Piplhr
Technology & ProductJD · JS · KPIs

Software Engineer Roles and Responsibilities

The Software Engineer designs, builds, tests and maintains software features and systems. They turn product requirements into reliable, maintainable code, review teammates' work and help keep the product fast, secure and stable.

Also known as: Software Developer, Full Stack Developer, Programmer

Build this role in Piplhr
Reports to
Engineering Manager, Tech Lead or CTO
Department
Technology & Product
Experience
0-5+ years depending on level
Work location
Office-based, hybrid or remote

Job Description (JD)

The responsibilities a Software Engineer owns and the duties they perform.

Responsibilities

  1. 1Build features that meet requirements and quality standards
  2. 2Write clean, tested and maintainable code
  3. 3Review code and give constructive feedback
  4. 4Diagnose and resolve production issues
  5. 5Collaborate with product managers, designers and QA
  6. 6Follow security, performance and accessibility best practices
  7. 7Document systems, decisions and runbooks

Duties

Daily
  • Write and test code for assigned features and fixes
  • Review pull requests from teammates
  • Join the daily stand-up
  • Investigate and fix bugs
Weekly
  • Plan and estimate work in sprint planning
  • Refine requirements with product and design
  • Deploy changes and monitor releases
Monthly
  • Contribute to retrospectives and technical improvements
  • Update technical documentation
  • Reduce technical debt in owned areas

Job Specification (JS)

The job information and the skills this role needs.

Job information

Qualification
B.Tech/B.E. in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience
Experience
0-5+ years depending on level
Work location
Office-based, hybrid or remote
Working hours
Full-time, typically 9 hours a day, 5-6 days a week
Shift
Day shift; occasional on-call for production issues
Employment type
Full-time

Technical skills

  • One or more programming languages and frameworks
  • Data structures and algorithms
  • Databases and APIs
  • Git and code review
  • Automated testing

Soft skills

  • Problem solving
  • Ownership
  • Collaboration
  • Clear written communication
  • Continuous learning

Tools used

  • Git and GitHub/GitLab
  • IDE
  • Issue tracker
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Monitoring tools

Career path

  1. Software Engineer
  2. Senior Software Engineer
  3. Tech Lead / Staff Engineer
  4. Engineering Manager
  5. CTO

KPI

How to measure whether a Software Engineer is succeeding.

KPIWhat it measuresReview
Sprint commitments deliveredPlanned work completed within the sprintWeekly
Defects escaped to productionBugs found after release in owned workMonthly
Code review turnaroundTime to review teammates' pull requestsWeekly
Incident resolution timeTime to fix owned production issuesMonthly

In Piplhr, KPIs become recurring daily and weekly reports that each person submits - see Reporting & KPI tracking.

Software Engineer FAQs

What does a Software Engineer do?

The Software Engineer designs, builds, tests and maintains software features and systems. They turn product requirements into reliable, maintainable code, review teammates' work and help keep the product fast, secure and stable.

What are the main responsibilities of a Software Engineer?

Key responsibilities include: build features that meet requirements and quality standards; write clean, tested and maintainable code; review code and give constructive feedback; diagnose and resolve production issues; collaborate with product managers, designers and QA.

What skills does a Software Engineer need?

Technical skills: One or more programming languages and frameworks, Data structures and algorithms, Databases and APIs, Git and code review, Automated testing. Soft skills: Problem solving, Ownership, Collaboration, Clear written communication, Continuous learning.

Who does a Software Engineer report to?

A Software Engineer typically reports to the Engineering Manager, Tech Lead or CTO.

What qualifications are required to become a Software Engineer?

B.Tech/B.E. in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience, with 0-5+ years depending on level.

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