Software Development Manager

Joint Activities

$86K — $138K *
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 6+ years of software development experience, including leadership roles.
  • 6+ years of experience in project management.
  • 6+ years of experience with Agile .Net implementations.
  • Familiarity with Federal health environments, particularly NIH or other HHS divisions.
  • Strong technical background in modern programming languages, cloud platforms, and software engineering best practices.
  • Demonstrated success in managing software delivery from concept to production.
  • Excellent leadership and communication skills, comfortable with both technical teams and executives.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and mentor a team of software engineers, fostering a culture of ownership and excellence.
  • Manage the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from planning to maintenance.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to convert business needs into technical solutions.
  • Drive architectural decisions to ensure scalable and maintainable software solutions.
  • Oversee sprint planning, resource allocation, and ensure projects meet deadlines.
  • Enforce coding standards and promote best practices in testing and deployment.
  • Address technical risks and streamline processes for continuous improvement.

Benefits

  • Hybrid working model with flexibility for onsite collaboration.
  • Opportunity to lead and influence engineering practices in a federal health context.
  • Engagement with advanced technologies, including cloud-native and containerization.
  • Professional growth through mentoring and team development.
  • Collaboration with diverse cross-functional teams.
Full Job Description
Responsibilities

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Software Development Manager to lead our engineering team, drive the delivery of high-quality software solutions, and play a strategic role in shaping our product and development roadmap.

 

In this role, you will bridge technical execution with people leadership—ensuring the development of robust systems, on-time delivery, and a culture of continuous innovation and improvement. This is a hybrid position. The qualified candidate must reside in the Washington, DC / Rockville, MD area and be able to travel onsite at least three times per week for meetings and collaboration.

 

Key Responsibilities:

 

  • Lead, mentor, and grow a team of software engineers; build a culture of ownership, continuous learning, and excellence.
  • Define and manage the software development lifecycle (SDLC) for your team: planning, design, development, testing, deployment, monitoring, and maintenance.
  • Collaborate with product management, UX/design, QA, DevOps and other cross-functional partners to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
  • Drive architectural and technical decisions to ensure solutions are scalable, maintainable, secure, and performant.
  • Oversee sprint planning, backlog prioritization, resource allocation, and release management; ensure projects meet schedule and budget targets.
  • Establish and enforce coding standards, testing practices (unit/integration), CI/CD pipelines, code reviews, and metrics for quality.
  • Manage technical risk, identify bottlenecks or blockers, and ensure continuous improvement in processes and tools.
  • Communicate progress and status to senior leadership; present key metrics, risks, road-maps and staffing/skill needs.
  • Hire, onboard, evaluate performance, and develop career paths for team members.
  • Stay abreast of emerging technologies, tools and methodologies; proactively recommend improvements.

 

Qualifications

 

Required Qualifications:

 

  • 6 years of experience, may have lead experience
  • 6 years of project management experience
  • 6 years of in Agile .Net implementations
  • Experience in Federal health environments, preferably NIH, or other HHS divisions (CDC, FDA, CMS)
  • In-depth understanding of technology and technical aspects of the project, ability to comprehend the complexities of software design and databases and anticipate technical and business challenges to ensure products align well with the project's goals.
  • Strong technical background: experience with modern programming languages, architectures, cloud platforms, and software engineering best practices.
  • Proven track record managing software delivery from concept through production in a fast-paced environment.
  • Experience working with stakeholders to plan and deliver products.
  • Excellent leadership, communication (written & oral), and collaboration skills; comfortable interacting with engineers and senior executives alike.
  • Experience with Agile or Scrum methodologies, backlog management, and continuous delivery practices.
  • Experience with mobile app development technologies
  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain the required agency clearance.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

 

  • Experience building or managing cloud-native applications, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes) and infrastructure as code practices.
  • Familiarity with data-driven engineering: telemetry, observability, monitoring, metrics.
  • Proven ability to recruit, develop and retain high-performing teams.
  • Experience working in a multi-geography/distributed team environment.
  • Knowledge of regulatory/compliance frameworks relevant to the industry (e.g., ISO, SOC, PCI, HIPAA) if applicable.

 

 

Target Salary Range$86,000 - $138,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

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