Senior Python/Django Tech Lead AI-Driven Backend Architect

Follett Higher Education; Westchester (IL); On-site; USD 135,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Follett Higher Education in Westchester, IL is seeking a Team Lead, Python/Django Engineering to own backend services built on Python/Django with PostgreSQL, and a lighter React front-end. This role emphasizes architecture, high-quality code, and technical leadership within a fast-paced enterprise environment.

The Team Lead will steer AI-assisted development practices, mentor engineers, and partner with the Engineering Manager to translate business priorities into robust designs and reliable

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in CS/engineering.
• 7+ years of professional software engineering with Python, including Django (ORM, DRF, admin, middleware).
• Experience as the go-to technical authority on a team, setting standards.
• Strong PostgreSQL experience: schema design, queries, migrations, performance.
• Enterprise integrations: event-driven architectures and third-party APIs.
• RESTful APIs or backend services at scale; CI/CD and Git workflows.
• Cloud exposure (Azure/AWS/GCP) and containers (Docker/Kubernetes).
• Proficiency in React at a review/writing level; AI-assisted tooling in production.

Responsibilities

• Own architecture decisions and system design for Python/Django services.
• Guide and review frontend work, aligning with backend patterns.
• Own PostgreSQL data architecture end-to-end including migrations and indexing.
• Collaborate with DevOps for health, capacity, and design decisions.
• Design and lead enterprise integration architecture and messaging patterns.
• Lead code reviews and drive resolution of the hardest issues.
• Improve CI/CD, test automation, deployment safety, and rollbacks.
• Monitor production health and lead incident response and RCA.
• Mentor engineers through pairing and reviews, support career development.
• Collaborate with product owners to surface risk and inform delivery timelines.
• Champion secure coding, access controls, and data-handling policies.
• Own the AI-assisted development practice and push it forward.

Skills

Python

Django

REST APIs

CI/CD

Cloud (Azure/AWS/GCP)

React (basic)

AI-assisted development

Leadership / Technical guidance

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related field

Tools

PostgreSQL

Git

Docker

Kubernetes

SQS/SNS/Celery

Job description

Follett Higher Education in Westchester, IL is seeking a Team Lead, Python/Django Engineering to own backend services built on Python/Django with PostgreSQL, and a lighter React front-end. This role emphasizes architecture, high-quality code, and technical leadership within a fast-paced enterprise environment.

The Team Lead will steer AI-assisted development practices, mentor engineers, and partner with the Engineering Manager to translate business priorities into robust designs and reliable