Lead Technical Designer, Information Technology

University of Ottawa; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 104,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Ottawa is seeking an experienced IT professional to lead development for mission-critical systems within Information Technology. This role focuses on PHP backend and React frontend work, REST APIs, and architectural guidance across integrations.

You will drive design, development and deployment, while mentoring a team and ensuring best practices, security, and automated testing. This position is a temporary replacement at the Main Campus in Ottawa, Canada.

Qualifications

• University degree in Computer Science or Information Technology or related field.
• Minimum 10 years in a complex IT environment.
• Minimum 5 years in application development and implementation.
• Strong hands-on experience with PHP for backend development.
• Solid experience with modern front-end technologies, including React.
• Proven expertise in designing REST APIs and system integrations using PHP.
• Experience providing technical leadership and architectural guidance.
• Experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines.
• Knowledge of automated testing, versioning strategies, secure coding, and deployment automation.
• Experience using AI technologies to enhance applications and productivity.

Responsibilities

• Directs the development team with respect to application design guidance for mission-critical systems.
• Designs and develops solutions and production enhancements.
• Leads planning, estimation, prioritization and assignment of work.
• Works with Tech team to review options and document customizations.
• Analyzes complex requirements, performs fit/gap analysis, and supports QA/testing.
• Ensures development standards and design frameworks are followed and documented.

Skills

PHP backend

React frontend

REST APIs

AI integration

CI/CD pipelines

Security practices

Architectural guidance

Team leadership

Education

University degree in Computer Science / Information Technology

Tools

PHP

React

CI/CD tooling

Job description

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Posting Reason: Replacement of a temporary position

• Job Type: Employee
• Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments): 12
• Job Family: Application Development
• # of Open Positions: 1
• Faculty/Service - Department: Application Development, Information Technology
• Campus: Main Campus
• Union Affiliation: UOITP
• Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD): 2026/08/27
• Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD): 2026/09/07
• Hours per week: 35
• Salary Grade: UOITP Grade 12
• Salary Range: $104,333.00 - $129,723.00

About Information Technology

Information Technology is a dynamic and collaborative environment. We are focused on prioritizing and optimizing technological investments that facilitate the best student experience, as well as the activities of faculty, researchers and staff. Our greatest strength are the people working with us. People like you, professionals eager to flex their intellectual muscle and achieve new heights in their career. Working here gives you access to a great IT environment, rich with a diverse range of platforms, products, and services. This is a place where innovative ideas are welcome. In a nutshell: working here is challenging and rewarding. It’ll bring out the best of you. We want people that have the drive to advance IT in higher education. We have the technologies to keep your inner fires burning, and benefits that can help you sustain a better lifestyle. And all this minutes away from gyms, the Byward Market, downtown, and the Rideau Canal at lunch time for runners and skaters.

Position Purpose

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Information Technology, the incumbent designs and implements solutions to support the University’s business objectives. Is involved in all phases of systems analysis, the planning of system development and the technical design University wide. The systems impacted include large-scale mission critical systems. Provides leadership and guidelines in the implementation of application solutions, ensuring the use of best practices and adhering to the architectural roadmap. Works with IT managers and Application Managers to plan, estimate, prioritize and assign work to technical resources. Supports and maintains operational applications and works on the design, testing and improvement of the applications that support various endeavours. Works with minimum supervision and acts as a specialist with a deep knowledge of complex technologies to enable and support critical University-wide systems and the supporting technologies.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• Planning, Design and Deployment: Directs the development team with respect to application design guidance based on a thorough understanding of the appropriate mission‑critical systems and their underlying technology. Designs and develops solutions and production enhancements using the appropriate tools and technology.
• Team Lead: Works with the IT Manager to plan, estimate, prioritize and assign work to technical resources. Provides advice to staff regarding system development methods, design alternatives and technical options.
• Support and Consulting: Works closely with the Tech team to perform an in depth review of suitable options and of the existence of delivered functionality before customizing. Provides supporting documentation to request and justify any customization.
• Development Life Cycle: Analyzes complex business requirements, assist in fit/gap analysis, evaluates system impacts, architecture design and validate proposed solutions and write supporting technical design document, work on implementation, QA testing and migration as appropriate.
• Methods, tools, techniques and standards: Ensures development standards and design frameworks are adhered to by the development team. Leads the efforts to document best practices for development activities related to a particular system.

What you will bring:

• A University degree in Computer Science or Information Technology or a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in a complex and diverse IT environment.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in application development and implementation.
• Strong hands‑on experience with PHP for backend development and enterprise applications.
• Solid experience with modern front‑end technologies, including React, and UI architectures.
• Proven expertise in designing and developing REST APIs and system integrations using PHP, with experience in service‑oriented and microservices architectures.
• Experience providing technical leadership and architectural guidance across PHP, frontend, and integration technologies.
• Experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong understanding of automated testing, code quality gates, versioning strategies, secure coding practices, and deployment automation.
• Experience using AI technologies (LLMs, chatbots, agentic AI, copilots) to enhance applications, automate workflows, and improve developer productivity.
• Familiarity with integrating AI services and APIs into PHP‑based applications is considered a strong asset.
• In‑depth analytical skills for complex problem solving – identification, diagnosis, resolution.
• Proven experience leading development teams or technical projects.
• Ability to design end‑to‑end business system solutions in a complex application and technology environment.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to translate technical concepts for diverse audiences.
• Ability to keep abreast of new/emerging technologies.
• Bilingualism – French and English (written and spoken).

Key Competencies at uOttawa

• Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
• Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self‑starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
• Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
• Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier‑free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact [e-mail] to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front‑line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.

The University of Ottawa is the largest bilingual (English‑French) university in the world. Located at the heart of Canada’s capital, we have ready access to the great institutions of our country. Our advances in social sciences, health, engineering, science and the humanities make uOttawa a unique place to learn, grow and excel. The University of Ottawa aspires to employing a staff that fully represents the diversity of Canada’s population. As a result, it is committed to employment equity principles and aims to provide an inclusive and barrier‑free workplace. The University of Ottawa offers a generous pay and benefits package that includes a competitive salary, a defined benefit pension plan, group insurance coverage and an employee and family assistance program. Explore Our Benefits