Staff Software Engineer (Salesforce)
Western Governors UniversityAbout the role
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:
Job Description
Location: Phoenix, Arizona or Salt Lake City, Utah
As a Staff Software Engineer (Salesforce), you’ll lead the evolution of WGU’s Salesforce ecosystem, shaping systems that power our student experience, enrollment processes, and operational excellence. This is a high-impact role where your technical leadership will directly improve the lives of thousands of students.
What You'll Do
Lead engineering teams to deliver high-quality Salesforce solutions on time and within budget
Serve as a trusted technical expert across multiple Salesforce domains, guiding 12+ engineers and collaborating with architects, product, and project managers
Enhance and evolve WGU’s Student Self-Service Enrollment platform, a mission-critical system supporting student access and enrollment
Design resilient, secure, and scalable Salesforce solutions that integrate with WGU’s cloud ecosystem (AWS, Mulesoft, Informatica)
Implement modern engineering practices to improve performance, reliability, and maintainability
Partner with cross-functional teams to build cohesive, future-ready systems
Mentor engineers through coaching, technical reviews, and thought leadership
What You'll Bring
10+ years in software development, including 5+ years of hands-on Salesforce engineering experience across multiple clouds and managed packages
Expertise in Apex, Java, REST APIs, SOQL/SQL, Spring Boot, and integration tools like Mulesoft or Informatica (IICS)
Experience designing for scalability, reliability, and performance in cloud environments (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
Proven ability to mentor engineers and lead through influence
Strong communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for varied audiences
Understanding of Salesforce governor limits, development lifecycle, and best practices for CI/CD, testing, and security
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience)
Bonus Points if You Have
Experience with Salesforce architecture or contact-center integration (CTI, SIP/VoIP, IVRs)
Salesforce certifications (Platform Developer I/II, JavaScript Developer I)
Familiarity with higher education or SaaS-based platforms at scale
Experience in lieu of education
Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 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, practical problem-solving, and authentic collaboration.
We thoughtfully review every application and invite forward the candidates whose experience and potential best align with the role and our mission. If selected, you’ll hear from a recruiter or hiring manager who will guide you through the process and help you know
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