City of Philadelphia

Principal Software Engineer

City of Philadelphia$115K — $123K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent practical experience welcomed.
  • Minimum 3 years in a technical role; web/software development experience is a plus.
  • Experience providing technical support across various applications preferred.
  • Familiarity with large governmental or non-profit agencies is beneficial, especially knowledge of the City of Philadelphia.

Responsibilities

  • Configure and extend FAST/GenTax functionality using FAST tools and C#.
  • Design, build, and maintain APIs and integrations connecting Revenue IT systems with other City applications.
  • Optimize SQL for reporting and data management in SQL Server/Oracle/PostgreSQL environments.
  • Participate in agile ceremonies and collaborate with product/business partners to define work scope.
  • Review code and write unit/integration tests, ensuring features maintain high quality post-launch.
  • Support production systems by troubleshooting incidents and implementing necessary fixes.
  • Document technical designs, decisions, and processes for future reference.

Benefits

  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer.
  • Tuition discount for City employees and their dependents through partnerships with local colleges.
  • Comprehensive health coverage for employees and eligible dependents.
  • Wellness program with reduced medical plan rates.
  • Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
  • Generous retirement savings options available.
Full Job Description
Job Description

Essential Functions
  • Configure and extend FAST/GenTax functionality for City-specific use cases using FAST tools and C#.
  • Design, build, and maintain services, integrations, and APIs that connect Revenue IT systems with other City applications and data sources.
  • Write and optimize SQL for reporting, data migration, and application features across SQL Server/Oracle/PostgreSQL environments.
  • Participating in agile ceremonies; scope work with product and business partners; turn evolving requirements into robust technical solutions.
  • Review code, write unit/integration tests ("if it isn't tested, it doesn't ship"), and monitor features after launch to ensure quality and performance.
  • Support production systems-triaging incidents, debugging complex issues, and implementing fixes and follow-ups.
  • Document designs, decisions, and runbooks for maintainability and knowledge sharing.
  • Uphold City standards and policies-especially around data security and compliance applicable to Revenue systems.


Qualifications
  • Completion of a bachelor's degree program at an accredited college or university with major course work in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent practical experience, - boot camps / alternative pathways are welcomed; we care more about what you can do than where you learned how to do it.
  • Minimum 3 years of experience in a technical role
    • Experience in Web or software development, or design a plus
    • Experience providing technical support to a wide variety of applications a plus

Experience working in a large governmental, or non-profit agency is a plus; in particular, knowledge of the City of Philadelphia.

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

What You'll Bring (Minimum Qualifications)
  • Experience developing in a .NET environment (C#), building production web applications and services.
  • Proficiency with relational databases and SQL (e.g., Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL).
  • Strong communication skills-you can explain technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively; strong ownership and follow-through.
  • Comfort navigating incomplete requirements-asking the right questions to clarify needs and deliver solutions.
  • Solid source-control habits and modern development workflows.

Preferred
  • Experience with FAST/GenTax configuration in government revenue/tax domains.
  • API design and integration experience; familiarity with eventing, messaging, or ETL patterns.
  • Background writing clear technical documentation and conducting thoughtful code reviews.
  • Strong debugging methodology and comfort tracing complex, multi-system issues.


Additional Information

Salary Range: $115,000-$123,687

Salary cannot exceed $123,687

All applications must include a cover letter. Applications without a cover letter will be considered incomplete.

Did you know?
• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer : 25% tuition discount program for City employees (and sometimes spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with area colleges and universities
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire
Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

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