Associate Software Engineer

The Associate Software Engineer role at CDK Global focuses on building automotive retail software using modern AI-based development workflows. The position emphasizes production code ownership, verification, security, lean engineering practices, and participation in on-call rotations.

Location and Work Style

• Austin, TX (hybrid)
• The role requires a mix of days in CDK’s Austin, TX office and can be worked remotely on the remaining days.
• Candidates must reside within commuting distance of this office.

Compensation

• Base salary range: USD $85,000 to $95,000 per year
• The total compensation package may also include an annual performance bonus, benefits, and/or other applicable incentive compensation plans.

Responsibilities

• Build and ship production software using modern AI-based development workflows, moving from AI-accelerated coding to delegating well-scoped tasks to advanced AI systems.
• Create precise specifications, technical plans, and acceptance criteria that both humans and AI systems can execute against.
• Own the correctness, security, and maintainability of shipped work by rigorously reviewing, testing, and validating AI-generated code.
• Prevent exposure of credentials, customer data, or proprietary code to unapproved tools.
• Keep codebases lean by resisting AI-generated bloat, unnecessary dependencies, and over-engineering.
• Use AI development resources cost-effectively by treating compute and tooling spend as an engineering constraint.
• Develop deep expertise in automotive retail, including how dealerships operate and how consumers buy, to improve AI system direction.
• Solve problems of moderate scope with increasing independence and sound technical judgment.
• Experiment with and share new AI development techniques and workflow improvements with the team.
• Plan and prioritize work with a decreasing need for day-to-day direction, while building strong relationships across engineering, product, and design.
• Participate in on-call rotations and emergency response to maintain platform reliability.
• Follow CDK Global policies and procedures, including responsible AI usage guidelines and completion of mandatory compliance tasks.
• Meet or exceed performance expectations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, with 0–2 years of professional experience.
• Experience with NodeJS, ReactJS, and AWS Cloud.
• Strong command of at least one programming language and core CS fundamentals to evaluate and improve AI-generated code.
• Ability to read and reason about code not written by you, including identifying bugs, edge cases, security issues, and design problems.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to describe problems and designs precisely.
• Genuine curiosity about AI-based development demonstrated through coursework, projects, hackathons, or independent experimentation.
• A verification mindset, including skepticism of unvalidated output, rigorous testing before trust, and focus on security that cannot be bolted on afterward.
• Self-motivated, fast learning with the ability to adapt as tools change.
• Collaborative problem-solving in both independent and team settings, with the ability to drive issues to timely resolution.

Technologies

• NodeJS
• ReactJS
• AWS Cloud

Benefits

• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 401K Matching Program
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Preferred Qualifications

• Substantive personal or academic projects using AI development tools, including the ability to explain what worked, what failed, and what was learned.
• Experience with Spec-Driven Development (SDD), Kafka, and Mongo.
• Exposure to version control, code review, automated testing, and CI/CD.
• Experience in a modern full stack environment, including mobile/web front ends, backend APIs, databases, and cloud.
• Interest in building software that business operators and consumers depend on.

Non-Discrimination and Job Flexibility

• The employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily, and reasonable accommodations will be made if requested to enable employees with disabilities to perform essential functions, absent undue hardship.
• CDK retains the right to change or assign other duties as needed.

Work Authorization Requirement

• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future employment-based visa sponsorship.