Staff Software Engineer

At Wilson Elser, we are redefining what it means to work at a national law firm. With more than 1,400 attorneys across 46 offices nationwide, we are recognized among the top 100 law firms by The American Lawyer and ranked #36 in the National Law Journal’s survey of the nation’s largest law firms.

Our continued success is built on a culture of collaboration, innovation, client service, and mutual respect. We are committed to fostering an environment where employees are empowered to grow their careers, contribute meaningfully, and thrive professionally.

The Position

Our Staff Software Engineer will lead the design, development, delivery, and operational support of modern full stack applications and cloud-native platforms as part of the firm’s ongoing digital transformation initiative. This role combines strong technical leadership with people management and operational excellence, requiring deep expertise in full stack software engineering, cloud architecture, DevOps, and secure software delivery practices. This role is the owner of our in-house software product architecture in partnership with the product team. 

The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background in Microsoft Azure, modern software development frameworks, and operational processes, along with the ability to lead high-performing engineering teams in a fast-paced, project-driven environment. This individual will collaborate closely with data engineers, DevOps engineers, cybersecurity architects, infrastructure architects, business analysts, project managers, and firm leadership to deliver scalable, secure, and innovative technology solutions that support the firm’s strategic goals. 

This role will drive innovation, mentor engineering talent, establish engineering best practices, and help create new opportunities for teams to leverage cutting-edge technologies while ensuring enterprise systems remain secure, reliable, and highly available. 

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior technical leader and subject matter expert for full stack application development and cloud-native engineering initiatives.
• Lead architectural design and technical strategy for scalable, secure, and maintainable enterprise applications and integrations.
• Establish and promote engineering standards, design patterns, and development best practices across teams.
• Guide teams through technical decision-making, architecture reviews, code reviews, and solution design sessions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, frameworks, and tools to improve engineering capabilities and accelerate delivery.
• Design, develop, test, and maintain modern full stack web applications, APIs, and enterprise integrations.
• Build responsive and intuitive front-end applications using modern frameworks and UI technologies.
• Develop scalable back-end services, APIs, microservices, and event-driven integrations.
• Lead modernization efforts for legacy platforms and support cloud migration initiatives.
• Optimize application performance, scalability, reliability, maintainability, and operational resilience.
• Drive cloud engineering best practices utilizing Microsoft Azure and modern cloud-native technologies.
• Design and implement CI/CD pipelines, deployment automation, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) solutions using Terraform, Bicep, and related technologies.
• Partner with DevOps and infrastructure teams to improve automation, deployment reliability, monitoring, and operational maturity.
• Support platform engineering initiatives focused on scalability, resiliency, and developer productivity.
• Contribute to containerization and orchestration initiatives using Docker and Kubernetes.
• Champion secure coding practices and contribute to a robust Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC).
• Lead shift-left security initiatives, including static code analysis, dependency scanning, vulnerability remediation, and code quality enforcement.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity teams to identify and mitigate application and infrastructure risks.
• Promote automated testing, observability, and quality engineering practices throughout the software delivery lifecycle.
• Mentor and coach software engineers across the organization on architecture, coding standards, DevOps practices, and cloud technologies.  
• Collaborate with product managers, business analysts, project managers, and technical teams to translate business requirements into technical solutions.  
• Communicate complex technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.  
• Partner with leadership to align technical initiatives with strategic business goals and modernization efforts.
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and engineering excellence.  

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in full stack software development. 
• 2+ years of experience leading technical initiatives, or software delivery efforts.
• Strong experience with front-end technologies such as:  
  • JavaScript / TypeScript  
  • TML5 / CSS3 
  • React, Angular, or Vue.js  

• Strong experience with back-end development using technologies such as: 
  • Node.js, .NET, Java, or Python  
  • RESTful APIs and microservices  

• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases such as SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cosmos DB. 
• Deep knowledge of Microsoft Azure cloud services, architecture patterns, and cloud security principles.
• Extensive experience with Azure DevOps, including Repos, Pipelines, Test Plans, and Artifacts.
• Experience with Git-based source control and CI/CD tools. 
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum development environments.
• Ability to analyze, review, and adapt code with a security and risk-focused mindset.
• Strong analytical, architectural, troubleshooting, and communication skills.
• Experience developing and supporting enterprise-scale applications within large organizations. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and container orchestration technologies.
• Experience with DevOps, DevSecOps, platform engineering, and cloud-native operational practices.
• Familiarity with automated testing frameworks and test-driven development (TDD).
• Experience with observability, monitoring, logging, and performance management platforms.
• Experience with Atlassian products such as Jira, Jira Service Management, and Confluence.
• Experience with shift-left security tools such as Snyk and code quality platforms such as SonarQube.
• Microsoft Azure certifications or other relevant cloud certifications.
• Experience leading enterprise modernization or digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience with chaos engineering a plus 

Education

• Bachelor of science degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Engineering, or relevant field (or equivalent experience).

Why Should You Apply? 

• Benefits: Outstanding benefits package, including 401k match and generous PTO plan
• Career Growth: Ample opportunities for professional development and advancement
• Employee Perks: Access to corporate discount plans and other benefits

Wilson Elser welcomes submissions of candidates for our open positions exclusively from recruitment agencies with an active, signed fee agreement who have been granted access to a position through our dedicated Recruitment Agency Portal. We are unable to consider submissions from recruitment agencies without a current (dated as of 7/1/2024) agreement in place. We appreciate your understanding. For collaboration inquiries or to establish an agreement, please contact us at talentacquisition@wilsonelser.com.

Wilson Elser is committed to a collegial work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.  It is the Firm's policy that employment will be based on merit, qualifications, and competence. Further, employment decisions will be made without regard to an applicants race, color, age, sex, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, physical or mental disability, status as a victim of domestic violence, sex offenses, or stalking, past or present service in the uniformed services or application or obligation to serve in the uniformed services, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

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