Western Governors University
Senior Django Engineer
🇺🇸 Salt Lake City, UT
🕑 Full-Time
💰 $140K - $217K
💻 Software Engineering
🗓️ September 17th, 2025
Docker
MySQL
OAuth
Edtech.com's Summary
Western Governors University is hiring a Senior Django Engineer. The role involves developing and maintaining enterprise-grade Django applications, improving application performance, and contributing to open-source projects like Open edX to enhance online education accessibility and functionality.
Highlights
- Develop extensible, enterprise-grade applications using Django.
- Document complex software architecture and communicate ideas clearly.
- Lead full-stack application development and scale backend systems.
- Experience with AWS, Docker, OAuth 2.0, SAML, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and pytest.
- Contribute to open-source projects, especially Open edX platform improvements.
- Bachelor's degree required; Master’s preferred in Computer Science or related field.
- Minimum 6 years of software development experience; 5+ years with Django.
- Strong skills with Git, npm, pipenv, and third-party API integrations.
- Salary range from $140,200 to $217,200 based on experience and qualifications.
- Eligible for comprehensive benefits including bonuses, healthcare, retirement plans, paid leave, and tuition discounts.
Senior Django Engineer Full Description
Senior Django Engineer
Salt Lake City Office
Full time
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 410Pay Range: $140,200.00 - $217,200.00
Grade: Technical 410Pay Range: $140,200.00 - $217,200.00
Job Description
At Western Governors University, our ambition is to be the world’s most student-centric university; everything we do begins and ends with our students, our alumni, and their families. The success and wellbeing of individuals is at our core. It’s why we exist. It’s why we are committed to changing higher education. This is what it looks like to create pathways of opportunity for everyone: one by one. Our innovative approach and passionate team drive us to deliver exceptional solutions in education. With a commitment to excellence and a culture of collaboration, we strive to be leaders in education technology.
About the Team and Project
This engineering team is focused on open-source software, particularly the Open edX software. Open edX is a learning management system, content management system, course authoring tool, and more which provides a platform to over 55 million learners across the world. Our team aims to improve the performance, and accessibility to this platform and its peripheral functions. We are looking for highly skilled engineers who are willing to contribute advanced innovation to online education.
Core Responsibilities
- Write code that is understandable and extensible for other organizations and engineers to implement and reuse.
- Provide documentation that breaks down complex architecture or software concepts.
- Present ideas and concepts with clear communication in a way that helps others learn.
Technical Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional experience in Django, including building enterprise-grade applications.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (Master’s preferred).
- Experience improving application performance across the backend models, databases, and migrations.
- Proven leadership in developing and scaling full-stack applications.
- Experience with modern infrastructure technologies, including AWS, Docker, and containerization.
- Expertise in authentication protocols like OAuth 2.0 and SAML, and experience in server-to-server integrations.
- Strong relational database experience with MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.
- Hands-on experience with test automation frameworks such as pytest.
Expertise
- Proficiency in Git/GitHub, npm, pipenv, and related development tools.
- Experience integrating third-party platforms and building custom API endpoints.
- Familiarity with open-source platforms like Open edX.
Basic Qualifications
- Strong communication skills and enthusiasm for engaging with a global community through pull requests, events, forums participation, and working groups.
- Produces clear, easy-to-follow documentation - in pull request descriptions, GitHub issues, official documentation, etc.
- Effectively solves business problems, with minimal oversight, from technical discovery to community consensus to development to merging - and ultimately, community adoption.
- Understands and makes well-reasoned design decisions, considering tradeoffs and priorities. Considers community need and solicits community input as part of the decision-making process.
- Can reflect on community interactions and adjust behavior to create a welcoming and inclusive environment.
- Provides mentorship within team and community.
- Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
- 6 years of experience in software development; pioneering new approaches and technologies in engineering
- Experience in web-based applications and web services using Python and Django and integrating third party products with existing infrastructure.
- 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 the discretion of the hiring manager.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's Degree or PhD in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
- Experience with IntellliJ/VS Code, JIRA, Git
- Experience with Agile/Scrum Project Development
- Experience with Java or a similar Object-oriented language
- Experience with IDM/OSSO, Hibernate/Seam, Banner
- Experience with Application Integration with legacy systems
- Experience with Cloud-Native Development, and/or Porting/Refactoring of On-Site to Cloud (preferably AWS)
- Experience with J2EE, Java EE, JavaScript, and SQL
- Technical Certifications
Job Description Disclaimer: This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require.
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.
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.
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