Python Developer Lead

Aptonet; United States; Remote; USD 160,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Aptonet is seeking a hands-on Lead Software Engineer to guide technical delivery for our Investments team. The role emphasizes Python, Apache Airflow, dbt, and Snowflake, with mentoring, architecture decisions, and collaboration with stakeholders to translate business needs into scalable solutions.

You will lead a small team, establish engineering standards, and improve application quality while supporting cloud deployment capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.
• Eight+ years of software development experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with Python, Airflow, dbt, Snowflake.
• Experience designing API-based applications and data workflows.
• Full-stack understanding including databases and deployment practices.
• Proficiency with test-driven development and containerization.
• Experience leading small engineering teams or projects while staying hands-on.
• Excellent communication to explain architecture and trade-offs.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, testing, deployment, and support of applications and data workflows.
• Provide technical direction and hands-on development across the SDLC.
• Oversee quality, timelines, dependencies, and risks.
• Partner with product and business stakeholders to clarify requirements.
• Coach and mentor developers to foster collaboration and learning.
• Promote architectural standards and modern engineering practices.
• Identify opportunities to improve reliability, performance, and quality.
• Support cloud deployment progress and ownership by the team.
• Supervise up to four team members and support their development where applicable.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Problem solving

Team coordination

Cloud concepts

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

Python

Apache Airflow

dbt

Snowflake

REST APIs

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Location: Remote within the United States; must work Central Time hours.

Duration: 12-month contract with the potential for conversion to permanent employment after six months

Start Date: ASAP

Position Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Lead Software Engineer to guide technical delivery for our Investments team. This role combines software development, architectural decision-making, mentorship, and stakeholder collaboration, with a primary focus on Python, Apache Airflow, dbt, and Snowflake.

The ideal candidate can translate business needs into scalable technical solutions, explain architectural trade-offs, and lead a small development team while actively contributing to development. You will help establish engineering standards, improve application quality, and support the team’s evolving cloud deployment capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, testing, deployment, and support of applications, APIs, and data workflows using Python, Airflow, dbt, and Snowflake.
• Provide technical direction and hands-on development support throughout the software development lifecycle.
• Oversee development quality, delivery timelines, technical dependencies, and project risks.
• Partner with product and business stakeholders to clarify requirements, evaluate solutions, and communicate technical decisions and trade-offs.
• Coach and mentor developers, fostering collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Promote architectural standards and engineering best practices, including test-driven development, containerization, and maintainable code.
• Identify opportunities to improve the reliability, performance, and quality of supported systems.
• Support the team’s progression toward greater ownership of cloud deployments.
• Where applicable, supervise a small team of up to four employees and support their performance and development.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.
• At least eight years of software development experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with Python, Apache Airflow, dbt, and Snowflake.
• Experience developing and supporting API-based applications and data workflows.
• Broad understanding of full-stack development, including frontend frameworks, databases, and deployment practices.
• Proficiency in test-driven development and containerization.
• Experience working with multiple database technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to lead small engineering teams or technical projects while remaining hands-on.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to evaluate complex technical options.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to explain architecture, technical trade-offs, and decisions to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Ability to learn new technologies quickly and collaborate effectively with a distributed team.
• Availability to work Central Time hours.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AWS, particularly cloud deployment practices; experience with GCP or other cloud platforms is also valuable.
• Experience with Retool.
• Experience using GitHub Copilot or similar AI-assisted development tools.
• Knowledge of insurance or reinsurance.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, relational and NoSQL databases, Terraform, Ansible, or shell scripting.
• Master’s degree and/or LOMA certification.