Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a global research university known for its world-class, interdisciplinary programs in arts, business, computing, engineering, humanities, policy, and science. CMU's educational environment fosters problem solvers, in...

Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University

About the role:

We are seeking a Software Engineer to design, develop, and support mission-critical applications and data systems using Python and Microsoft SQL Server. Working closely with business stakeholders and technical teams, you'll build reliable, scalable, and user-focused solutions that support our organization's mission.

 

We're looking for a curious, growth-oriented engineer who takes ownership, solves complex problems, and continuously builds expertise in our systems and business. You balance independent initiative with collaboration, communicate effectively, and make thoughtful technical decisions with long-term impact in mind.

 

You approach software development with a user-centered, product-focused mindset and leverage modern AI-assisted development tools to improve engineering productivity, software quality, and user outcomes.

 

What You'll Do:

Software Development

* Design, develop, test, and maintain applications and services using Python.
* Build and support RESTful APIs; experience with FastAPI, OpenAPI/Swagger, or similar frameworks is preferred.
* Write clean, maintainable, and scalable code following established engineering best practices.
* Participate in code reviews and help maintain high standards for quality, consistency, and reliability.
* Improve application performance, automation, and development processes through continuous refinement and innovation.
* Leverage AI-assisted development tools responsibly to improve productivity, code quality, and user outcomes.

 

Database Engineering

* Design, develop, and maintain SQL Server databases, queries, stored procedures, functions, views, and jobs.
* Analyze and optimize database performance using indexing, query tuning, and execution plan analysis.
* Troubleshoot database issues and support production problem resolution.
* Monitor scheduled jobs, data processing workflows, and system integrations to ensure reliable operation.
* Collaborate with database administrators and infrastructure teams to maintain performance, availability, and data integrity.

 

Collaboration and Technical Leadership

* Partner with business stakeholders and technical teams to understand requirements, evaluate tradeoffs, and deliver effective solutions.
* Participate in architecture, design, engineering, and change management discussions.
* Create and maintain technical documentation, including system architecture, data flows, process diagrams, and operational procedures.
* Mentor junior engineers through technical guidance, code reviews, and knowledge sharing.
* Help establish and maintain Python development standards and engineering best practices.
* Take ownership of technical challenges while balancing user experience, business needs, reliability, security, and long-term maintainability.

 

Who You Are:

You enjoy solving challenging problems and building software that delivers meaningful value. You are comfortable working across the full software development lifecycle—from requirements and design through implementation, deployment, and production support.

You communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences, value collaboration, and take pride in delivering reliable, maintainable solutions.

 

Required Qualifications:

* Professional experience developing software with Python.
* Experience working with Microsoft SQL Server, including complex queries, stored procedures, functions, and performance optimization.
* Experience designing and consuming RESTful APIs.
* Strong understanding of software engineering principles, design patterns, testing practices, and source control.
* Ability to analyze complex technical and business problems and develop practical, scalable solutions.

 

How You Work:

* Curious and eager to learn new technologies, systems, and business domains.
* Builds institutional knowledge to better understand users, systems, and organizational goals.
* Takes ownership, works independently, and knows when to seek guidance.
* Communicates clearly and collaborates effectively across technical and business teams.
* Values documentation, maintainability, and long-term system health alongside feature delivery.

 

How You Think:

* Focuses on user needs and business outcomes when making technical decisions.
* Considers reliability, security, scalability, and maintainability as core engineering responsibilities.
* Embraces an AI-native approach to software engineering, using modern AI tools to accelerate learning, improve quality, and enhance productivity.
* Continuously looks for opportunities to improve products, processes, and team effectiveness.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

* Experience with FastAPI, OpenAPI/Swagger, or similar frameworks.
* Experience mentoring developers or providing technical leadership.
* Experience working in Agile environments.
* Experience with enterprise applications, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, or containerized deployments.

 

Why Join Us:

We're looking for engineers who take ownership, enjoy figuring things out, and are committed to building software that makes a meaningful impact. If you're excited by challenging technical problems, continuous learning, collaborative teamwork, and creating solutions that improve the experience of our users, we'd love to hear from you.

 

Who we are:

The SEI helps advance software engineering principles and practices and serves as a national resource in software engineering, computer security, and process improvement. The SEI works closely with defense and government organizations, industry, and academia to continually improve software-intensive systems. Its core purpose is to help organizations improve software engineering capabilities and develop or acquire the right software, defect-free, within budget and on time, every time.

 

The Development Team works collaboratively with IT, business leaders, and technical staff to create enterprise-level business solutions that help the organization maintain and evolve technologies, business processes, and architectures to deliver a cohesive, and integrated business platform that constantly improves our organizational performance.