Senior Application Developer

Information Technology Services (ITS) at the University of Iowa is seeking an experienced software developer to design, develop, and support applications on our Identity and Access Management (IAM) team. As a Senior Application Developer, this role will serve as a productive individual contributor to our team while providing mentorship and technical guidance to peers. Our team develops APIs, event-driven data pipelines, and modern front-end web applications, all in support of account, security, and identity operations at the University of Iowa and University of Iowa Health Care.

About us:

• We’re a remote-first development shop, and we will be for the foreseeable future.

• We know IAM inside and out and deploy a best-in-class mix of our own software augmented with vended or open-source capabilities.

• We prioritize end-user experience above all. Security policy should be sharp, and ideally invisible, if we’ve done our jobs right.

• Our work isn’t always visible, but our services undergird all missions of the university.

• Our code impacts hundreds of thousands of individuals every day.

About you:

• You’re curious, collaborative, and collegial.

• You’ve owned the delivery of major projects from requirements capture through to shipping.

• You’ve built the cross-organization relationships required to get things done, irrespective of your positional authority.

   

• You know your way around modern tools like Claude or Codex, and exercise the discernment, judgement, and taste required to drive them responsibly.

• You’ve put in the work and can show us your successes.

In a typical week, responsibilities might include:

• Leading a high-visibility project to implement passkeys and other phishing-resistant credentials throughout our environment.

• Performing an AI-assisted security audit of our codebase, verifying and prioritizing fixes to stay ahead of adversaries; then operationalizing ongoing vulnerability detection.

• Mentoring a junior developer and contributing to their professional growth.

• Collaborating with our peers in the Health Care enterprise, providing technical advice and direction on account lifecycles in a mission-critical environment.

There is an expectation that the individual in this position will maintain effective, civil, and respectful working relationships with the University of Iowa campus community and uphold the University’s commitment to creating a welcoming and respectful environment for all.

The University of Iowa offers a generous benefits package, including 24 days paid vacation per year, paid sick leave, and a high-quality health plan with extensive coverage. Complete information regarding the full benefits package may be viewed at https://hr.uiowa.edu/benefits.

This position is not eligible for University sponsorship for employment authorization.

ITS values work-life balance and strives to provide flexible work options where possible. This position is eligible for on-site, hybrid, or remote work arrangements within the state of Iowa, and will require a work arrangement form to be completed upon the start of employment. Per policy, work arrangements will be reviewed annually, and must comply with the remote work program and related policies and employee travel policy when working at a remote location. Please note that you will be joining what is currently a 100%25 remote team.

For a detailed job description, please email Melanie Bell at melanie-bell@uiowa.edu.

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a field relevant to the position, or an equivalent combination of education and additional related experience.

• Extensive experience (typically 5 years or more) developing large web applications and providing technical direction on security efforts.

• Extensive knowledge of and experience with modern development languages such as C#, Java, Python, and/or JavaScript (C# preferred).

• Extensive knowledge of modern security issues and defensive programming techniques.

• Extensive knowledge of and experience with web-based frameworks, protocols, and tools.

• Extensive knowledge of and experience with RESTful web APIs.

• Extensive relational database experience (SQL).

• Knowledge of software development best practices (such as source control, issue tracking, prototyping, testing CI/CD, etc.)

• Excellent verbal and written communication, collaboration, and customer-relations skills.

• Ability to apply critical thinking, technical problem solving, and system analysis skills to a variety of domains.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Extensive experience developing in C# and .NET.

• Extensive experience working with modern credentials and authenticators (passkeys, mobile ID cards, user-issued certificates, and hardware authenticators such as YubiKeys).

• Extensive experience performing security analysis of mature codebases and prioritizing hardening efforts.

• Experience using AI-assisted development platforms (Claude or Codex preferred) to augment your own capabilities responsibly and effectively.

• Familiarity with modern UI/UX best practices.

• Demonstrated experience in mentoring colleagues on software development.

• Understanding of modern cryptography and its application to accounts and credentialing.

• Understanding of distributed systems, message queuing, and event-driven architectures.

• Experience contributing to a collaborative, communicative remote team.

• Demonstrated strong organizational and personal project management skills.

Application Details:

In order to be considered, applicants must upload the following materials and mark them as “Relevant File” to the submission:

• Resume

• Cover letter

Job openings are posted for a minimum of 7 calendar days and may be removed from posting and filled any time after the original posting period has ended. Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any conviction history and will be subject to a criminal background check and credential/education verification.  Up to 5 professional references will be requested at a later step in the recruitment process.

For questions or additional information, please contact melanie-bell@uiowa.edu.

Joining the University of Iowa means becoming a vital part of the Hawkeye community, where your work directly impacts education, research, and student success.

Enjoy exceptional health coverage, university-paid life insurance, robust retirement plans, and generous leave policies. Benefit from 24/7 support services, well-being resources, and access to UI Health Care specialists. Grow professionally with advanced training, leadership development, and tuition assistance.

Iowa City offers a great quality of life with world-class performances at Hancher Auditorium, Big Ten athletics, top-ranked public schools, and outdoor recreation.

Join us in making a difference at a leading Big Ten university and premier public research institution.