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Software Engineer Job Description Template

A software engineer job description template with brackets for your stack, team and on call setup. It focuses on the work and the level, not a laundry list of technologies.

Free to use. No account needed to copy the template.

Quick answer. A software engineer job description works when it describes what the person will build, with which technologies, in what kind of team, and at what level. The template below asks for each of those details and keeps the requirements to what a new hire needs on day one.

§01 Template

The software engineer job description, ready to edit.

Copy the text, then replace each highlighted bracket with your own details. Anything in brackets is something only you can know, such as pay, hours and team structure.

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Template

Software Engineer

About the role

[Company name] is hiring a Software Engineer to build and improve [product or system]. You will work in a team of [size] with [roles such as product managers and designers], and you will ship changes to production [how often]. You will report to [engineering manager title] and work [onsite, hybrid or remote, with time zone].

Responsibilities

  • Design, build, test and ship features in [primary language and framework].
  • Review teammates' code and respond to reviews on your own.
  • Write automated tests and keep the build healthy.
  • Diagnose and fix defects, including ones found in production.
  • Work with product and design to shape what gets built and how.
  • Improve performance, reliability and maintainability of [system or service].
  • Write short design notes and documentation for decisions that affect others.
  • Take part in the on call rotation: [describe frequency, or state none].

Requirements

  • [Number] or more years of professional software development.
  • Strong skills in [primary language], and comfort with [database or data store].
  • Experience with version control, code review and automated testing.
  • Experience working with [cloud platform or infrastructure], if relevant.
  • Clear communication in writing, including pull request descriptions and design notes.

Nice to have

  • Experience with [secondary language or framework].
  • Experience in [your product domain].
  • Contributions to open source or internal tooling.
  • Experience mentoring other engineers.

Pay, schedule and benefits

Location: [onsite, hybrid or remote]. Pay: [pay range, and equity if offered]. Benefits: [short summary]. Interview process: [number of steps and what each covers]. Equal opportunity statement: [use the wording your HR or legal advisor provides].

§02 Make it yours

Three decisions that make this posting specific to you.

List the stack you really use

Name the primary language, the data store and the cloud setup. A long list of tools you might adopt someday confuses candidates and screens out people who could learn them.

Define the level, not just the years

Years of experience is a weak proxy. Describe the scope: owns a feature, owns a service, or sets technical direction for a team.

Explain the interview process

Engineers screen postings for process as much as pay. A short paragraph on the steps and what each tests removes anxiety and filters for people who want your process.

§03 Levels

How the software engineer posting changes by level.

Adjust the template for the level you are hiring. These are common patterns, so match them to how your own team defines each level.

LevelCommon titlesWhat changes in the posting
JuniorSoftware Engineer I, Associate EngineerWorks on well defined tasks with review and guidance. Learning the codebase is part of the job.
MidSoftware Engineer IIOwns features end to end, reviews others' code and works with little supervision.
Senior and aboveSenior Engineer, Staff EngineerOwns larger systems, makes design decisions across teams, and raises the level of other engineers.

§04 Mistakes

Mistakes to cut from a software engineer posting.

A requirements list that is really a wish list

If a requirement is not needed in the first months, move it to nice to have. Long lists discourage qualified people from applying.

Asking for more experience than a technology has existed

It signals that no one who knows the field read the posting. Check each requirement with someone who works in the stack.

Leaving out on call and release practice

Engineers want to know about on call, deploy frequency and testing. If you expect on call duty, say how often and how it is compensated.

§05 Questions

Frequently asked questions.

Should a software engineer job description require a degree?

That is your decision, but many teams now judge on skills and experience. If you require a degree, check that it is truly needed, and say whether equivalent experience counts.

How many programming languages should I list?

List the primary language and, at most, one or two others the person will actually use. Candidates read a long list as a sign the team has not decided what it builds with.

What is the difference between a software engineer and a software developer?

The titles are often used interchangeably. Some companies use engineer for roles with design and systems responsibility. Pick the title your team uses internally and keep the posting consistent with it.

Should I include a salary range?

Candidates expect it, and some places have rules about posting pay. Check the rules where you hire and fill in the bracketed pay field in the template.

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