Senior Software Engineer - Salesforce

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, UT, United StatesFull-time$143,700–$222,700Posted Oct 28, 2026

About 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:

Grade: Technical 410

Pay Range: $143,700.00 - $222,700.00

Job Description

We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer - Salesforce to join the Student Lifecycle Services engineering team at WGU. You'll work on a large, complex Salesforce org that directly supports the student journey — from enrollment through graduation. This isn't a simple CRM. It's an enterprise platform with 300+ flows, 2000+ Apex classes, deep integrations with Banner (SIS), ServiceNow, Kafka, and other university systems, and serves thousands of internal users daily.

You'll build and maintain the automation, integrations, and platform capabilities that enable WGU to serve 150,000+ students. The work matters — every flow you build, every integration you design, every performance problem you solve has a direct line to whether a student enrolls on time, gets their financial aid processed, or connects with their mentor.

We use Copado for CI/CD, follow a trigger framework pattern, and deploy through a structured promotion pipeline. We value code that's readable, testable, and built with the next engineer in mind.

The Salesforce engineering team operates within WGU's broader Ed Tech Engineering organization. We work closely with Product, Marketing, Operations, Enrollment, and Student Services stakeholders. The team practices Agile (Scrum).

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring 5 days per week in Salt Lake City, designed to foster the collaboration and connection that fuel our best work.

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What You'll Do

Design systems that span multiple Salesforce capabilities and external systems — expertise in when and how to deploy Platform Events, CDC, async Apex, and integration callouts, and how these can work together as a coherent architecture

Make architectural decisions for the portfolio — not just your team's code, but how it fits with everything else

Lead technical design for complex cross-system features (Salesforce, Banner, ServiceNow, Kafka)

Solve the hardest platform problems — the ones that cross transaction boundaries, involve multiple async handoffs, or require understanding the full order of execution

Mentor SE I and SE II engineers through design guidance, architecture reviews, and pairing on complex problems

Drive technical direction for Salesforce development practices (async patterns, integration standards, testing strategy)

Own and reduce technical debt — identify what needs to change, build the case, and execute the plan

Partner with engineering leadership on platform strategy (migration plans, org health, governance limit forecasting)

Represent the technical perspective to non-technical stakeholders (Product, Operations, Academic leadership)

Design CI/CD improvements and release strategy for the portfolio

What You Bring

6+ years of software development experience, with at least 3 years on the Salesforce platform

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

Experience designing multi-system integrations (not just building them — designing the approach, error handling strategy, and data reconciliation pattern)

Mastery of async Apex patterns — you choose between Batch, Queueable, Platform Events, and CDC based on the problem, not habit

Deep understanding of Salesforce order of execution and how it impacts complex automation

Track record of solving problems that span multiple systems and nobody else could figure out

Experience mentoring engineers and elevating team capability

Ability to communicate technical architecture to both engineers and non-technical leadership

Experience with CI/CD pipeline design and management (Copado or equivalent)

Preferred:

Salesforce Platform Developer II certification

One or more Architect-level certifications (Integration Architect, Data Architect, Application Architect)

Experience with Copado at the pipeline/strategy level (not just as a user)

Experience with Kafka or event streaming platforms

Experience in higher education technology (SIS integration, FERPA-aware systems)

Experience with large-scale Salesforce orgs (complex sharing models, 100+ objects, 300+ automation components)

Experience migrating legacy automation (Process Builder/Workflow Rules → Flow/Apex)

What Success Looks Like (First 6 Months)

Leading the technical design for at least one cross-system feature

Identifying and driving resolution of a systemic platform issue (performance, reliability, or architectural)

Becoming the go-to person for hard problems that cross system boundaries

Establishing or improving at least one technical standard that the team adopts

Mentoring at least one engineer in a way that visibly accelerates their growth

Position & Application Details

Full-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 Information

Disclaimer: 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.

Responsibilities

  • Design Salesforce systems and integrations across Salesforce, Banner, ServiceNow, Kafka, and other platforms.
  • Lead technical design for complex cross-system features and make architectural decisions for the platform portfolio.
  • Solve complex Salesforce automation, asynchronous processing, and transaction-boundary problems.
  • Mentor engineers through design guidance, architecture reviews, and pairing.
  • Set technical direction for Salesforce development, integrations, testing, and CI/CD practices.
  • Identify and reduce technical debt and partner with engineering leadership on platform strategy.
  • Communicate technical architecture to engineering teams and non-technical stakeholders.

Qualifications

  • 6+ years of software development experience, including at least 3 years on the Salesforce platform.
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
  • Experience designing multi-system integrations, including error handling and data reconciliation.
  • Deep knowledge of asynchronous Apex patterns and Salesforce order of execution.
  • Experience mentoring engineers and communicating architecture to technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Experience designing and managing CI/CD pipelines, using Copado or an equivalent tool.
  • Preferred: Salesforce Platform Developer II or Architect-level certifications.
  • Preferred: Experience with Kafka, higher education technology, large-scale Salesforce orgs, or legacy automation migrations.

Benefits

  • Bonus eligibility
  • Medical, dental, vision, telehealth, and mental healthcare
  • Health savings and flexible spending accounts
  • Life and disability insurance, plus supplemental coverage options
  • Retirement savings plan and wellbeing program
  • Discounted WGU tuition
  • Flexible paid time off and flexible paid sick time
  • 11 paid holidays and up to 12 weeks of parental leave

Skills mentioned

System DesignDistributed SystemsEvent-Driven ArchitectureAPI IntegrationApache KafkaCI/CDIntegration TestingPerformance OptimizationBackend DevelopmentGit

About Western Governors University

Western Governors University (WGU) is a pioneering online university committed to providing accessible, affordable, and career-focused education for students worldwide. Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors, WGU is designed to meet the needs of modern learners, offering competency-based programs that empower students to advance their careers at their own pace. With over 300,000 graduates, WGU is recognized as a leader in online education, offering accredited bachelor's and master's degree programs in business, IT, teaching, and healthcare. Our innovative learning model focuses on real-world skills, personalized mentorship, and flexibility, making higher education achievable for working professionals and those balancing education with other life commitments. At WGU, we are transforming lives through education, bridging the skills gap, and creating pathways to opportunity in high-demand industries. Join a university where success is measured by your potential—not just your grades. 📚 Learn more about us: www.wgu.college 🌟 Ready to shape your future? Explore our programs today!

Higher Education51-200 employeesMaryland, Funkstown

H-1B sponsorship history

Historical employer filing data was found for Western Governors University. The employer record includes 91 historical certified applications. This is employer-level history, not a guarantee that this role currently offers sponsorship.