Sponsored Programs Administration This position may be eligible for a hybrid or remote work arrangement dependent with unit operational needs. This position is not eligible for any type of sponsorship for work authorization. The University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University of Illinois system and was founded in 1867. The university serves the people of Illinois through a shared commitment to excellence in teaching, research, public engagement, economic development and health care. Faculty, staff and students share their knowledge, expertise and resources with residents in every corner of the state through public service and outreach programs. Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) is a service unit under the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, supporting the research enterprise throughout the entire lifecycle of an externally sponsored project, from proposal submission to award closeout. SPA consists of both a pre-award section, primarily responsible for proposal submission and award negotiation, and a post-award section, responsible for managing awards from account setup through closeout. The Sponsored Programs Administration Data and Systems team supports research administration systems, data management, including retrieval and analysis, cash management activities supporting the campuses and Systems offices, and training and outreach activities related to system use and support. Job Summary Reporting to the Senior Assistant Director of Data and Systems, the Software Engineer/Senior Software Engineer/Lead Software Engineer is responsible for development and maintenance of .NET based applications for Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) and will assist in requirements gathering and documentation for new development projects. These will consist of data-driven applications in support of SPA’s strategic initiatives, such as internal business process improvements, workflow tracking, electronic document management, sponsored program budget development, and data analytics dashboards. Most applications are hosted on the Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure platform. A significant aspect for most projects will be integration with existing systems and data sources, such as the University’s Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW), the grants and financial tables of the Banner ERP system, and the Kuali-based START myProposals and myResearch portals, as well as external systems such as the FDP Clearinghouse or SAM. Duties & Responsibilities Software Engineer Develop software according to requirements and specifications provided by end-users. Support existing applications by answering user questions, fixing bugs, refactoring, and iteratively enhancing available functionality. Utilize and follow established devops processes for source code control (Git), bug and feature request tracking, project documentation, project management, deployment, and testing. Respond to user requests for assistance in a timely and professional manner. Senior Software Engineer All Software Engineer responsibilities. Maintain and continuously improve established devops processes for source code control (Git), bug and feature request tracking, project documentation, project management, deployment, and testing. Assist with the administration of the Azure cloud infrastructure, including provisioning, deployment, backups, and patching — automating as many of the processes as possible. Lead Software Engineer Lead the technical design and development of software solutions aligned with organizational goals, translating complex business requirements into scalable, secure, and maintainable applications. Provide technical leadership for existing applications, including architectural guidance, major refactoring initiatives, code reviews, and resolution of complex or high-impact issues. Own and guide DevOps practices and technical standards, including CI/CD pipelines, deployment strategies, testing frameworks, documentation, and tooling; evaluate and incorporate automation and AI-assisted tools where appropriate. Lead administration of the Azure cloud infrastructure, including provisioning, deployment, backups, patching, and security-related maintenance, with an emphasis on automating processes wherever feasible. Serve as a primary technical point of contact for stakeholders, ensuring timely, professional communication and effective coordination across teams. Minimum Qualifications Software Engineer High school diploma or equivalent. Two (2) years of work experience in IT-related functions such as hardware/software support, programming, network design, network engineering, IT systems integration, or closely related field. College coursework which includes Information Technology (IT), IT Management, Programming, IT systems, or a closely related discipline may be substituted as follows: 30 semester hours equals one (1) year. Associate’s Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen (18) months. 90 semester hours equals two (2) years. Bachelor’s Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years). Demonstrated experience with application development using .NET technologies. Demonstrated experience with SQL Server, Oracle, and/or other relational database. Demonstrated experience with web user interface design and coding (HTML, CSS, JavaScript). Demonstrated experience with requirements gathering. Senior Software Engineer All Software Engineer minimum qualifications. Four (4) years of work experience in IT-related functions such as hardware/software support, programming, network design, network engineering, IT systems integration, or closely related field. College coursework which includes Information Technology (IT), IT Management, Programming, IT systems, or a closely related discipline may be substituted as follows: 30 semester hours equals one (1) year. Associate’s Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen (18) months. 90 semester hours equals two (2) years. Bachelor’s Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years). Lead Software Engineer All Software Engineer minimum qualifications. Six (6) years of work experience in IT-related functions such as hardware/software support, programming, network design, network engineering, IT systems integration, or closely related field. College coursework which includes Information Technology (IT), IT Management, Programming, IT systems, or a closely related discipline may be substituted as follows: 30 semester hours equals one (1) year. Associate’s Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen (18) months. 90 semester hours equals two (2) years. Bachelor’s Degree (120 semester hours) equals three (3) years). Preferred Qualifications Bachelor’s or advanced degree. Experience with containerized application development/deployment (Docker). Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Software Engineer Demonstrated expertise with SQL Server or MySQL database design/management; able to automate ETL tasks efficiently; analyze and optimize performance. Demonstrated ability to develop complex applications or sites, which integrate heavily with other systems (RESTful APIs for instance). Demonstrated understanding of best practices for the Web, including accessibility, usability standards, and standards compliance. Ability to work with people, both internal and external to the organization to accomplish IT project goals. Strong time management skills with the demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent maintenance and development tasks concurrently and