Web Applications Director (Austin)

BrightLeaf Group is looking for a senior technical leader who can drive engineering excellence, coach high-performing teams, and deliver mission-critical web applications and digital platforms for state and local government clients — with calm, clarity, and discipline.ABOUT THE ROLEThe Web Applications Director is the senior technical leader of BrightLeaf's web application practice. Reporting directly to the COO of Client Delivery & Services, you'll own delivery excellence across our Drupal-based and custom web applications and Employee Experience (EXP) platform implementations — while building the engineering culture, standards, and playbooks that make it all repeatable and scalable.This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll set direction, make architecture calls, mentor teams, partner with government agency clients, and be the steady hand when things get complex. You'll also play a direct role in business development — bringing technical authority to proposals, client presentations, and opportunity solutioning.WHAT YOU'LL OWNWeb Application DeliveryOwn delivery quality and client outcomes across BrightLeaf's web application engagements — new builds, enhancements, migrations, integrations, and ongoing maintenance and supportServe as BrightLeaf's Drupal authority in client-facing technical conversations — including architecture reviews, platform assessments, and technical discovery sessions with agency IT teams and development leads. Government agency clients with sophisticated technical teams expect to engage with a peer; this role delivers on that expectationLead, mentor, and set the technical standard for BrightLeaf's development team — establishing architectural patterns, code quality expectations, and development best practices that the team operates byEnsure UX/UI, accessibility, and other team members are integrated effectively into project teams, delivering to client standards and BrightLeaf's quality barEnsure WCAG accessibility compliance is core to all development workflows — as a quality standardServe as the senior delivery point of contact for active engagements — ensuring projects are on scope, on schedule, and meeting client expectationsAnticipate and resolve delivery risks before they become client issues; escalate to the COO when executive involvement is neededArchitecture & Technical Decision-MakingOwn key architecture decisions and patterns for Drupal and custom application workGuide platform, hosting, and integration choices based on client constraintsDocument and communicate decisions across engineering and PM teamsEngineering QualityEstablish and enforce coding standards, branching strategies, peer review, and definition of doneDrive appropriate testing practices — unit, integration, regression, and accessibilityEnsure security best practices across secure coding, dependency management, and access controlBuild a culture of defect prevention and continuous improvementPlaybooks & ScalabilityEstablish and systematize BrightLeaf's AI-driven delivery practice — creating scalable SOPs, QA standards, and onboarding frameworks across engagementsAdvance CI/CD pipelines, release practices, and operational handoffs to match the scale of a growing organizationCodify institutional expertise into repeatable delivery frameworks — turning what works into what scalesImplement delivery dashboards that give leadership real-time visibility into project health, team capacity, and risksEXP Platform DeliveryLead delivery of BrightLeaf's EXP platform implementations for government agency clientsPartner with the EXP Director on delivery methodology, client onboarding, and platform configuration standards specific to the government marketEnsure EXP implementations produce strong client outcomes and serve as references for future pursuitsTeam Leadership & CoachingMentor developers, tech leads, project managers, and other team membersSupport hiring, onboarding, and skills developmentSet clear expectations and build accountability, ownership, and a learning cultureClient Technical PartnershipLead technical discoveries, solution walkthroughs, and client-facing escalation resolutionCommunicate tradeoffs clearly to non-technical government stakeholdersServe as BrightLeaf's trusted technical advisor and Drupal authority for key accounts — including clients with sophisticated agency IT and development teams who expect to engage with a peerBusiness DevelopmentServe as BrightLeaf's technical sales advisor on new pursuits — providing solutioning expertise, scope definition, and effort estimation that makes proposals credible and competitiveParticipate in client presentations and capability demonstrations, representing BrightLeaf's technical approach with authority and clarityContribute to proposal development — writing or reviewing technical sections, approach narratives, and past performance documentationIdentify growth opportunities within active client accounts and surface them to the COO for considerationREQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS7+ years of progressive web/application development experience, with 3+ years in a senior leadership or director-level roleDeep Drupal expertise (v9/10) — custom modules, site building, content migration, multisite architecture. Must be recognized as a Drupal authority by technically deep development teams and sophisticated government agency clients alikeStrong full-stack background: PHP, JavaScript/Node.js, HTML5, CSS3, LAMP/LEMP environmentsDemonstrated experience delivering web applications for government, education, or regulated-sector clientsSolid understanding of WCAG accessibility complianceExperience managing blended internal/subcontractor teams in distributed or remote environmentsDemonstrated ability to systematize and scale delivery operations — maturing SOPs, QA frameworks, engineering standards, and CI/CD practices alongside a growing technical teamStrong communication and stakeholder skills; comfortable presenting to agency leadership and navigating government procurement★ PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONSExperience with government contracting environmentsAWS, Acquia, or government-grade cloud hosting experienceFamiliarity with NIST, FedRAMP, or TX-RAMP cybersecurity frameworksExperience with Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid delivery methodologiesState or local government client experienceExperience implementing AI-enabled project delivery dashboards and operational reporting toolsWHY BRIGHTLEAF?BrightLeaf Group is an Austin-based digital transformation firm with 30+ years serving Texas state and local government agencies. We specialize in web applications, accessibility, EXP platforms, and strategic digital communications — and we take quality seriously.This is a rare opportunity to lead a focused, expert technical practice, shape its engineering culture, and make a direct impact on how government agencies serve the public.A senior leadership role with real authority over a growing delivery practiceThe opportunity to build an AI-enabled, best-in-class delivery infrastructure for an expanding companyDirect collaboration with an experienced COO and CEO who are invested in making this role successfulA technically strong team in a positive, supportive, team-oriented environmentRemote-first work with an Austin, Texas home base for periodic team and client connectionCompetitive compensation commensurate with experienceA mission-driven company focused on modernizing government services through technology and talentInterested? Please apply. We'd love to hear from leaders who are ready to build something that matters.#WebApplications #Drupal #TechLeadership #GovernmentTechnology #Hiring #Austin #FullStack #AccessibilityFirst #EXPPlatforms #DirectorJobs #PublicSector #NowHiring #DigitalTransformation