Lead Software Architect

As a Development Practice Lead , you will be responsible for establishing and enforcing best coding practices, improving tooling, mentoring developers, and ensuring architectural consistency across all development teams. This role requires hands-on expertise in Java, SQL Server , and a strong understanding of Azure DevOps, Git, Agile, and Scrum methodologies . You will collaborate closely with architects, engineering managers, and developers to drive technical excellence across the product. This is not a people manager role.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Technical Leadership & Governance

• Define and enforce coding standards , best practices, and development guidelines for Java .
• Ensure code quality, maintainability, and performance across teams.
• Conduct code reviews, architectural reviews , and technical audits to maintain consistency.
• Drive refactoring initiatives to improve legacy code and reduce technical debt.

2. Hands-On Development & PoCs

• Stay hands-on by contributing to development, especially in complex technical challenges .
• Develop proof-of-concepts (PoCs) for evaluating new frameworks, libraries, and tools.
• Provide guidance on performance tuning, security best practices, and scalability improvements .

3. Mentorship & Upskilling

• Conduct technical training sessions, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions for developers.
• Mentor Tech Leads, Senior Engineers, and Mid-Level Developers , fostering a culture of learning.
• Advocate TDD, BDD, clean code principles, and modern design patterns .

4. Collaboration & Alignment

• Work closely with Architects to ensure alignment with system-wide technical decisions.
• Collaborate with QA Practice Lead to improve development-testing synergy.
• Align with Product Owners & Scrum Masters to ensure engineering priorities support business objectives.

5. Process & Tooling Improvements

• Optimize CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps to improve development efficiency.
• Define and enforce branching strategies and Git workflows for better version control.
• Evaluate and introduce tools that enhance developer productivity, monitoring, and security .

6. Agile & Scrum Practices

• Guide development teams in Agile & Scrum best practices , ensuring incremental delivery .
• Help teams resolve technical roadblocks while ensuring Agile principles are followed.

Qualifications & Skills

Must-Have:

• 12+ years of experience in software development, with a strong focus on Java .
• Deep expertise in SQL Server, Hibernate, JPA, and multi-threaded application development .
• Hands-on experience with Azure DevOps, Git, and CI/CD pipelines .
• Strong understanding of microservices architecture, REST APIs, and event-driven design .
• Experience in leading technical teams and defining development best practices .
• Knowledge of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) and experience working in Agile teams.
• Exposure to front-end technologies (Angular, React)

Nice-to-Have:

• Experience with .NET Core .
• Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) .
• Knowledge of cloud-native development (Azure Functions, Serverless, etc.) .