Lead Software Engineer - Engineering Practices

Why Wellmark: We are a mutual insurance company owned by our policy holders across Iowa and South Dakota, and we’ve built our reputation on over 80 years’ worth of trust. We are not motivated by profits. We are motivated by the well-being of our friends, family, and neighbors–our members. If you’re passionate about joining an organization working hard to put its members first, to provide best-in-class service, and one that is committed to sustainability and innovation, consider applying today!

Why Wellmark Technology: Wellmark is building innovative, modern solutions using cutting edge technology. We are driving organizational transformation and business strategy by empowering our technology team to innovate new and elegant solutions to enhance the customer experience. Together, we are leaning into the future, owning the outcome, and driving organizational change to transform how we work. 

As a Lead Software Engineer, you will be a key member of the Engineering Practices team and play an instrumental role in transforming and modernizing how Wellmark engineers develop software by creating repeatable processes and setting engineering standards. You will share knowledge on best practices and drive technological advancements. You will focus on the support of designing and optimizing cloud-native solutions, IaC, CI/CD, DevOps Practices, and Microservices Architecture are all a part of the ecosystem you will be working to modernize and influence. You will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining our internal developer portal. You will serve as a technical resource for engineering staff.  

Preferred:  

• Strong knowledge of cloud platforms – AWS, Azure. 
• Strong experience with Backstage or similar developer portal frameworks. 
• Expertise in IaC, Git, JavaScript, Python and unit testing frameworks such as Jest and PyTest. 
• Experience with Test Driven Development. 
• Experience coaching engineering teams on best practices, including using AI coding assistants. 
• Proficiency in Agile methodologies. 

Required: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, MIS, or related field of study and at least 5 years of development experience (ex. Angular, NodeJS, TypeScript, C++, .NET, Java, SQL) OR 9 years of related and applicable experience. 
• Strong analytical problem-solving skills. Accuracy and high attention to detail. Previous experience troubleshooting and developing creative technical solutions. Ability to provide innovative solutions to complex issues. 
• Demonstrated experience in software development lifecycle methodologies. 
• Demonstrated ability to communicate with and coach/mentor team members, while setting an example in maintaining a positive attitude, staying calm under pressure, being approachable, and respectful and taking responsibility for failures. 
• Big picture thinker with the ability to translate the value of the Wellmark as a Service (WaaS) strategy to company strategy when making design and development decisions. 
• Demonstrated, strong ability to gather information, perform necessary research needed for root cause analysis, problem definition and formulation, recommend solution implementation, verification, and ongoing optimization, using data to support recommendations. 
• Demonstrated ability to build relationships to reach outcomes that gain the support and acceptance of all parties. Ability to communicate key information in a timely manner to the appropriate stakeholder audience with the ability to adjust communication style that will best suit the audience. 
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced environment with changing priorities. Excellent organizational skills. Strong time management skills with the ability to set and meet established timeframes with little direction, while assuring data and information integrity. 
• Eagerness to learn and stay current on industry trends and have a continuous learning mindset.  
• Ability to collaborate and work as a team to accomplish goals and/or solve problems. Ability to earn trust and respect from peers, leadership, and stakeholders. Ability to learn by actively listening and applying coaching feedback. 
• Ability to lead, support and work within a diverse development team model including global staffing, crowd sourcing, etc. 

a. Lead system development and engineering for highly complex programs. Coordinate the preparation, coding, testing, and debugging of complex programs; including the analysis and development of workflows that utilize emerging technology and meet and exceed Wellmark’s evolving business needs. 

b. Serve as subject matter expert in the implementation of innovative and cost-effective business solutions for multiple applications and systems utilizing information technology, business, and industry trends. 

c. Provide leadership, training, and guidance to others on the team in the gathering of information, necessary research needed for root cause analysis, problem definition and formulation, solution implementation, verification, and ongoing optimization. Ensure analysis of defects to find root cause and guide others in the identification of potential improvement opportunities. 

d. Mentor, guide and problem-solve with other technology areas in the development and implementation of solutions, including how to use new or enhanced software/applications. 

e. Coordinate with company resources to accomplish integration of products and processes and complex solutions. Provide timely and accurate results, and exceptional customer service. 

f. Utilize established relationships with Wellmark leaders and acts as a primary consultant on business status, issues, process improvements and technology enhancements or capabilities. 

g. Participate in project proposals, estimates and proof-of-concept activities as needed. 

h. Maintain awareness of industry’s best practices and standards and proactively participates in industry/knowledge reference groups relative to role. Provide direction for enterprise standards. Conduct code reviews and monitor standard adherence. 

i. Other duties as assigned. 

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Remote Eligible: You will have the flexibility to work where you are most productive. This position is eligible to work fully remote. Depending on your location, you may still have the option to come into a Wellmark office if you wish to. Your leader may ask you to come into the office occasionally for specific meetings or other ‘moments that matter’ as well.  

An Equal Opportunity Employer

The policy of Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is to recruit, hire, train and promote individuals in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.

Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation due to a disability at any stage of the employment application process should contact us at [email protected]

Please inform us if you meet the definition of a "Covered DoD official".

At this time, Wellmark is not considering applicants for this position that require any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc. For additional information around work authorization needs please refer to the following resources:Nonimmigrant Workers and Green Card for Employment-Based Immigrants