesExperience with service meshes, event‑driven architectures, or workflow orchestrationExperience influencing technical strategy or platform architecturePrior experience mentoring engineers or leading cross‑team initiativesHow You’ll Be Successful In This RoleYou enjoy tackling poorly defined problems and discovering the right solutionYou balance experimentation with engineering rigorYou make thoughtful architectural decisions grounded in tradeoffs and dataYou care deeply about production reliability, maintainability, and user experienceYou are excited about applying AI and cloud‑native technologies responsibly and at scaleYou enjoy coaching and helping others mature in their rolesWhy Join UsWork on complex problems where discovery, AI, and cloud‑native architecture matterShape how AI systems are deployed and scaled on KubernetesCollaborate with experienced engineers and product leadersHave real influence over system architecture and technical directionContinue growing as a senior technologist while staying hands‑onJob Description Disclaimer: This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require.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.LI-JW1Position & Application DetailsFull-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 InformationDisclaimer: 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.