Lead Software Engineer

Title: Lead Software EngineerLocation: Rockville, MD or McLean, VA (Hybrid)Contract: 6+ month Contract with extensionOnly Local candidates who can take Assessment and only who are in DC/VA/MD who can got for F2F interviewRole OverviewLead-level opening, with a Senior Engineer role expected to follow.Team currently consists of approximately 3 engineers plus a Product Manager/DPM.This is primarily a hands-on technical lead, not a traditional people-management position.Approximately 2 days per week will be dedicated to lead responsibilities, with the remainder focused on hands-on technical work.The existing engineering team is technically strong; the primary need is someone who can provide direction, drive priorities, ask the right questions, and guide architectural decisions.This work previously fell under Sunil's team.Technical FocusJava/Spring Boot is the strongest technical priority; this is a backend-heavy role.Candidate should be comfortable diving deeply into multiple existing codebases, understanding how they work, and identifying opportunities for improvement.Architecture is heavily based on microservices running on AWS ECS.Front end is Angular/TypeScript, but there is already a strong front-end developer on the team, making deep backend expertise more important.The Lead will provide architectural direction, evaluate legacy components, and determine where the platform can be simplified or modernized.Expected to use AI-assisted development tools to accelerate understanding of existing codebases and improve engineering productivity.Platform / IAM EnvironmentThe application supports enterprise web security and identity/access management.The platform manages account credentials and access for various types of users and organizations, including brokers, dealers, firms, and members.There is significant business logic embedded within Java microservices, including rules based on user/account attributes and organizational relationships.The current identity environment relies heavily on Active Directory.The team is partnering with infrastructure to migrate AD-based accounts to PingOne.Direct PingOne experience is a significant plus, but broader experience supporting enterprise IAM platforms is valuable.Candidates should understand IAM concepts well enough to evaluate the environment, ask appropriate technical questions, and help guide the migration.Leadership ExpectationsThe Lead Will Be Expected ToProvide technical and architectural direction to a capable engineering team.Analyze existing applications and code to determine what needs to change or improve.Help establish engineering priorities and direct the team toward the highest-value work.Partner closely with Product to break initiatives into actionable engineering work.Identify opportunities to streamline legacy functionality and reduce unnecessary complexity.Quickly develop a strong understanding of the existing architecture and codebase.Drive technical discussions rather than simply waiting for requirements or direction.Ideal Candidate ProfileThe Strongest Candidate Will Likely HaveDeep Java/Spring Boot expertise.Strong backend and microservices architecture experience.Hands-on experience with AWS/ECS environments.Experience analyzing and modernizing existing/legacy applications.Technical Lead or Lead Engineer experience directing other strong engineers.Ability to translate Product initiatives into technical priorities and implementation plans.Enterprise IAM experience; PingOne is especially valuable.Angular/TypeScript knowledge is helpful, but backend depth is more important.Strong communication, curiosity, and the ability to ask effective technical questions.Experience using AI tools to understand, develop, or modernize complex codebases.Interview ProcessCandidates should be submitted through FlexTrack.Initial interview will likely be a 2–3 person panel via Zoom.The first round may include one or two coding/technical questions, although the exact format has not yet been finalized.The initial process will narrow the pool to approximately 2–3 finalists.Finalists will have a more in-depth interview with leadership and potentially Senior Engineers.Expect deeper evaluation of Java/backend expertise, architecture, technical leadership, and the candidate's ability to understand and improve an existing platform.