Lead Application Developer / DTAM / (Hybrid) [Contingent]

iWorks Corporation; Silver Spring (MD); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 168,000; Full time

Job summary

iWorks Corporation is seeking a Lead Application Developer for the Decennial Transformation and Application Modernization project. This role involves technical leadership for large-scale application development, driving architectural direction, and managing cross-functional teams in a cloud-enabled environment.

Candidates should have over 15 years of experience in application development and possess a relevant degree. The position offers a remote/hybrid work model with a salary range of $140K to $168K.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in application development, architecture, and/or modernization programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading large‑scale technical teams and enterprise application initiatives.
• Experience managing full lifecycle application development in complex enterprise or federal environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical and management leadership for large‑scale application development and modernization initiatives.
• Define project goals, technical strategies, and implementation plans.
• Lead cloud migration planning and execution across modern enterprise environments.

Skills

Application design, development, and modernization at enterprise scale

DevSecOps integration and pipeline implementation

Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) practices

Application architecture design and governance

Cloud migration planning and execution

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

CI/CD pipelines and automation tools

Containerization platforms (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)

Version control systems (e.g., Git‑based systems)

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools

Multi-cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP environments)

Job description

Title: Lead Application Developer

Location: Remote / Hybrid (On site-visits to the DMV location as required by contract)

About this position

iWorks is supporting the Decennial Transformation and Application Modernization (DTAM) project, an initiative focused on transforming the U.S. Census Bureau’s Decennial Census Programs into a modern, data‑centric, cloud‑smart IT environment. This effort supports the 2030 Census and American Community Survey (ACS) by modernizing and integrating applications and data systems, reducing technical debt and lifecycle costs, and enabling secure, scalable, near‑real‑time data processing and analytics. The program emphasizes advanced application architecture, enterprise data modernization, DevSecOps adoption, cloud transformation, and the use of artificial intelligence and advanced data science capabilities.

We are seeking a Lead Application Developer to provide both technical and management leadership across major application modernization efforts. This role is responsible for driving architectural direction, overseeing full lifecycle application development, ensuring SDLC compliance, and leading cross‑functional technical teams in a secure, cloud‑enabled environment.

*This position is contingent upon contract award

Salary Range: $140K – $168K – commensurate with the candidate's skills, experience, location, and qualifications.

On a day-to-day basis, you will:

1. Provide technical and management leadership for large‑scale application development and modernization initiatives
2. Define project goals, technical strategies, and implementation plans aligned with program objectives
3. Oversee application architecture, design, development, testing, security integration, deployment, and maintenance activities
4. Lead cloud migration planning and execution across modern enterprise environments
5. Ensure adherence to SDLC methodologies and DevSecOps best practices
6. Conduct architecture reviews, feasibility studies, and technical trade‑off analyses
7. Guide integration of CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and continuous delivery frameworks
8. Support implementation of secure architectures including Zero Trust principles and compliance standards
9. Oversee use of modern architecture patterns including microservices, APIs, serverless, and containerization
10. Manage technical teams, including staffing, performance oversight, and task allocation
11. Interface directly with clients, stakeholders, and senior leadership for technical alignment and solution delivery
12. Oversee documentation, standards, and engineering best practices across development teams
13. Participate in financial oversight and ensure efficient use of resources

Required Education/Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (advanced degree preferred)
• 15+ years of experience in application development, architecture, and/or modernization programs
• Demonstrated experience leading large‑scale technical teams and enterprise application initiatives
• Experience managing full lifecycle application development in complex enterprise or federal environments
• Experience interfacing with clients and senior leadership on technical delivery and solution design

Required Skills

• Application design, development, and modernization at enterprise scale
• Application architecture design and governance
• DevSecOps integration and pipeline implementation
• Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) practices
• Multi‑layer application testing strategies
• Application security and compliance integration
• Cloud migration planning and execution
• Strong understanding of SDLC methodologies
• Experience with modern architecture patterns (microservices, APIs, serverless, containers)
• Experience implementing automated testing frameworks
• Familiarity with Zero Trust Architecture principles
• Understanding of Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) concepts
• Experience with multi‑cloud environments

Required Tools/Technologies/Platforms

• CI/CD pipelines and automation tools
• Version control systems (e.g., Git‑based systems)
• DevSecOps toolchains
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools
• Containerization platforms (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
• API management and integration frameworks
• Automated testing tools
• Enterprise architecture tools
• Multi‑cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP environments)
• FinOps tools for cloud cost optimization
• Security and compliance tooling (including SBOM‑related tools)

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications:
  • AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud certification
  • Scrum or SAFe Agile certification
  • Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) or equivalent architecture certification
• Experience working in federal government or regulated environments
• Experience with enterprise‑scale cloud transformation initiatives
• Strong leadership background in Agile or scaled Agile environments

FLSA & Employment Status

FLSA EXEMPT AND FULL‑TIME POSITION

Equal Employment Opportunity

iWorks Corporation is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, Veteran status, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristic.