Application Engineer

Job Details

Employment Type: Full Time

Institution Type: Four-Year Institution

Posting Number: STA00768PO26

Job Family: Information Technology

Job Function: Systems Programming

USC Market Title: Systems Programmer

Link to USC Market Title: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/titles/133355

Job Level: P2 - Professional

Business Title (Internal Title): Application Engineer

Campus: Columbia

Work County: Richland

College/Division: Division of Information Technology

Department: IT Enterprise Applications

State Pay Range: T06

USC Market Range: MRJ - $78,441 $98,051 $117,662

Anticipated Hiring Range: $78,441 - Salary is commensurate with experience

Location of Vacancy: Columbia, SC (on-site)

Part/Full Time: Full Time

Hours per Week: 37.5

Work Schedule:

• Standard working schedule: Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm, with 1 hour for lunch.
• Must be willing to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of the Division of IT.

Basis: 12 months

Job Search Category: Information Technology

About University of South Carolina

From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.

Advertised Job Summary

The University of South Carolina is searching for a talented Application Engineer to help design, support, and evolve the systems that keep our institution running. If you’re passionate about building reliable, scalable, and integrated application environments—and want your work to make a real impact across a major university—this is the role for you.

As an Application Engineer, you’ll play a critical role in maintaining, designing, and integrating the University’s enterprise application infrastructure. You will help ensure the stability, performance, and scalability of applications that support daily operations across diverse environments and platforms. You’ll collaborate closely with IT teams, business stakeholders, and external vendors to deliver secure, reliable, and efficient technology solutions—all aligned with USC’s strategic goals. Your work will directly enhance the digital experience of students, faculty, and staff across the university system.

What You’ll Do

• Maintain and support enterprise applications and middleware across multiple environments.
• Design and implement solutions that enable seamless system integration (internal + external).
• Optimize performance, reliability, and scalability of application infrastructure.
• Troubleshoot application, integration, and infrastructure issues.
• Work with developers, engineers, and vendors to ensure secure, compliant deployments.
• Contribute to application monitoring, observability, and automation efforts.
• Support cloud adoption and modernization initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a job-related field.
• 2+ years of experience in application support, integration, or related IT work.
• Equivalent combinations of education, certifications, and experience will be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s (or Master’s) in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
• 5+ years in application infrastructure, integration, or software engineering.
• Certifications such as:
  • AWS Solutions Architect
  • Azure Administrator
  • Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
  • ITIL Foundations

What You Bring

• Experience administering and supporting ERP and enterprise systems (e.g., Banner, PeopleSoft, Oracle Identity Manager).
• Familiarity with middleware platforms (Tomcat, WebLogic) and operating systems (Linux, Windows).
• Strong knowledge of enterprise application architecture, integrations, and infrastructure.
• Experience in programming/scripting: Python, PowerShell, Bash, Java, PHP.
• Understanding of integration technologies:
  • RESTful APIs, SOAP
  • Kafka, RabbitMQ
  • ETL tools
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS strongly preferred).
• Knowledge of IAM technologies: Active Directory, LDAP, SAML, OAuth, SSO.
• Background using monitoring/observability tools.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills—with the ability to work across diverse technical teams.

Why Join USC?

At the University of South Carolina, you’ll be part of a collaborative team committed to supporting world-class education, research, and service. This role offers the opportunity to shape how applications serve our university community and directly impact the student, faculty, and staff experience.

Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience

Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 2 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
• 5 years experience in application infrastructure, integration, or software engineering.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Administrator, Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), or ITIL) are preferred.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Experience in the administration and support of ERP systems (e.g., Banner, PeopleSoft, Oracle Identity Manager), middleware platforms (e.g., Tomcat, WebLogic), and enterprise infrastructure and operating systems (e.g., Linux, Windows).
• Strong knowledge of enterprise application architecture, system integration, and infrastructure design.
• Experience in multiple programming and scripting languages, such as Python, PowerShell, Bash, Java, and PHP.
• Strong understanding of application integration technologies, including RESTful APIs, SOAP, message queues (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ), and ETL tools.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS.
• Familiarity with identity and access management (IAM) systems, including Active Directory, LDAP, SAML, OAuth, and Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions.
• Experience with application monitoring and observability tools.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across diverse technical teams.

Job Duties

Application Infrastructure

Design, develop, and implement enterprise-level application infrastructure and integration solutions to support critical university systems. Manage and support applications and services operating on Linux and Windows Server platforms.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 20

Development and Integration

Design, develop, and implement enterprise-level application infrastructure and integration solutions to support critical university systems. Integrate third-party and cloud-based applications with internal systems, ensuring secure and reliable data exchange. Support the full application development lifecycle, including requirements gathering, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 25

Application Administration

Responsible for administering and maintaining enterprise applications to ensure optimal performance and reliability. Monitors system health, troubleshoots issues, and implements proactive improvements. Completes service requests and resolves incidents promptly while adhering to established change management processes. Collaborates with infrastructure, security, and operations teams to ensure stable, efficient, and secure application performance.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 25

Collaboration

Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements to enhance system performance and reliability. Provide technical expertise and mentorship to peers and junior engineers as needed.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 10

Communication

Facilitate clear and effective written and verbal communication among leadership, internal teams, and vendors to ensure transparency, alignment, and collaboration across all stakeholders.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 10

Documentation

Develop and maintain documentation, architecture diagrams, and standard operating process and procedures.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 10

Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive: No

Hazardous weather category: Non-Essential

Number of Vacancies: 1

Job Open Date: 10/14/2026

Job Close Date: 11/28/2026

Open Until Filled: No

Special Instructions to Applicant

Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.

We are only accepting applications submitted by November 28, 2026.

The University of South Carolina offers a valuable benefits package including but not limited to:

• Health and Life Insurance
• Retirement Programs
• Paid Tuition
• Dependent Scholarships
• Annual Leave
• Sick Leave
• 13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Professional Development Opportunities

Click here to learn more about why you should work at USC.

Quicklink for Posting: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/214265

Working at University of South Carolina

With more than 200 years of history and tradition, the University of South Carolina is redefining itself for decades to come. There's never been a better time to be at South Carolina, the state's flagship university and one of only 62 public universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation's highest designation for research.

The University is located in the heart of South Carolina in the capital city of Columbia, which is the nexus of government, a thriving arts and culture center, a venue for big-time Southeastern Conference intercollegiate athletics, and a community that is reinventing itself with redevelopment projects citywide. Much of the development is tied to land along the scenic, slow-moving Congaree River. Working with government, business, and community leaders, Carolina has developed a unified plan that will allow the University to expand from its origins on the historic Horseshoe to its future-Innovista, a research and innovation district that will stretch to the banks of the Congaree.

Innovista represents a new vision for research by creating a vibrant, urban community where students and researchers, including those from private firms, will live, work, learn, and play. Innovista will represent the University's four core research areas-hydrogen fuel cells, nanoscience and technology, biomedical and public health, and the environment-but will include other initiatives and business partners that serve the knowledge economy. Innovista's first private tenant, for example, is a leader in software applications for the insurance industry and will create several hundred high-paying jobs.

By attracting similar companies and jobs-and by capitalizing on an attractive location for restaurants and residential and retail space-Innovista will help drive the economy and increase per-capita income in the city and state. Recreational space will include a world-class waterfront park along the Congaree River and a new stadium for the Gamecocks' nationally ranked baseball program. Greenway paths for biking, walking, and running already line much of the river area. Innovista's 8 million square feet will blend seamlessly with the Vista, the city's nearby entertainment district of restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries.

Chartered in 1801, Carolina began classes in 1805 with nine students and a single building, Rutledge College. As the campus grew and buildings were added during the next 50 years, a horseshoe layout was adopted. Today, the Horseshoe is on the National Register of Historic Places, with 10 of its 11 buildings dating to the 19th century. Those renovated buildings house, among other areas, the South Carolina Honors College and Undergraduate Admissions, representing much of the University's current and future lifeblood.

In fact, incoming freshman classes have never been larger or more competitive. The freshmen from fall 2006 set records for their size (more than 3,700) and SAT scores (1171 average). Freshmen enrolling in the Honors College had average SAT scores of 1398. Members of the University's prestigious scholarship programs, Carolina Scholars for in-state students and McNair Scholars for out-of-state students, had average scores of 1449 and 1477, respectively. Total enrollment at Carolina for undergraduates and graduates is more than 27,300, with some 350 degree programs to choose from. Since 1994, Carolina students have earned more than $9.9 million in prestigious national scholarships such as the Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, and NSF scholarships and the Fulbright Fellowships.

South Carolina's student body is diverse. In fact, Carolina was recently recognized as the state flagship university with the highest percentage of African-American student enrollment in the nation. Research by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows African-American students made up 14.7 percent of enrollment in 2004, the latest year available. The JBHE also ranks Carolina eighth in the nation in percentage of African-American faculty at a state flagship university with 4.3 percent.

The University's faculty garnered a record $173.3 million in federal, state, and private funding for research, outreach, and training programs in 2005-06, and several key hiring plans will introduce more talent and expertise to the faculty ranks. An aggressive campus building master plan and the faculty recruiting initiatives will change the collective face of the University and the faces of many of its key teachers and researchers.

South Carolina is recruiting world-class faculty to be endowed chairs-and change agents-for a series of "research centers of economic excellence" in areas such as nanoelectronics, polymer nanocomposites, brain imaging, regenerative medicine, cancer therapeutics, drug discovery, vision research, hydrogen fuel cells, and travel and tourism technology. These centers, some in collaboration with other state research universities and health and hospital systems, are funded with $30 million annually in state lottery money, as well as private matching money. Carolina is in the midst of a faculty recruitment plan to hire 600 new members. The Faculty Excellence Initiative is recruiting 150 faculty, many in interdisciplinary clusters of emphasis, while the Centenary Plan will recruit 100 elite research faculty to lead the University's core initiatives. Additionally, 350 faculty will be hired across disciplines to replace retirees over the next few years.

The University has forged a number of international collaborations in research, and the University's global connections are also strong in academics, particularly in international business. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Moore School of Business best in the nation for its undergraduate and graduate programs in international business; the undergraduate program is No. 1 for the 10th consecutive time, while the graduate program is No. 1 among public universities for the 18th consecutive year and No. 2 overall, continuing a streak of 18 years with a top-two overall ranking.