Software Engineer Job Description Template

Software engineer sitting at her desk, explaining something to her colleague with expressive hands.

There is a high demand for software engineers with the skills and experience to build and maintain software. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 25% increase in software engineering jobs by 2032, much faster than the average job growth rate. Skilled software engineers have their pick of places to work, so using your software engineer job description to show why they should choose your role is essential.

You can edit this job description template to attract top talent. Read Monster’s software engineer job listings to see how your competitors are hiring for the role.

Software engineer sitting at her desk, explaining something to her colleague with expressive hands.

Software Engineer Job Description

[Intro Paragraph] Start your software engineer job description with a two to three sentence description of the role and most important responsibilities so candidates can determine whether they are interested in the work and have the necessary skills.

About Our Workplace: Now show why your company is a great place to work. For example, you could describe the company culture, mission, values, and commitment to professional development.

Software Engineer Roles and Responsibilities: Use this section of your software engineer job description to share the day-to-day responsibilities. Be comprehensive so candidates can decide whether they are excited about the work and have the right skills.

  • Develops information systems by designing, developing, and installing software solutions.
  • Determines operational feasibility by evaluating analysis, problem definition, requirements, solution development, and proposed solutions.
  • Develops software solutions by studying information needs, conferring with users, and studying systems flow, data usage, and work processes.
  • Investigates problem areas.
  • Follows the software development lifecycle.
  • Documents and demonstrates solutions by developing documentation, flowcharts, layouts, diagrams, charts, code comments and clear code.
  • Prepares and installs solutions by determining and designing system specifications, standards, and programming.
  • Improves operations by conducting systems analysis and recommending changes in policies and procedures.
  • Obtains and licenses software by obtaining required information from vendors, recommending purchases, and testing and approving products.
  • Protects operations by keeping information confidential.
  • Provides information by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing development and service issues.
  • Accomplishes engineering and organization mission by completing related results as needed.

[Work Hours & Benefits] Use this section of your software engineer job description to discuss the work hours and benefits like a 401(k) with matching, paid time off, paid parental leave, health insurance, and dental insurance. Also be sure to share compelling perks like remote work, a flexible schedule, tuition reimbursement, bonuses, and stock options. Next, share the salary range for the role so candidates can determine if they want to apply.

Software Engineer Qualifications and Skills: Use these sections of your software engineer job description to list the preferred and required qualifications and skills. For example, you could include:

  • Analyzing information
  • General programming skills
  • Software design
  • Software debugging
  • Software documentation
  • Software testing
  • Problem solving
  • Teamwork
  • Software development fundamentals
  • Software development process
  • Software requirements

Education, Experience, and Licensing Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, or related technical discipline
  • 5+ years of professional software development experience
  • Proficiency in Java or C++, and object-oriented design skills
  • Application architecture and design patterns
  • Experience serving as technical lead throughout the full software development lifecycle, from conception, architecture definition, detailed design, scoping, planning, implementation, testing to documentation, delivery and maintenance is preferred
  • Knowledge of professional software engineering and best practices for the full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations
  • Experience in development of distributed/scalable systems and high-volume transaction applications

[Call to Action] You’ve got a candidate’s interest. Now how do you get their application? Include a compelling call to action right here that encourages job hunters to apply and tells them how.

Find Top Software Engineer Candidates Today

The best software engineers know they’re in demand and have plenty of options, which is why you need to craft an effective and targeted software engineer job description to attract top candidates. Once you’ve perfected your pitch, put it to work with Monster by posting your job ad.