Software Engineer Job Description Template

“Software engineer" is arguably one of the most versatile job descriptions in today’s business landscape. Although these professionals can answer various titles and wear different hats, the field's core principles persist regardless of the specifics of the role.

Software engineers use engineering and programming concepts to build, test, and maintain applications, ranging from games to custom business software, network management platforms, and operating systems.

The need for software engineers spans several industries, including healthcare, telecommunications, aviation, gaming, security, consumer goods, and banking. In today’s digital age, businesses can benefit from contemporary computer-based solutions to improve service quality and raise their bottom lines.

Companies wishing to hire a software engineer must create a detailed job description stating the job title, roles and responsibilities, must-have and nice-to-have skills, and salaries. Each section represents the first line of communication between your business and potential employees. A well-written software engineering job template containing this information leaves no room for assumptions and guarantees you get applications from only the best candidates.

Applicants first look at the job title before deciding to proceed with the rest of the job description. Job titles also play a massive role in enhancing the discoverability of an opening. Furthermore, you should specify whether you’re hiring for an entry, mid-level, or senior position.

Your job title must be clear, straightforward, and incorporate popular keywords. SEO optimization is critical if you want your job posting to appear at the top of search engines and job boards. Find common keywords among the top search results for similar job postings and incorporate them into your title description.

An excellent job title should be written with a focus on potential applicants. This means you must avoid using internal references that outsiders may not understand. Also, it is wise to avoid including abbreviations unless they are widely known and accepted. 

Here, you should explain to the candidate why your company is an attractive destination for top talent. Briefly discuss your value proposition, unique selling points, and company culture. Mention your industry and let the potential candidates know what they stand to gain by working with you.

Before applying, candidates typically examine the outline of job responsibilities to determine if they can carry out the listed responsibilities. This part of the template is important because it sets the tone for future performance evaluations after employment.

After providing a general overview of the role in the description section above, you can outline the job's major responsibilities in more detail here. Presenting these tasks in a bulleted-point format is usually best for easy readability. Also, aim to keep the language simple and avoid unnecessary jargon.

Depending on the nature of the role, employees may be required to architect and develop solutions, create documentation for software programs, work in a distributed team, perform system testing and quality assurance practices, and more.

Your job description may also include other aspects, such as frequent presentations to stakeholders and participation in brainstorming sessions with other team members.

Every job role has non-negotiable requirements for success, commonly referred to as “must-have skills.” Using simple and concise language, outline any mandatory prerequisites (if available), such as education, certifications, technical skills, programming languages, software competencies, and work experience.

Nice-to-have qualifications are not mandatory for stellar on-the-job performance. However, these skills are an added advantage for candidates who possess them. They allow candidates to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack and increase their chances of landing a job.

In this section, you can briefly state any non-mandatory qualifications for your job posting.

Times have changed, and companies are now more open to disclosing their remuneration rates in job postings. According to data from Indeed.com, up to 50% of recent job ads now include salary information. In this era of increasing pay transparency, being open about how much you’re willing to pay for the listed role is not out of place.

Here, you can highlight your monthly or yearly pay as well as other special benefits offered by your company. This is your chance to detail the core benefits your company provides, such as health, dental, and vision care, retirement plans, equity, stock options, or paid holidays.

In addition to this, you can list any other perks and benefits like meals, work-from-home stipends, fitness reimbursements, mental health programs, career development opportunities, sabbaticals, and more.