Technical Lead

Technical Lead - Federal Application Operations and MaintenanceLocation: Washington, DC areaWork Arrangement: Local / Hybrid / On-site as requiredClient Site: Federal Election Commission, 1050 First Street NE, Washington, DCEmployment Type: Full-time, contingent upon contract awardClearance / Suitability: Must be able to complete required federal background investigation and FEC access requirementsTarget Pay Range: $103.40/hr to $107.36/hrEstimated Annualized Pay Range: Approximately $215,072 to $223,309, based on 2,080 hoursPosition SummarySMX Services & Consulting is seeking a senior Technical Lead to guide the technical direction of a multi-application operations, maintenance, enhancement, security, and modernization support team for the Federal Election Commission.The Technical Lead will provide hands-on technical leadership across application sustainment, secure development, release readiness, defect resolution, database migration support, CI/CD coordination, code quality, technical documentation, and post-release validation. The FEC environment includes application support involving Java, Apache Tomcat, SQL, Oracle, PostgreSQL, Informatica, Crystal Reports, SecDevOps, shell scripting, project management, and quality assurance skills.The RFQ identifies the Technical Lead as Key Personnel. The selected candidate's resume will be submitted with the proposal and may be subject to Government acceptance.Work Location RequirementThis is a local / hybrid role with on-site availability required. Candidates should be located in the Washington, DC metro area or willing to be available at the FEC facility as required. The role may require coordination with FEC technical staff, business owners, DBAs, system administrators, and product stakeholders.Key ResponsibilitiesResponsibility AreaDetailsTechnical leadershipGuide the technical direction of the application support team.Application sustainmentLead troubleshooting, defect resolution, enhancement planning, and production support for mission-critical systems.Secure SDLCEnsure code changes follow secure development practices, peer review, testing, documentation, and release-readiness standards.CI/CD and deployment supportSupport application-layer CI/CD, smoke testing, release scheduling, post-release validation, and deployment instructions.Database migration supportSupport remaining Oracle-to-Aurora PostgreSQL migration activities, including code review, testing, validation, and performance benchmarking support.Technical oversightReview proposed solutions for maintainability, scalability, performance, accessibility, and security.Security remediationHelp triage and remediate vulnerabilities from security scans and coordinate fixes for critical and high-priority issues.DocumentationMaintain and review technical documentation, deployment instructions, release notes, and knowledge transfer materials.UAT supportSupport business users during UAT, help define test scripts, and respond to findings.Team mentorshipProvide technical coaching and advice to contractor personnel and FEC technical staff.Required QualificationsRequirementDetailTechnical leadershipExperience leading application support, software sustainment, modernization, or production support teams.Java / TomcatStrong working knowledge of Java applications running on Apache Tomcat.Database experienceExperience with SQL development, performance tuning, Oracle, and PostgreSQL.Cloud environmentExperience supporting applications deployed in AWS or similar cloud environments.Secure developmentFamiliarity with secure coding, vulnerability remediation, automated scanning, and application security practices.CI/CDExperience with CI/CD concepts and tools such as Jenkins, GitHub, Git, or similar tooling.Issue trackingExperience using Jira or similar ticketing / backlog tools to manage defects, enhancements, and acceptance criteria.Testing and releaseExperience coordinating functional testing, smoke testing, UAT support, release scheduling, and post-release validation.DocumentationAbility to produce clear technical instructions, architecture notes, deployment steps, and support documentation.WorksiteMust be local to the Washington, DC area or able to work on-site at FEC as required.Background eligibilityMust be able to complete required Government access, badging, and background investigation processes.Preferred QualificationsExperience with Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL, Oracle-to-PostgreSQL migrations, Informatica, Crystal Reports, shell scripting, Section 508 accessibility, OWASP ZAP, Bandit, performance testing, federal QASP standards, and mission-critical public-sector applications is strongly preferred.Desired Personal AttributesThe ideal candidate is a hands-on technical leader who can balance urgency, quality, security, and maintainability. This person should be able to troubleshoot directly when needed, coach developers, communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders, and keep technical decisions aligned to mission needs.