Director of Application Development

Apex Systems; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Apex Systems is seeking a hands-on Director of Application Development to lead a seasoned development team through a major platform modernization and the delivery of a next-generation cloud-native application. The role focuses on maintaining execution, alignment, and momentum while enabling collaboration between engineering and product teams.

You'll own project scheduling, resource assignment, and timely delivery, manage engineers and QA, and spend about 75% of your time on people management

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of software development experience with a track record of leadership.
• At least 3 years in a people-management role leading software teams.
• Background in .NET and exposure to AI concepts in development.
• Experience in SaaS environments, modern practices, and Agile methodologies.
• Excellent communication to partner with product management and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own project scheduling, resource assignment, and timely delivery of development deliverables.
• Lead and manage software engineers and QA personnel as needed.
• Balance about 75% people-management with 25% direct code engagement to gauge progress.
• Coach and develop engineering talent and act as a strategic partner to product leadership.
• Define, track, and act on development metrics to improve performance and throughput; support AI roadmap.

Skills

People management

Leadership

Software development

Cloud-native

Azure

AI concepts

SDLC

Agile methodologies

Communication

Team coaching

Tools

CI/CD pipelines

Infrastructure automation

DevOps practices

Azure DevOps

Job description

The client is seeking a hands-on Director of Application Development to lead a seasoned development team through a significant platform modernization effort and the delivery of a next-generation cloud-native application. The role is focused on maintaining execution, alignment, and momentum while supporting collaborative delivery between engineering and product teams, rather than turning around an underperforming team.

Responsibilities include owning project scheduling, resource assignment, and timely delivery of development deliverables; leading and managing software engineers and potentially QA personnel; and balancing approximately 75% people-management activities with about 25% direct code engagement to understand team progress. The director will coach and facilitate professional development, serve as a strategic partner to product leadership, manage the engineering–product dynamic to ensure effective outcomes, and define, track, and act on development metrics to improve performance, quality, and throughput. The role will also support the organization’s AI roadmap by evaluating where AI may create business value and guiding implementation, while ensuring consistent adherence to software development lifecycle (SDLC) practices.

Required qualifications include a minimum of 10 years of software development experience, including at least 3 years in a people management role leading software development teams. The director should have a background in .NET and exposure to AI concepts and their application in development, along with demonstrated ability to develop, coach, and retain engineering talent. Additional requirements include experience leading engineering teams within a SaaS software organization, strong understanding of modern software development practices and Agile methodologies, and excellent communication skills to partner effectively with product management and technical stakeholders. Preferred qualifications may include experience leading modernization or large-scale transformation initiatives, familiarity with Azure and cloud-native architectures, and knowledge of DevOps practices such as CI/CD and infrastructure automation.