Software Engineer Apprentice

Role Intent

The Software Engineer Apprentice role is designed for recent graduates (within the last 12 months) or individuals with equivalent early-career experience who are beginning their professional journey in software engineering. This position bridges academic learning and full professional practice, emphasizing applied skills, growing independence, and real contribution within an enterprise Agile environment.

This is a transitional, skill-acceleration role. Apprentices are expected to move beyond classroom-based understanding toward consistent, real-world application of technical and professional competencies.

Primary Function

The Software Engineer Apprentice contributes to the design, development, testing, and maintenance of business applications and enterprise systems while participating in a structured apprenticeship program that includes mentorship, progressive responsibility, and ongoing feedback. The role focuses on building confidence, consistency, and ownership in production software development.

Key Responsibilities

Application Development & Support

• Contribute to bug fixes, enhancements, and well-defined features using technologies such as Java, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, SQL, PHP, or equivalent
• Modify and extend existing codebases with increasing independence
• Apply coding standards and best practices with limited supervision
• Write and maintain clear technical documentation and in-code comments
• Participate actively in code reviews, both receiving and incorporating feedback

System Analysis & Agile Contribution

• Collaborate with Agile team members including Software Engineers, Product Owners, and Analysts
• Translate defined business requirements into technical tasks with guidance
• Participate fully in Agile ceremonies such as sprint planning, stand-ups, reviews, and retrospectives
• Apply secure coding practices and performance considerations in day-to-day work

Testing, Debugging & Quality Assurance

• Independently execute test cases and validate expected outcomes
• Debug known issue types and identify root causes within defined systems
• Assist with monitoring applications and identifying opportunities for improvement

Apprenticeship & Professional Development

• Follow a structured learning and development plan with defined milestones
• Participate in mentoring relationships and regular feedback sessions
• Demonstrate increasing ownership of work, time management, and task prioritization
• Continue expanding technical breadth and depth across enterprise systems

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Technical Knowledge

• Applies foundational software engineering knowledge in production environments
• Understands object-oriented principles, web technologies, and database concepts beyond an academic level
• Reads, modifies, and tests existing enterprise code safely and effectively

Problem Solving

• Independently diagnoses and resolves common software issues
• Breaks down moderately complex problems into actionable steps
• Evaluates alternative solutions and understands basic tradeoffs

Communication

• Communicates progress, risks, and blockers clearly to team members
• Explains technical changes and decisions during reviews and demos
• Collaborates effectively with cross-functional team members

Autonomy & Ownership

• Owns well-defined features or components from implementation through testing
• Manages assigned work with limited supervision
• Escalates issues appropriately while maintaining accountability

Learning & Growth

• Self-directs learning within known technical domains
• Applies feedback across future work, not just individual tasks
• Demonstrates readiness to take on increasing responsibility

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree completed within the last 12 months in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• Foundational understanding of object-oriented programming and web development
• Basic experience with databases and SQL
• Demonstrated interest in a long-term career in software engineering

Preferred

• Internship, academic, bootcamp, or project-based development experience
• Exposure to Agile or Scrum development environments
• Familiarity with version control, testing tools, or automation frameworks

Role Expectations & Growth

• This apprenticeship focuses on building consistency and confidence in applied software engineering. Success is defined by:
• Reliable delivery of production-ready work with limited supervision
• Increasing ownership of technical tasks and features
• Clear communication and professional collaboration
• Apprentices who consistently demonstrate full-time engineer–level behaviors, technical judgment, and delivery readiness may be eligible for consideration into the Software Engineer role.

Location Requirement: This is an on-campus position based in Bellevue, Nebraska. Employees are expected to work on-site at our Bellevue campus.

NOTE: The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work involved for this job. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of this job. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship.

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