Location: Chicago,Illinois
Expected Start Date: Nov 16, 2026
Senior Manager, Application Development Location: Chicago, IL
Employment Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire
Work Arrangement: Hybrid - 2 days onsite per week
Compensation: $160,000-$180,000 base salary + approximately 20% annual bonus
Position Overview We are seeking a Senior Manager of Application Development to lead a team of developers and oversee application development initiatives within a growing technology organization.
This individual will bring a strong technical background in .NET/C# development, React, and modern application architecture, along with proven experience leading and developing technical teams.
This is a hands-on leadership position that requires someone who can balance people management and technical direction with active involvement in development. The ideal candidate is comfortable writing and reviewing code, making architectural decisions, mentoring developers, and stepping in to help resolve complex technical challenges when needed.
The role will initially oversee approximately 4-5 direct reports within a broader development team of approximately 10 people, with opportunities for the team structure to expand over time.
Key Responsibilities Technical Leadership & Application Development - Provide technical direction and oversight for application development initiatives, ensuring high-quality, scalable and maintainable solutions.
- Lead the design, development and implementation of applications primarily utilizing .NET/C# and React.
- Remain actively involved in development through writing and reviewing code, troubleshooting complex issues, and making architectural decisions.
- Guide application modernization efforts, including upgrading existing applications to newer technologies and leading new application development.
- Establish and promote best practices around software architecture, coding standards, code quality and development processes.
- Work closely with technical teams to evaluate solutions, resolve challenges and ensure successful delivery.
People Leadership & Team Development - Lead, coach and develop a team of application developers, fostering collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.
- Conduct performance reviews, establish development goals, provide ongoing feedback and support professional growth.
- Mentor developers and promote knowledge sharing and technical development across the team.
- Manage competing priorities and ensure the team remains aligned with business and technology objectives.
- Help build and develop the team as organizational needs and initiatives evolve.
Strategy & Stakeholder Collaboration - Partner with business and technology stakeholders to understand requirements and translate them into effective technical solutions.
- Collaborate with architects, product owners and other technology leaders on application design and development strategies.
- Provide technical recommendations and communicate solution approaches to senior leadership.
- Lead multiple development initiatives while maintaining quality, delivery timelines and resource priorities.
- Identify opportunities to improve development processes, introduce new technologies and increase operational efficiency.
Required Qualifications & Technical Experience - Approximately 10-12 years of overall professional experience in application development, software engineering or a related discipline.
- Approximately 4-5 years of experience leading, managing or mentoring software development teams.
- Strong hands-on experience with .NET / C# application development.
- Experience with React and modern front-end application development.
- Strong understanding of software architecture, object-oriented programming, SOLID principles, REST APIs and microservices.
- Experience with SQL Server, database design and optimization.
- Experience working with Microsoft Azure and cloud-based application environments.
- Ability to lead technical discussions, review code and make sound architectural decisions.
- Proven ability to manage multiple development initiatives and work across cross-functional teams.
- Strong communication, problem-solving and people leadership skills.
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent education in Computer Science, Engineering, MIS or a related field.
Preferred / Nice-to-Have Experience - Experience with Databricks, including ETL pipelines, data engineering or data modeling.
- Experience with SSIS, Azure SQL and other data integration technologies.
- Familiarity with BI/reporting tools such as Power BI, Tableau or Cognos.
- Experience with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, Azure DevOps and Jira.
- Familiarity with application security, compliance and regulated technology environments.
- Exposure to AI-enabled development tools such as GitHub Copilot or other AI coding assistants.
- Experience incorporating emerging AI technologies into enterprise applications.
Ideal Candidate Profile The ideal candidate is a technically strong development leader who enjoys staying connected to the engineering side of the business while also building and managing a successful team.
They should be comfortable navigating changing priorities, collaborating across multiple teams, and balancing hands-on technical contributions with broader leadership responsibilities.
We are particularly interested in candidates who have a strong .NET background, React experience and exposure to modern data technologies. Experience across every technology listed is not expected; a strong foundation in application development and the ability to lead technically capable teams are the most important factors.
Additional Details - Must currently be local to the Chicago area.
- This position requires 2 days onsite per week.
- Relocation candidates will not be considered.
- Visa sponsorship is not available.
