Sr. Staff Software Engineer- Eng

UKG•Alpharetta, GA

About The Position

The Sr. Staff Software Engineer is a senior technical leadership role within UKG’s Payroll engineering organization. This position operates just below formal Architecture roles and serves as a key technical authority for the design, delivery, and evolution of payroll systems within our SaaS platform. In this role, you will lead complex technical initiatives, own critical payroll subsystems, and influence architectural direction in partnership with Architects. You will remain hands-on, solving the hardest technical problems while mentoring engineers and raising the technical bar across teams. This role combines deep technical expertise, strong domain knowledge in payroll processing, and the ability to lead through influence rather than people management.

Requirements

8+ years of professional software engineering experience.
Proven experience leading complex technical initiatives in large-scale SaaS or enterprise systems.
Strong hands-on expertise with .NET Core and modern backend architectures.
Experience with PostgreSQL, MySQL, and/or MongoDB, including data modeling and performance tuning.
Deep understanding of distributed systems, data consistency, and fault tolerance.
Ability to break down ambiguous problems into clear, executable technical designs.
Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and influence technical outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Experience with payroll, HCM, financial, or other highly regulated domains.
Familiarity with Angular or modern front-end integration patterns.
Experience integrating AI or analytics-driven capabilities into production systems.
Background in event-driven, batch, or hybrid payroll processing architectures.
Experience supporting multi-tenant SaaS platforms at scale.
Track record of modernizing legacy systems or leading significant refactors.

Responsibilities

Act as the technical owner for one or more core payroll subsystems or processing flows.
Lead design and implementation of complex, high-impact features and platform capabilities.
Drive technical decisions within your domain while aligning with broader architectural standards.
Partner closely with Architects to shape long-term technical direction and platform evolution.
Design and build high-volume payroll processing services with strict requirements for correctness, performance, and auditability.
Own complex payroll logic, edge cases, and regulatory-driven changes.
Ensure payroll calculations, data flows, and integrations are deterministic, traceable, and resilient.
Lead deep technical investigations into payroll discrepancies or production issues.
Translate architectural principles into concrete, production-ready implementations.
Provide practical feedback to Architects based on real-world constraints and operational learnings.
Identify architectural gaps or risks and propose viable improvements.
Ensure designs scale across tenants, geographies, and regulatory environments.
Remain deeply hands-on in code, contributing to critical paths and complex refactors.
Set standards for code quality, testing, performance, and observability.
Review designs and code for complex or high-risk changes.
Champion automation, resiliency patterns, and operational best practices.
Collaborate with AI and data teams to integrate intelligent features into payroll workflows.
Lead the technical implementation of AI-assisted validation, anomaly detection, and automation.
Ensure AI-enabled systems are explainable, observable, and safe for use in regulated payroll environments.
Bridge the gap between AI concepts and practical payroll system implementation
Mentor senior and mid-level engineers through design guidance and technical coaching.
Influence technical direction across multiple teams without direct authority.
Share knowledge through design reviews, documentation, and technical forums.
Serve as a go-to expert for payroll system behavior and failure modes.