Application Development Lead

MetroNational; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

MetroNational is seeking an Application Development Lead in Houston to own the end-to-end delivery of custom applications, workflow engines, and integrations across SaaS platforms. You will lead a team and partner with external development firms, advancing AI-enabled solutions as part of MetroNational’s digital strategy.

Qualifications include a BS in CS or related field and 6–10 years in development, strong skills in React, Python, Azure, APIs, and Power BI, plus Agile/SDLC experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 6–10 years in application development, automation, or software engineering.
• Experience leading development teams and partners, scaling teams as priorities evolve.
• Experience delivering custom apps and automation across SaaS platforms.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the application roadmap aligned with business priorities.
• Translate pain points into delivered features with measurable outcomes.
• Deliver and operate the application portfolio across SaaS platforms.
• Establish reusable services and integration patterns across the enterprise.
• Lead development with Agile practices and manage budgets and vendors.

Skills

React

Python

Azure

APIs

Power BI

Agile

SDLC

AI-enabled

Team leadership

Cross-functional

Education

Bachelors in CS

Equivalent experience

Advanced degree a plus

Tools

MRI

Yardi

Job description

Please note: This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

The Application Development Lead, reporting to the VP of Digital & Data Services, leads MetroNational's application development, workflow, and automation practice. As the application development leader in the organization, this role owns the end-to-end delivery of custom applications, the workflow engine, and the integrations that connect our SaaS platforms. This includes delivering solutions across all corporate and property groups, with a focus on building capabilities that make a meaningful impact for MetroNational.

The Application Development Lead leads a team focused on delivery, working alongside external development partners to produce reliable, maintainable, and scalable solutions, while engaging broadly across the organization and technology functions to ensure solutions reflect real business needs. This role partners on AI-enabled solutions and automations as part of MetroNational’s evolving digital and AI strategy.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Define and maintain the application roadmap, sequencing work against business priorities and the broader application development strategy.
• Partner directly with product, corporate, and property leaders to translate operational pain points and growth opportunities into delivered features, measuring success through adoption and business outcomes not project completion.
• Deliver and operate the application portfolio, including custom applications, workflow engine, integrations, automation, and AI-enabled features, spanning new development, enhancements, production support, incident response, and lifecycle management.
• Establish and scale shared technical capabilities by defining reusable services, APIs, and integration patterns, building a common library of components that can be leveraged across the enterprise.
• Drive development execution using agile practices, ensuring applications and automation solutions are delivered with high quality, on time, and within budget expectations.
• Lead the application development function end-to-end, including team leadership (internal and external), development standards, architecture, security, documentation, budget, vendor contracts, and resource planning.

Education and Required Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience; advanced degree a plus.
• 6–10 years of progressive experience in application development, automation, or software engineering roles.
• Experience leading development teams and external partners, with the ability to build and scale teams with varied skill sets and adapt roles and responsibilities as priorities evolve.
• Demonstrated ability to operate across the full development lifecycle including architecture, development, integration, and delivery, and work effectively in complex, cross-functional environments with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven experience delivering custom applications, integrations, and automation solutions across multiple SaaS platforms.
• Hands-on experience developing software solutions with a strong understanding of contemporary programming languages and modern application architectures.
• Experience supporting commercial real estate operations, including familiarity with financial and real estate platforms (e.g., MRI/Yardi), is preferred but not required.

Skills, Qualifications, and Other Requirements

• Strong background in modern application development, including web-based architectures using frameworks such as React and Python, and cloud platforms (Azure preferred).
• Experience designing and implementing APIs, integrations, and scalable solutions across SaaS platforms and enterprise systems.
• Experience with Power BI data models or similar with respect to creating dashboards, and reports, integrating data from multiple sources and applying business logic to support analytics and reporting needs.
• Experience implementing and operating workflow and automation solutions.
• Solid understanding of application architecture, security, data flow, and enterprise technologies, with a focus on building reliable, maintainable, and resilient solutions.
• Ability to translate business workflows and operational needs into clear, actionable technical solutions while working effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience delivering solutions using Agile and SDLC methodologies, driving high-quality outcomes on time and within budget expectations.
• Applies an outside-in design mindset, focusing on member, tenant, and employee experience when building and delivering solutions.
• Demonstrated interest in and ownership of AI-enabled solutions, with a willingness to experiment, learn, and incorporate AI capabilities into applications, workflows, and automation where they create business value and adhere to appropriate governance.
• Progressive and innovative thinker with strong problem-solving capabilities, focused on continuous improvement and evolving the team member technology experience.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Requires sufficient personal mobility and physical reflexes, to permit the employee to function in a general office environment and accomplish tasks and duties as outlined above.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.