Software Engineer Lead

Posted: 24-Mar-26

Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan

Categories: Staff/Administrative

Internal Number: 275191

A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In the cover letter, in two pages or less, please let us know how this role aligns with your career aspirations and skill set. Submit both a cover letter and resume as one file (because of system limitations).

Product Discovery and Engineering Excellence

• Partner in rapid product discovery through user research, prototyping, and experimentation to validate solutions that are feasible, usable, and valuable
• Write production-quality code in Python/Django and JavaScript/React/Vue while owning critical platform components (authentication, APIs, data pipelines, LMS integrations, payment integrations)
• Lead the design and deployment of scalable solutions that achieve measurable outcomes for millions of learners
• Collaborate with product and engineering leadership to research, explore, and evaluate opportunities for leveraging artificial intelligence in internal- and learner-facing products
• Define and apply technical standards and architectural patterns that enable rapid experimentation and continuous delivery
• Troubleshoot complex production issues when they impact learner outcomes
• Support cross-functional squads with primary focus on learner-facing experiences and innovative learning technologies

Technical and Strategic Leadership

• Mentor other engineers, providing guidance for architecture, code design, troubleshooting, and other software engineering activities
• Actively participate in code reviews, emphasizing best practices for software engineering
• Lead with context by sharing strategic vision while enabling autonomous technical decisions where applicable
• Bridge technical and product perspectives across Michigan Online squads
• Communicate key technical decisions to CAI leadership and other stakeholders and partners
• Evaluate emerging technologies and prototype solutions that unlock new possibilities for learners
• Build strong relationships across CAI and university partners based on trust and shared commitment to outcomes

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, a related field or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• Minimum of 5 years of professional software engineering experience
• Enterprise development and production experience working with Python and the Django/Flask framework
• Production experience building and maintaining web applications at scale
• Strong technical leadership experience
• Experience mentoring technical personnel
• Full-stack development skills including:
  • Backend: REST APIs, microservices, database design
  • Frontend: Modern JavaScript frameworks (React, Vue.js, or Angular)
  • HTML5/CSS and responsive design principles
• Experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB)
• Production deployment experience using cloud platforms and containerization
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle and agile methodologies.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Attention to detail and commitment to code quality
• Ability to work well in a multicultural and collaborative environment

Candidates must have legal authorization to work in the United States.

The mode of work for this position is Hybrid with a minimum of 4 days in the office per week, Monday through Thursday, with an option of remote work on Fridays. On occasion, you may be required and must be available to work onsite on Fridays if necessitated by our center's policy and domain leadership or by your job requirements.

The salary for this position will be based upon the selected candidate's education and experience. Excellent benefits are available, for details, see http://benefits.umich.edu/

Salary Information

The general salary range for this position is $105,000 - $120,000. Candidates can expect to be paid a competitive and equitable salary. Factors used to determine salary include education level, experience, knowledge and skills for the position and salaries that are currently established within the unit. All candidates are encouraged to discuss salary questions to honor alignment and transparency throughout the recruiting process.