Sr. Staff Software Engineer- Eng

Why UKG:

At UKG, the work you do matters. The code you ship, the decisions you make, and the care you show a customer all add up to real impact. Today, tens of millions of workers start and end their days with our workforce operating platform. Helping people get paid, grow in their careers, and shape the future of their industries. That's what we do.

We never stop learning. We never stop challenging the norm. We push for better, and we celebrate the wins along the way. Here, you'll get flexibility that's real, benefits you can count on, and a team that succeeds together. Because at UKG, your work matters-and so do you.

About this role -
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.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & System Ownership

• 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.

Payroll Processing & Domain Expertise

• 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.

Architecture Collaboration (Below Architect)

• 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.

Hands-On Engineering Excellence

• 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.

AI & Intelligent Capabilities Enablement

• 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

Mentorship & Cross-Team Influence

• 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.

Basic Qualifications

• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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.

Company Overview:

UKG is the Workforce Operating Platform that puts workforce understanding to work. With the world's largest collection of workforce insights, and people-first AI, our ability to reveal unseen ways to build trust, amplify productivity, and empower talent, is unmatched. It's this expertise that equips our customers with the intelligence to solve any challenge in any industry - because great organizations know their workforce is their competitive edge. Learn more at ukg.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer

UKG is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, disability, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories. View The EEO Know Your Rights poster UKG participates in E-Verify. View the E-Verify posters here.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Disability Accommodation in the Application and Interview Process

For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email

The pay range for this position is $145,600 to $209,300. The actual base pay offered may vary depending on skills, experience, job-related knowledge and work location. In addition to base pay, employees may be eligible to participate in a performance-based bonus plan and to receive restricted stock unit awards as part of total compensation. Learn more about UKG's benefits and rewards at ;/strong>