About the role

We are seeking a Staff Software Engineer to provide technical leadership for the design and delivery of a new, cloud-native platform. This engineer will work across teams to translate business capabilities and architectural direction into scalable, maintainable software while helping establish the engineering practices and technical foundations needed to support the platform long term.

The Staff Software Engineer will operate as a hands-on technical leader, partnering closely with Engineering, Product, Architecture, and external delivery partners. This role requires someone who can move comfortably between architecture and implementation, make pragmatic technical decisions, identify risks early, and help multiple engineering teams deliver effectively without sacrificing long-term system quality.

What you will do

• Serve as a hands-on technical leader for the design, development, and delivery of a cloud-native platform.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Architecture teams to turn business requirements into scalable technical solutions.
• Lead technical design discussions and guide architectural decisions across applications, APIs, integrations, data flows, security, reliability, and scalability.
• Develop production-quality software while remaining actively involved in implementation and code reviews.
• Establish and champion engineering best practices, including:
• Software design and architecture
• Code quality and review standards
• Automated testing
• CI/CD and deployment automation
• Observability and monitoring
• Reliability and production readiness
• Drive technical decision-making by evaluating tradeoffs and recommending practical, long-term solutions.
• Identify and mitigate technical, architectural, integration, and delivery risks early.
• Collaborate across multiple engineering teams to ensure consistency while supporting team autonomy.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, including design documents, architecture decision records, and implementation plans.
• Partner with engineering leadership to improve planning, dependency management, and delivery predictability.
• Mentor and coach engineers, helping grow technical capabilities across the organization.
• Support production operations and continuously improve platform performance, reliability, and supportability.

Who You Are

• A senior technical leader with deep software engineering expertise and a strong systems-thinking mindset.
• Experienced designing and building modern cloud-native applications and platforms.
• Equally comfortable discussing architecture, writing code, reviewing designs, and mentoring engineers.
• Skilled at translating ambiguous business problems into clear, executable technical solutions.
• Strong understanding of application architecture, APIs, integrations, data flows, scalability, security, and reliability.
• Experienced influencing technical direction across teams without relying on direct authority.
• Comfortable evaluating tradeoffs and making pragmatic decisions that balance speed, quality, and maintainability.
• Proven ability to identify risks early and drive resolution across complex technical environments.
• Strong collaborator who can communicate technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Passionate about engineering excellence, continuous improvement, and building sustainable solutions.
• Experienced working with distributed teams, including contractors and vendor partners.
• Dedicated to mentoring others and elevating the technical capabilities of the broader engineering organization.

What we offer you

Benefits and Perks

We don't take a "one-size-fits-all" approach when it comes to our employees. Our programs are designed to make your life better both at work and at home.

• Flexible full-time or hybrid telecommuting arrangements
• Plan for your future with our 401(k) plan and take advantage of immediate vesting and company matching up to 6%
• Paid time away including vacation and sick time, flex days and ten paid holidays
• Give back to your community and double your impact through our company matching
• Want more details? Check out our Symetra Benefits Overview

Compensation

Salary Range: $141,600 - $236,000 plus eligibility for annual bonus program

Please review Symetra's Remote Network Minimum Requirements:

As a remote-first organization committed to providing a positive experience for both employees and customers, Symetra has the following standards for employees' internet connection:

• Minimum Internet Speed: 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload, in alignment with the FCC's definition of "broadband."
• Internet Type: Fiber, Cable (e.g., Comcast, Spectrum), or DSL.
• Not Permissible: Satellite (e.g., Starlink), cellular broadband (hotspot or otherwise), any other wireless technology, or wired dial-up.

When applying to jobs at Symetra you'll be asked to test your internet speed and confirm that your internet connection meets or exceeds Symetra's standard as outlined above.

Identity Verification

Symetra is committed to fair and secure hiring practices. For all roles, candidates will be required (after the initial phone screen) to be on video for all interviews. Symetra will take affirmative steps at key points in the process to verify that a candidate is not seeking employment fraudulently, e.g. through use of a false identity.

• Failure to comply with verification procedures may result in:
• Disqualification from the recruitment process
• Withdrawal of a job offer
• Termination of employment and other criminal and/or civil remedies, if fraud is discovered

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