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Software Engineer Lead

How to Apply

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).

What You'll Do

As the Software Engineer Lead for the Product Engineering team, reporting to the Director of Product Engineering, you will provide both technical and product leadership for the Michigan Online platform serving millions of global learners. This is a hands-on role where you will guide architecture decisions, mentor developers, and write production code while ensuring engineering practices scale to meet ambitious growth goals. You will lead the design and delivery of learner-facing experiences such as cohort tools, LMS integrations, and innovative learning technologies, taking ownership of outcomes rather than just code delivery. Working across our squad-based organization, you will help transform our engineering culture from one that waits for requirements to one that actively engages in discovery, ensuring we build solutions that truly make a difference for Michigan Online learners.

Who We Are

About the Center for Academic Innovation

Through curricular innovation, tools for student success, and educational research and analytics, the University of Michigan Center for Academic Innovation is building the future of education. Our vision is a future in which education connects and empowers learners everywhere to reach their full potential throughout their lives. To realize our vision, we make it our mission to collaborate across campus and around the world to create equitable, lifelong educational opportunities for learners everywhere.

About the Michigan Online Product Engineering Team

The Michigan Online Product Engineering team is a newly formed, dynamic group of developers, designers, and product specialists at the heart of the Center for Academic Innovation. Our mission is to design, build, and scale the Michigan Online platform to serve 25 million learners worldwide. Organized into squads focused on the Learner Innovation, Platform, Data & Infrastructure, and Assurance, we are responsible for the entire product lifecycle. We are a collaborative, agile team dedicated to creating a world-class, data-driven, and personalized destination for online education.

For more information, please visit our website:Academic Innovation (https://ai.umich.edu/our-work/educational-technology/) .

Why Work at Michigan?

Excellent benefits are available, for details, seehttp://benefits.umich.edu/ (https://hr.umich.edu/benefits-wellness)

Responsibilities*

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)

+ 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

+ Own feasibility risk while actively contributing to value and viability discussions with product and design partners

+ Define technical standards and architectural patterns that enable rapid experimentation and continuous delivery

+ Debug complex production issues with urgency when they impact learner outcomes, implementing robust CI/CD pipelines for reliable releases

+ Support cross-functional squads with primary focus on learner-facing experiences and innovative learning technologies

Team Empowerment and Strategic Leadership

+ Supervise and coach developers from baseline competence to reaching their full potential, developing individuals from delivering resources to operating as discovery partners

+ Manage work loads and conduct performance reviews along with other supervisory responsibilities.

+ Foster a safe environment where developers take ownership of outcomes and feel empowered to challenge assumptions

+ Lead with context by sharing strategic vision while enabling autonomous technical decisions where applicable

+ Bridge technical and product perspectives across Platform, Data & Infrastructure, and Assurance squads

+ Champion the principle that developers contribute half their value in discovery, not just delivery

+ 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

Required Qualifications*

+ Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, a related field or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience

+ At least 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 project and team leadership experience

+ Experience mentoring technical personnel and leading development teams

+ 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. Experience with authentication/authorization protocols (SAML, OAuth2, OIDC) is a plus

+ 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

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about thework modes (https://hr.umich.edu/working-u-m/my-employment/ways-we-work-resource-center/ways-we-work-implementation-group/modes-work) .

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.

Must have legal authorization to work in the United States.

Additional Information

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 internal equity within the unit. All candidates are encouraged to discuss salary questions to honor alignment and transparency throughout the recruiting process.

Organizational Statement on Harassment

We believe all individuals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and have the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes mutual respect and a safe space for collaboration. Any concerns shared with all non-confidential U-M employees (staff and student employees) in the Center for Academic Innovation will be reported to the Equity, Civil Rights, & Title IX Office to be reviewed and addressed, and the Center for Academic Innovation encourages reporting of any forms of harassment including sexual and gender-based harassment.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

Decision Making Process

Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Job Detail

Job Opening ID

269654

Working Title

Software Engineer Lead

Job Title

Software Engineer Lead

Work Location

Ann Arbor Campus

Ann Arbor, MI

Modes of Work

Hybrid

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

FLSA Status

Exempt

Organizational Group

Vp Acad Innovation

Department

Center for Academic Innovation

Posting Begin/End Date

10/13/2025 - 11/12/2025

Salary

$105,000.00 - $120,000.00

Career Interest

Information Technology