Software Engineer III - Underwriting

Northwestern Mutual • Franklin, WI

6d • $108,160 - $162,240 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Software Engineer III with a strong full stack development experience. The ideal candidate is proficient in modern front-end technologies (JavaScript, React, TypeScript) and has hands on back-end experience using Java. This role will contribute to designing, building, and operating scalable web applications and microservices, working across the stack and with cloud and database technologies.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 6+ years of professional software engineering experience, with significant full stack responsibilities.
• Strong proficiency in JavaScript, TypeScript, and React (hooks, state management, component architecture).
• Solid back-end development experience in Java (preferably with Spring Boot or similar frameworks) and Node.js
• Experience building and consuming RESTful APIs; familiarity with GraphQL.
• Practical experience with cloud platforms and services (AWS, Azure, or GCP) deploying and operating services.
• Experience with relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL) and good to have knowledge of one NoSQL database (e.g., MongoDB, DynamoDB).
• Proficient with version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing practices.
• Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and performance tuning skills.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively in cross functional teams.
• Proactive problem solver who can balance short-term delivery with long term maintainability.
• Strong ownership and accountability for deliverables; comfortable making tradeoffs with limited information.
• Collaborative mindset with a willingness to review others’ code and provide actionable feedback.
• Commitment to building inclusive and diverse team culture.
• Utilizes both business acumen and technology expertise to translate business requirements/capabilities into technical solutions, and applies technical knowledge of a product/platform/application to align it with a particular line of business (LOB) based on the organization's technology needs and business goals.
• Utilizes knowledge of leveraging CI/CD tools to automate the build and deployment of applications.
• Creates and maintains applications, frameworks, and other software components via designing, programming, testing, and bug fixing; writes and maintains source code for all processes in the software development life cycle and facilitates the automation and orchestration of disparate systems. Leverage TDD (Test Driven Development) and BDD (Behavior Driven Development) methodologies to ensure unit, integration, and end-to-end testing with appropriate level of coverage is met.
• Conducts in-depth analysis of technology needs, issues, and roadblocks within assigned scope, applies experience and expertise to apply best practices, explore the “art of possible”, and deliver blueprints for the most effective and efficient solutions. Detects and removes existing and potential errors in software code or a system that can cause it to behave unexpectedly or operate incorrectly. Leverages common software tools/debuggers and logical thinking for root causing issue.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with serverless architectures and cloud native patterns.
• Knowledge of front end testing frameworks (Jest, React Testing Library) and end to end testing (Cypress, Playwright).
• Experience with observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/EFK stack).
• Background in event driven architectures, messaging systems (Kafka, MQ), or streaming.
• Prior experience mentoring or leading small engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, test, and maintain Full-Stack features and services across web and backend systems.
• Build responsive, accessible user interfaces using React, TypeScript, and modern front-end practices.
• Develop and maintain back-end services and APIs (Java, REST), including microservices architecture and server-side business logic.
• Collaborate with product managers, designers, QA, and other engineers to define requirements and deliver high quality solutions.
• Ensure code quality through unit/integration testing, code reviews, and continuous integration.
• Deploy, operate, and troubleshoot applications in cloud environments (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Optimize application performance, scalability, and reliability; proactively identify technical debt and propose improvements.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to team best practices, architecture discussions, and design reviews.
• Maintain and evolve data models and database access patterns for SQL and NoSQL systems; ensure data integrity and performance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees