What is a Software Engineer at Acumen?

As a Software Engineer at Acumen, you are stepping into a highly impactful role within an organization dedicated to helping people lead independent lives. Acumen is one of the nation's leading fiscal agents, providing innovative financial management services for participant-directed programs. In this role, your technical contributions directly empower clients, ensuring that the enterprise systems managing their care and finances are secure, scalable, and reliable.

At the senior and leadership levels—often bridging into technical direction and team evolution—you will play a key role in shaping the Enterprise Solutions Engineering team. You are not just writing code; you are owning the technical roadmap, driving architectural decisions, and ensuring that complex cloud infrastructures scale to meet evolving business needs. You will partner closely with product, implementation, and client success teams to deliver solutions that are highly focused on the end-user experience.

Expect a fast-paced, evolving environment where your ability to navigate ambiguity and restructure legacy processes is highly valued. Whether you are overseeing third-party platform integrations, managing enterprise data workflows, or mentoring junior engineers, your work will have a tangible, positive difference in the lives of vulnerable populations. This role requires a strong balance of hands-on technical architecture and strategic leadership.

Common Interview Questions

While you cannot predict every question, understanding the patterns of what Acumen asks will help you structure your preparation. The questions below represent the core themes evaluated during the interview process, focusing heavily on architecture, integrations, and leadership.

System Design & Architecture

These questions test your ability to design scalable, secure, and compliant cloud systems from a high-level perspective down to the component level.

• How would you design a scalable cloud architecture for a financial management service on AWS or Azure?
• What strategies do you use to ensure data privacy and security in a multi-tenant enterprise application?
• Walk us through your process for evaluating and selecting a new database technology for an evolving product.
• How do you design for high availability and disaster recovery in a critical healthcare application?
• Explain how you would optimize a slow-performing enterprise data workflow that processes millions of records daily.

Integrations & API Design

These questions evaluate your practical experience in connecting disparate systems and building resilient communication layers.

• Describe a complex third-party API integration you led. What were the biggest technical hurdles?
• How do you handle authentication, authorization, and rate-limiting when designing public-facing APIs?
• If an internal system needs to sync data with an external workforce management platform in real-time, how would you architect that solution?
• What is your approach to handling data mapping and transformation between legacy systems and modern cloud applications?
• Tell me about a time when a critical integration failed in production. How did you troubleshoot and resolve it?

Technical Leadership & Team Management

These questions assess your ability to mentor others, drive agile practices, and influence engineering culture.

• Give an example of how you have successfully mentored a technical lead or software engineer.
• How do you enforce code quality standards and continuous improvement across multiple projects?
• Tell me about a time you had to push back on a product requirement because it compromised system security or architecture.
• Describe your experience restructuring or evolving an engineering team's processes. What was the outcome?
• How do you balance resource planning and hiring while ensuring your current team meets its delivery milestones?

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for an interview at Acumen requires a holistic approach. Your interviewers will be looking for a blend of deep technical expertise, architectural foresight, and a strong alignment with the company’s mission-driven culture.

Focus your preparation on the following key evaluation criteria:

System Architecture and Cloud Expertise – Acumen relies heavily on modern cloud platforms to deliver enterprise-grade software. Interviewers will evaluate your ability to design scalable, secure, and highly available systems using AWS, Azure, or similar environments. You can demonstrate strength here by clearly articulating your design trade-offs and focusing on performance and data privacy.

Enterprise Integration and API Design – A major component of this role involves connecting disparate systems. You will be assessed on your experience with integration platforms, RESTful APIs, and enterprise data workflows. Strong candidates will provide concrete examples of how they have successfully integrated third-party platforms while maintaining strict compliance standards.

Technical Leadership and Mentorship – Even as an individual contributor, software engineers at Acumen are expected to elevate the team. Interviewers will look for your ability to drive agile development practices, enforce code quality standards, and mentor peers. Showcasing your experience in leading design reviews and strategic planning will set you apart.

Mission Alignment and Adaptability – Acumen operates in a dynamic, highly regulated space (healthcare and workforce management). Evaluators want to see that you thrive in fast-paced environments and are genuinely motivated by the company's mission. Highlight your ability to collaborate cross-functionally and pivot when business needs evolve.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process for a Software Engineer at Acumen is designed to rigorously assess both your technical capabilities and your cultural fit. You will typically begin with an initial recruiter screen focused on your background, high-level technical skills, and alignment with the company’s core values. This is followed by a technical screening interview, usually conducted by an engineering manager or a senior technical lead, where you will discuss your past projects, system design philosophy, and experience with cloud platforms.

If you advance, you will participate in a comprehensive final loop. Drawing on standard practices for senior engineering roles, you should prepare for a rigorous 4-5 hour final interview stage. This loop typically involves multiple sessions with cross-functional stakeholders, including product managers, implementation specialists, and engineering leadership. You will face deep dives into system architecture, behavioral scenarios assessing your leadership, and discussions around compliance and data privacy.

Acumen places a strong emphasis on collaborative problem-solving. Interviewers are less interested in trick questions and more focused on how you approach real-world enterprise challenges, how you communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, and how you design for scale and security.

This visual timeline outlines the typical progression of your interview stages, from the initial recruiter screen to the final comprehensive loop. Use this to pace your preparation, ensuring you build stamina for the longer, multi-hour final round. Remember that the later stages will heavily blend technical architecture with behavioral and cross-functional leadership assessments.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

System Architecture and Cloud Platforms

Because Acumen handles sensitive financial and healthcare data, designing secure and scalable infrastructure is paramount. Interviewers will probe your deep understanding of cloud environments like AWS and Azure. Strong performance in this area means you can design a system from the ground up, clearly explaining your choices regarding compute, storage, caching, and database technologies while keeping security and compliance at the forefront.

Be ready to go over:

• Cloud Infrastructure – Designing highly available applications using modern cloud services and understanding the trade-offs between different architectural patterns.
• Scalability and Performance – Identifying bottlenecks in enterprise systems and proposing solutions to handle increased load and complex data workflows.
• Security and Compliance – Ensuring system alignment with data privacy laws, secure data transmission, and compliant cybersecurity postures.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Multi-region failover strategies, infrastructure as code (Terraform/CloudFormation), and advanced container orchestration (Kubernetes).

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Design a highly available backend system for processing thousands of concurrent financial transactions, ensuring data integrity and compliance."
• "Walk me through a time you had to migrate a legacy application to AWS or Azure. What were the primary architectural challenges?"
• "How do you ensure that your system architecture complies with strict data privacy and cybersecurity standards?"

Enterprise Integrations and Data Workflows

A core responsibility of this role is overseeing integrations with third-party platforms and internal systems. Evaluators want to see your hands-on experience with API design, integration platforms, and managing complex data pipelines. A successful candidate will demonstrate a pragmatic approach to building resilient integrations that can handle failures gracefully.

Be ready to go over:

• API Design and Management – Creating robust, versioned, and secure RESTful APIs for enterprise consumption.
• Third-Party Integrations – Handling authentication, rate limiting, and data mapping when connecting to external SaaS platforms (e.g., DCI or workforce management tools).
• Enterprise Data Workflows – Designing reliable asynchronous processing systems, message queues, and event-driven architectures.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – GraphQL API design, complex ETL pipeline optimization, and managing distributed transactions.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Describe your approach to designing an integration between our internal financial systems and a third-party workforce management platform."
• "How do you handle API versioning and backward compatibility when multiple clients depend on your endpoints?"
• "Tell me about a time an external API you relied on went down. How did your system handle the failure, and what resilient patterns did you implement?"

Technical Leadership and Agile Delivery

Acumen expects its senior engineers to be force multipliers. You will be evaluated on your ability to drive agile development practices, mentor junior engineers, and partner with leadership to evolve the engineering team. Strong candidates will show a track record of improving code quality standards, leading effective design reviews, and managing stakeholder expectations.

Be ready to go over:

• Agile Methodologies – Implementing and refining agile practices to improve team velocity and continuous improvement.
• Code Quality and Standards – Establishing CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and rigorous code review processes.
• Mentorship and Team Evolution – Guiding technical leads, managing resource planning, and helping to restructure teams for better efficiency.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Cross-functional conflict resolution, scaling engineering org structures, and technical debt management strategies.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How do you balance the need to deliver client-focused solutions quickly with the necessity of maintaining high code quality and paying down technical debt?"
• "Tell me about a time you had to restructure a team's agile process to improve delivery times. What was your approach?"
• "Describe a situation where you had to mentor a struggling software engineer. How did you help them improve their technical output?"

Key Responsibilities

As a Software Engineer at Acumen, your day-to-day work will be a dynamic mix of high-level architectural planning and hands-on technical execution. You will own the technical roadmap for enterprise solutions, ensuring that the software you build is scalable, performant, and highly secure. This involves continuous evaluation of current systems, identifying areas for architectural improvement, and planning the migration or integration of new cloud technologies.

Collaboration is a massive part of this role. You will partner cross-functionally with product managers, implementation specialists, and client success teams to ensure that the engineering output directly aligns with client needs. When a new workforce management tool or healthcare platform needs to be integrated, you will be the primary technical leader driving the design, overseeing the API development, and ensuring seamless data workflows between systems.

Additionally, you will play a critical role in team development and process optimization. You will drive agile development practices, enforce code quality standards, and lead continuous improvement initiatives. Whether you are conducting rigorous design reviews, mentoring junior engineers, or assisting leadership in resource planning and hiring, your influence will be felt across the entire Enterprise Solutions Engineering team. You are also expected to remain vigilant in supporting a positive, compliant cybersecurity posture across all your projects.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

To be competitive for a senior engineering or technical leadership role at Acumen, you must demonstrate a strong history of managing enterprise-grade software projects. The ideal candidate blends deep technical knowledge with exceptional communication skills, capable of thriving in a fast-paced environment.

• Must-have skills – 10+ years of experience in software development, with a proven track record in system architecture and modern development frameworks.
• Must-have skills – Deep expertise in cloud platforms, specifically AWS or Azure.
• Must-have skills – Extensive experience with integration platforms, building APIs, and managing enterprise data workflows.
• Must-have skills – Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to lead cross-functional technical initiatives.
• Nice-to-have skills – Prior experience in healthcare, workforce management, or enterprise SaaS environments.
• Nice-to-have skills – Familiarity with DCI (Direct Care Innovations) or similar platforms.
• Nice-to-have skills – Experience leading implementations or client-facing engineering projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How technical is the interview process compared to standard software engineering roles? The process at Acumen is highly technical, but it leans heavily toward system architecture, cloud platforms, and enterprise integrations rather than obscure algorithmic puzzles. Expect deep-dive discussions on how you build scalable systems, handle data workflows, and manage cloud infrastructure.

Q: What differentiates a successful candidate for this role? Successful candidates seamlessly bridge the gap between technical execution and business value. They don't just know how to build an API; they understand how that API impacts client success and compliance. Demonstrating strong communication skills and a passion for mission-driven work will set you apart.

Q: What is the company culture like at Acumen? Acumen is highly mission-driven, focusing on helping individuals lead independent lives. The environment is described as fast-paced and evolving. While the work-life balance is generally respected, you must be comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving structure within growing engineering teams.

Q: How long does the interview process typically take? From the initial recruiter screen to the final offer, the process usually takes between 3 to 5 weeks. The final round is typically a comprehensive 4-5 hour loop, so ensure you have the availability and stamina for a half-day session.

Q: Is knowledge of healthcare or workforce management strictly required? No, it is listed as a preferred qualification. However, showing that you understand the regulatory and compliance constraints (like data privacy and security standards) inherent to these industries will significantly boost your candidacy.

Other General Tips

• Emphasize Security and Compliance: Because Acumen deals with financial and healthcare data, always weave security, data privacy, and compliance into your system design answers. Show that you design with a "security-first" mindset.
• Use the STAR Method for Leadership Scenarios: When answering behavioral questions about team evolution, mentoring, or cross-functional collaboration, use the Situation, Task, Action, Result framework to keep your answers concise and impactful.

• Highlight Your Cloud Expertise: Be specific about the AWS or Azure services you have used. Don't just say you used the cloud; explain why you chose specific compute, storage, or messaging services for your architecture.
• Showcase Adaptability: The job description specifically mentions an "evolving environment" and "restructuring" teams. Be prepared to share examples of how you have successfully navigated organizational change or shifting technical roadmaps.

• Prepare Questions for Your Interviewers: Ask insightful questions about their current integration challenges, their transition to modern cloud frameworks, or how the Enterprise Solutions Engineering team collaborates with the product side. This shows strategic thinking and genuine interest.

Summary & Next Steps

Securing a Software Engineer position at Acumen is a unique opportunity to blend high-level technical architecture with deeply meaningful, mission-driven work. You will be at the forefront of shaping the Enterprise Solutions Engineering team, driving critical cloud integrations, and ensuring that the systems supporting vulnerable populations are secure, scalable, and resilient.

To succeed, focus your preparation on mastering system design principles, articulating your experience with enterprise data workflows, and demonstrating your capacity for technical leadership. Remember that your interviewers are looking for a partner—someone who can confidently own the technical roadmap while mentoring the engineers around them. Approach each conversation with confidence, clearly communicating your past successes and your strategic vision for problem-solving.

This salary module provides insight into the compensation landscape for senior engineering and technical leadership roles. Use this data to set realistic expectations and negotiate effectively, keeping in mind that total compensation may include comprehensive benefits, generous paid time off, and incentive bonuses.

You have the technical depth and the leadership experience required to excel in this process. Continue to refine your architectural narratives, practice your behavioral responses, and review additional insights on Dataford to ensure you are fully prepared. Trust in your preparation, lean into your expertise, and show Acumen the immediate impact you can make on their engineering team.