Director, Application Development - Hybrid

The Director of Application Development is a critical leadership role responsible for planning, coordinating, and supervising all activities related to the design, development, and implementation of organizational information systems and software applications. This working manager position is essential for driving process improvement and fostering a culture of innovation and excellence within the software engineering team. The Director is also responsible for maintaining, supporting, and upgrading existing systems and applications.

This individual will apply proven communication skills, problem-solving skills, and knowledge of best practices to guide the team's development on issues related to the design, development, and deployment of mission-critical information and software systems. As part of the Software Engineering leadership team, this position provides input on overall technical strategy, process improvement, and fostering a culture of innovation & excellence.

This position is a hybrid position based out of the Gainesville, Georgia headquarters.

Responsibilities: 

Performance Management

• Implement and enforce best practices and technology standards across the organization.
• Develop feedback processes for peer reviews, code reviews, and design reviews.
• Establish a performance culture through individual and team coaching and mentoring.
• Manage and provide direction for the application development team in support of business operations.
• Oversee the software development life cycle, from requirements gathering and design to coding, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Ensure the team follows software engineering best practices, coding standards, and quality assurance processes.
• Lead the implementation of AI development and testing practices within the organization.
• Guide the team in integrating AI technologies into existing and new applications.
• Ensure ethical AI practices and address potential biases in AI systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align software development activities with project goals.
• Manage and prioritize software engineering projects, allocating resources effectively.
• Collaborate with leadership for departmental OKR setting for the annual performance year.

Fullstack Development

• Direct the development of robust, scalable, and efficient web applications.
• Manage the development of front-end and back-end systems using modern technologies.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of back-end systems, leveraging Azure services.
• Ensure the creation and maintenance of databases using SQL Server and data warehousing solutions.
• Implement and manage QA automation processes.
• Integrate AI and machine learning capabilities into applications.
• Manage the design and implementation of RESTful APIs.

Acquisition & Deployment

• Manage the development and deployment of new applications and enhancements.
• Research and recommend software products and services for procurement.
• Coordinate feasibility studies for software and system products.
• Ensure new software integrations meet functional requirements and specifications.
• Collaborate in testing new software programs and applications.

Software Optimization

• Responsible for overall application performance across the organization.
• Work closely with product managers, UX/UI designers, and engineers.
• Ensure team maintains detailed documentation for systems and changes.
• Monitor and improve application security.
• Troubleshoot complex issues and implement effective solutions.
• Participate in Agile development methodologies.

Emerging Technologies

• Stay up-to-date with industry trends and emerging technologies.
• Share knowledge and expertise to foster team growth.
• Engage with interdisciplinary teams to conceptualize and design new functionalities.

AI/Data Strategy and Resource Management

• Manage the AI/Data Strategy platform performance and data architecture.
• Oversee full stack developers working on AI and data-related projects.
• Manage development and testing contractor resources for AI and data initiatives.
• Optimize resource allocation and performance across AI and data projects.

Requirements:

Formal Education & Certification:

• Four (4) year degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering (or) a minimum of a two (2) year Associate’s degree in a similar degree path and relevant experience. 
• Relevant industry certifications are preferred and considered beneficial for this role.

Knowledge & Experience:

• 10 or more years of direct software engineering within a similar sized, or larger, organization. 
• 5 or more years of experience in managing technical teams 
• Technical proficiency in the following:

1. Modern front-end frameworks (React or Angular).
2. Server-side languages such as .NET Framework and .NET Core.
3. SQL databases (e.g., SQL Server, Azure SQL).
4. Hands-on experience with building and consuming RESTful APIs.
5. Git and collaborative development platforms like GitHub or Azure DevOps.
6. Azure services for cloud services deployment and management.

• Experience with DevOps practices & CI/CD pipelines. 
• Experience with managing software development projects, including resource allocation, project planning and risk management. 
• Expertise in service-oriented architecture and design patterns.
• Experience in Agile methodology.
• Proven ability to balance speed-to market, quality, and risk. 
• Demonstrated experience in implementing AI development and testing practices.
• Knowledge of machine learning frameworks and AI ethics.
• Experience managing AI/Data strategy platform and data architecture.
• Proficiency in full stack development and managing contractor resources. 

Qualifications & Characteristics:

• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to multi-task.
• Strong customer-service orientation.
• Strong communication and prestation skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to communicate ideas in both technical and user-friendly language
• Excellent listening and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to conduct research into application development issues and products.
• Highly self-motivated and directed.
• Keen attention to detail.
• Able to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment.
• Hands-on management approach: comfortable coding, troubleshooting technical issues, and developing custom solutions.
• Ability to “hit the ground running,” quickly adapting to new tools, technologies, and project requirements. 
• Proven collaboration skills, with a track record of fostering positive teamwork and strong working relationships.

Work Environment & Travel:

• 40-hour work week with 3 days in the office and 2 days remote (following completion of training), business conditions permitting. 
• This position may have planned, overnight travel to other site locations within the Company that could include weekends and Holidays.  
• Must be available to work flexible hours as needed.
• Sitting for extended periods of time.
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and other computer components.
• Close visual acuity needed to review diagrams and for discerning fine print.
• Lifting and transporting of moderately heavy objects, such as computers and peripherals.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.