What does a software development specialist do?
Software development specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real software development specialist resumes:
- Develop and manage Unix base configuration management systems to maintain software assets.
- Used Javascript, Ajax, Css etc.
- Work with JQuery Validators for validations in MVC.
- Design web interface using jquery javascript libraries to access automation.
- Develop tools for EDI, NACHA, and XML files.
- Used Log4j for debugging the issues and exceptions.
- Perform manual testing and debugging of client and server software.
- Create PL/SQL and SQL scripts to execute procedures and query database objects.
- Create and modify RTF form templates and update Java classes and JSP pages to support such changes.
- Report the defects to JIRA in timely manner and follow up with the developer's team and drive it to closure.
- Develop mobile application prototype on android platform.
- Implement continues integration on Jenkins with environment verification and running unit tests.
- Perform testing including unit, integration, functionality, compatibility, UI, usability and security.
- Lead PL/SQL architect for agency designing and implementing solutions to meet legislative, administrative and financial requirements.
- Create prototype hospital facility visualization UI and web service for users to observe real-time geographic movement of hospital resources.
Software development specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Software Development Specialists are proficient in Software Development, Java, and Windows. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Problem-solving skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Software Development Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Software Development, 14%
Planned and wrote training materials for delivery to internal development teams and premier software development customers worldwide.
- Java, 8%
Improved code re-usability and maintainability by replacing code written in a proprietary in-house programming language with 8800+ lines of Java code.
- Windows, 6%
Maintained firm's Windows server and deployment of services, databases, backups; DNS, firewall.
- SQL Server, 6%
Designed and optimized relational database systems by utilizing SQL Server and related tools.
- Application Development, 4%
Worked directly with end-users to elicit solution requirements for application development.
- C, 4%
Modified existing software to enhance their functionality with C, C++ programming languages.
Common skills that a software development specialist uses to do their job include "software development," "java," and "windows." You can find details on the most important software development specialist responsibilities below.
Interpersonal skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a software development specialist to have is interpersonal skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "software developers must be able to work well with others who contribute to designing, developing, and programming successful software." Software development specialists often use interpersonal skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "generated a map of interpersonal relationships from an xml file. "
Problem-solving skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling software development specialist duties is problem-solving skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "because developers are in charge of software from beginning to end, they must be able to solve problems that arise throughout the design process." According to a software development specialist resume, here's how software development specialists can utilize problem-solving skills in their job responsibilities: "provide input into solution designs and develop technical specifications. "
Communication skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of software development specialists is communication skills. This skill is critical to many everyday software development specialist duties, as "developers must be able to give clear instructions to others working on a project." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "corrected communications issues within unix and resent data or re-started scripts to receive data. "
Creativity. software development specialist responsibilities often require "creativity." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "developers are the creative minds behind new computer software." This resume example shows what software development specialists do with creativity on a typical day: "created loading scripts and loaded files from heterogeneous sources (67 erp's) for fg inventory to staging area. "
Detail oriented. Another crucial skill for a software development specialist to carry out their responsibilities is "detail oriented." A big part of what software development specialists relies on this skill, since "developers often work on many parts of an application or system at the same time and must therefore be able to concentrate and pay attention to detail." How this skill relates to software development specialist duties can be seen in an example from a software development specialist resume snippet: "detailed data analysis and troubleshooting when necessary as well as data corrections when appropriate. "
Analytical skills. While "analytical skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to software development specialist responsibilities. Much of what a software development specialist does relies on this skill, seeing as "developers must analyze users’ needs and then design software to meet those needs." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of software development specialists: "developed agents for databases, core platform & console/reporting tools using java & c++. "
The three companies that hire the most software development specialists are:
- Sedgwick LLP185 software development specialists jobs
- Country-Wide Insurance23 software development specialists jobs
- State of Ohio14 software development specialists jobs
Compare different software development specialists
Software development specialist vs. Principal software engineer
A Principal Software Engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of an organization's projects. They diagnose, document, and troubleshoot systems to resolve problems identified through testing, as well as implement strategies to improve integration and efficiency.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a software development specialist are more likely to require skills like "windows," "application development," "development process," and "database design." On the other hand, a job as a principal software engineer requires skills like "object oriented programming," "aws," "git," and "scrum." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Principal software engineers tend to make the most money working in the retail industry, where they earn an average salary of $154,293. In contrast, software development specialists make the biggest average salary, $128,179, in the finance industry.The education levels that principal software engineers earn slightly differ from software development specialists. In particular, principal software engineers are 15.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a software development specialist. Additionally, they're 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Software development specialist vs. Associate software engineer
An associate software engineer is an individual who is responsible for improving existing software or designing new application software. Working under the supervision of a senior software engineer and together with a team of engineering professionals, associate software engineers must be able to code software and ensure that it can run with different types of technology. They must have the technical knowledge and expertise of commanding programming languages such as JAVA, HTML, and CSS. Associate software engineers are also required to assist the QA team in testing the software before it is released to the customers.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, software development specialist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "software development," "windows," "c," and "javascript." Meanwhile, an associate software engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "git," "object oriented programming," "scrum," and "taking care." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Associate software engineers may earn a lower salary than software development specialists, but associate software engineers earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $111,877. On the other hand, software development specialists receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $128,179.In general, associate software engineers achieve higher levels of education than software development specialists. They're 6.1% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for software development specialists in the next 3-5 years?
Frank McCown Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Harding University
Software development specialist vs. Software engineer
A software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, software development specialists are more likely to have skills like "windows," "javascript," "development environment," and "development process." But a software engineer is more likely to have skills like "database," "git," "object oriented programming," and "api."
Software engineers earn the highest salary when working in the start-up industry, where they receive an average salary of $122,617. Comparatively, software development specialists have the highest earning potential in the finance industry, with an average salary of $128,179.software engineers typically earn higher educational levels compared to software development specialists. Specifically, they're 10.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Software development specialist vs. Software quality engineer
A Software Quality Engineer ensures that the software of a company meets all quality standards. They are responsible for software development, inspection, implementation, testing, and verification.
Types of software development specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
