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Senior Telephony Engineer

American Family Insurance · Madison, WI · $99,000–$167,000 a year · Full time

Posted Jul 16, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you took a high-level business requirement and turned it into a detailed technical design. What did that document or spec look like?

What they are checking: ability to convert vague requirements into low-level specifications, a stated accountability

Describe a system dependency you missed or underestimated on a past project. How did you find out, and what did you do?

What they are checking: honesty and maturity around dependency analysis, a named responsibility in the posting

Tell me about a time your code or design didn't meet a performance or security standard during review. What happened next?

What they are checking: how the candidate responds to quality gates and whether they internalize standards rather than resist them

Describe a time you had to explain a technical design decision to someone who wasn't an engineer. How did you make it land?

What they are checking: the communication skill explicitly listed as a requirement

Tell me about a project where you worked across multiple teams to deliver something into production. What went wrong, and how did you handle it?

What they are checking: cross-team collaboration skill, since the role is explicitly collaborative across the division

What would you do

If you had no prior telephony experience, how would you approach getting up to speed on a platform like Genesys quickly enough to support production systems?

What they are checking: learning agility and realistic self-assessment for a preferred-but-not-required skill

Suppose a critical telephony integration goes down during business hours and calls are failing. Walk me through what you'd do in the first thirty minutes.

What they are checking: incident response instincts for systems that support live business operations

You're told you'll need to earn three Genesys certifications within six months of starting. How do you typically approach learning a new certified platform on a deadline while also doing full-time work?

What they are checking: realistic planning and commitment toward a hard requirement of the role

About the work

Walk me through a Node.js project where you were the main developer, from initial design through production. What did the architecture look like?

What they are checking: whether the candidate actually has substantive, hands-on Node.js depth rather than surface exposure

Tell me about a time you had to integrate a Java application with a Node.js service or API. What made that integration hard?

What they are checking: real experience bridging Java and Node.js, since the role explicitly requires both

Have you worked with Genesys or another telephony platform before? If so, what did you build or support on it?

What they are checking: whether the candidate has any telephony-specific exposure, since it's preferred but the role leans heavily technical without it

How do you approach estimating the size and effort of a moderately complex software project before work begins?

What they are checking: concrete estimation methodology versus guesswork

What's your experience with unit testing and integration testing in your development process? Give a specific example.

What they are checking: whether testing discipline is genuine practice or an afterthought

How do you decide between building a custom integration versus using an existing platform capability when connecting applications, databases, and other technology systems?

What they are checking: judgment around integration and migration strategy, a listed knowledge requirement

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The full job description

As published by American Family Insurance.

This role collaborates with teams across the division to deliver, support, and maintain telephony systems and the applications that enable critical business operations. It requires hands-on Node.JS, Java and API development experience and is responsible for designing and building moderate to complex solutions, while providing technical guidance and leadership for assigned telephony platforms and integrations. Position Compensation Range: $99,000.00 - $167,000.00 Pay Rate Type: Salary Compensation may vary based on the job level and your geographic work location. Relocation support is offered for eligible candidates. This position will consider H1 Visa Transfers and possibly sponsorship for F1 / STEM OPT as well. Primary Accountabilities • Analyzes high level system specifications, system requirements and/or use cases. • Converts information into low level specifications and system design plan. • Understands and identifies system dependencies. • Provides appropriate documentation for design decisions, estimating assumptions, code modules, and performance metrics as required by organization standards. • Defines, conducts, and/or participates in testing (i.e. unit, system integration). • Prepares, leads and/or participates in development walkthroughs. • Collaborates with others regarding effectiveness of systems flow, data usage and manual or automated processes to verify requirements. • Ensures software development meets standards for programming, design, performance, quality, and security. Identifies and recommends areas for improvement in planning, design, development, and testing. Specialized Knowledge & Skills Requirements • Node.js experiencerince the absolutley must have to be succesful at this postion. Candidate sneed a moinimum of 3years expeirence with heavy Node.js. • Must have demonstrated experience of Java application, Node.JS and API development standards. • Preferred qualifications include prior experience with Genesys , Cloud experience, and telephony experience. • Demonstrated experience communicating technical information. • Demonstrated experience developing complex software/systems using one or more programming language. • Demonstrated experience establishing, using and supporting integration and communications technologies between applications, databases and technology platforms. • Demonstrated experience analyzing and estimating project size and work efforts for software solutions. • Demonstrated experience writing and modeling application system design and program specifications. • Solid knowledge and understanding of systems development life cycle (SDLC). • Solid Knowledge and understanding of integration and migration strategies and technologies. Additional Information • To ensure a strong start, all employees participate in our New Employee Orientation during their first week.  This experience is held in person at our Madison, WI Headquarters or one of our AmFam core locations to help you connect with our mission, meet key team members and build relationships that support your growth.  At times, sessions may be delivered virtually based on scheduling and availability. • Offer to selected candidate will be made contingent on the results of applicable background checks • Offer to selected candidate is contingent on signing a non-disclosure agreement for proprietary information, trade secrets, and inventions • Sponsorship will not be considered for this position unless specified in the posting • Selected Candidate will be required to attain 3 Genesys Certifications within 6 months upon hire date. We provide benefits that support your physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. You will have access to comprehensive medical, dental, vision and wellbeing benefits that enable you to take care of your health. We also offer a competitive 401(k) contribution, a pension plan, an annual incentive, 9 paid holidays and a paid time off program (23 days accrued annually for full-time employees). In addition, our student loan repayment program and paid-family leave are available to support our employees and their families. Interns and contingent workers are not eligible for American Family Insurance Group benefits. We are an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws pertaining to non-discrimination, non-harassment and equal opportunity. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. American Family Insurance is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please email AskHR@AmFam.com to request a reasonable accommodation. #LI-BC2

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