Software Developer

About the roleWe are seeking a mid-level Software Developer with a strong passion for coding to join our team at the head office in Canberra, Australia or Sydney, Australia. In this role, you will contribute to the development of the Acorn platform. Your responsibilities will include developing bothback-endand front-end features, ensuring cross-browser compatibilityandoptimising performance.You''llcollaborate with the full-stack team to integrate components,maintainAWS infrastructure, and uphold security and compliance standards. Additionally, you will ensure that the codebaseremainscohesive, modular, and secure while meeting Acorn''s operational and infrastructure needs.Key ResponsibilitiesDesign, develop, and maintain scalable, secure, and high-performance features for the Acorn PLMS platform.Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Product, QA, and Design to translate user and business needs into technical solutions.Contribute to both front-end (React, TypeScript) and back-end (PHP/Laravel) development, ensuring smooth integration and high code quality.Write clean, maintainable, and testable code, adhering to Acorn''s coding standards and CI/CD practices.Participate actively in sprint planning, retrospectives, and code reviews, providing feedback to peers and helping improve team practices.Apply operational awareness by monitoring and maintaining system health, addressing performance bottlenecks, and supporting incident response when needed.Ensure compliance with security and privacy standards, proactively identifying risks and contributing to preventative measures.Take ownership of assigned work, managing scope, progress, and delivery expectations in an agile environment.Required ExperienceDegree in Computer Science or in a related fieldMinumim3years experienceas a full-stack engineer in cloud-native environmentsStrong HTML, CSS, and JavaScript/TypeScriptskills.Good understanding of UX principlesand responsive design.Adept at writing unit and integration tests; TDD experience is a plusPHP, Laravel and React experience is a plusExperienced using containerized applications is also a plus5 Key CapabilitiesThe best part we use Acorn for Acorn. We believe in the power of our Managers and Staff being aligned on the 5 capabilities needed for each role, and the level that we expect for any given role, using our Acorn AI tool to streamline this consistently across our business. The 4 levelscompriseFoundational, Developing, Proficient, and Advanced.Here are the 5 capabilities for our mid-levelSoftware Developer to give you an idea of what the role entails, and the level we are looking for from it:Software design and implementation:Translate scoped requirements into clear designs and working software. Chooseappropriate patternswithin standards, write maintainable, tested code, and document decisions. Collaborate in code reviews, estimate and deliver increments via CI/CD, troubleshoot production issues, and refine solutions using metrics, ensuring performance, security, and reliability while contributing to team goals.At theproficient stage, you turn scoped requirements into robust, standards-based software. You write tested code, review peers'' code, document decisions, release increments, use metrics to improve performance and reliability.Quality engineering and testing:Builds quality in from the start: writing clean, testable code, defining clear acceptance criteria, and automating unit and integration tests within CI/CD. Conducts exploratory and risk-based testing, triages defects, collaborates with QA to reproduce, fix and prevent issues,monitoringcoverage and reliability to meet team delivery standards.At theproficient stage, you own quality endtoend for your features. You set acceptance criteria, automate tests, focus on highestrisk areas, and triage defects with QA to improve reliability.Task ownership and agile delivery:Owns assigned work from analysis to release, planning tasks, estimating, and delivering small, testable increments within sprint commitments. Applies agile practices, keeps stakeholders informed, clarifies acceptance criteria, manages dependencies, and flags risks early. Balances speed and quality to meet the Definition of Done and contribute to teamvelocity.At thedeveloping stage, you own tasks end-to-end, delivering small, testable changes. You confirm scope, keep stakeholders informed, flag risks early, and balance speed with quality for steady delivery.Collaboration and stakeholder communication:Works effectively with product, design,QAand operations to progress tasks. Communicates clearly and ina timelymanner:clarifies requirements, documents decisions, shares status, and raises risks with options. Seeks feedback, aligns on priorities, and negotiates trade-offs within scope. Uses agreed channels and meeting practices to keep stakeholdersinformed.Attheproficient stage, you work with product, design,QAand operations. Clarify requirements, share status, raise risks with options via agreed channels. You negotiate in-scope trade-offs for smooth delivery.Operational awareness and security:Applies operational awareness to deliver secure, reliable software: follows change, release and incident processes; writes secure, wellinstrumented code; manages secrets and data privacy correctly; monitors services and triages issues; documents runbooks; flags risks and vulnerabilities early; collaborates with DevOps and SecOps to keep environments compliant andstable.Atthefoundational stage, you follow change and incident processes and write secure code with guidance. You manage secrets,monitorhealth, escalate risks, and support DevOps for stable services.Why Join Acorn PLMS?This is a unique opportunity to join a rapidly growing global SaaS company redefining corporate learning. You''ll have the autonomy to shape our brand and marketing strategy at scale while working with a passionate, high-performing executive team. At Acorn, you''ll be part of a culture that values innovation, impact, and learning and where your work directly drives the success of millions of learners worldwide.LocationWe are open to individuals based in Canberra, Australia or Sydney, Australia. We are an office-first company, meaning we work from our local offices the majority (if not all) of the time. We want to create cool stuff with great people, and we know from experience that is best done through daily moments like the coffee run, walk to grab lunch, or quick huddles. Being able to capitalise on this is key to our ongoing success and a large part of the reason we can work at the pace we do. Please note candidates will need to be in commuting distance to our office based in Canberra CBD or Sydney CBD.Our Recruitment ProcessAcorn is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all qualified candidates. We aim to ensure that our recruitment process is fair and accessible to everyone and encourage candidates to request any accommodations needed during the application or interview stages.About Working at AcornAcorn is the hub for learning and performance for over 3 million active learners globally. The work you do whether that''s writing lines of code, designing the layout of a dashboard, or talking to customers helps real people grow not just professionally, but personally. In the space of 10 years, we''ve grown to a global platform in the heart of many major organisations'' ecosystems. There''s still so much more to do, and we need people who are keen to help us journey into the next phase on board And since we''re still growing, there''s so much you can learn on that journey with us. To find out more about life at Acorn, our Values and working with us, check out our website at and see our Life At Acorn video here CompensationOne of our core values is transparency and we believe in being upfront with candidates throughout the recruitment process, to make sure expectations are aligned.This role sits within a salary range of ($87k - $124k) + 12% superannuation contribution, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Created: 2026-02-11