Software Developer Lead

Athene; West Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Military Friendly Employer

Diversity and inclusion commitment

Job summary

Athene is seeking a technical leader in West Des Moines, IA, to drive the design and delivery of an AI-native, event-driven platform for insurance workflows. This hands-on role focuses on distributed systems, ensuring production reliability, and mentoring engineers to enhance development practices.

The ideal candidate should have over 6 years of experience in software or data-driven solutions and expertise in building complex systems. Athene is committed to diversity and is a Military Friendly Employer.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience building and delivering software or data-driven solutions.
• Experience in designing and operating complex, distributed systems at scale.
• Strong foundation in reliable, secure, and well-observed production systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of event-driven, distributed systems with a focus on simplicity.
• Establish and model spec-first, AI-augmented development workflows.
• Ensure production excellence through strong observability and incident response.

Skills

Building and delivering software or data-driven solutions

Designing and operating complex distributed systems

Applying AI in development workflows

Automation and simplicity focus

Strong communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience

Job description

Purpose:

Athene is seeking a technical leader to drive the direction and delivery of an AI-native, event-driven platform powering insurance workflows. This is a hands‑on individual contributor role focused on designing and building distributed systems, ensuring production reliability, and advancing how AI is applied across the software development lifecycle. In this role, you will shape both the platform architecture and the engineering practices that support it, serving as a go-to technical leader and mentor. You will help establish a spec‑driven, AI‑augmented development approach that enables faster, higher‑quality delivery on a scale.

Accountabilities:

• End‑to‑end platform architecture across workflow, document, intake, and data model services
• Reliability and performance of business‑critical production systems
• Technical strategy, roadmap, and engineering standards
• Adoption of AI‑driven, spec‑first development practices

What You’ll Do:

• Lead design and delivery of event‑driven, distributed systems with a focus on simplicity and scalability
• Establish and model spec‑first, AI‑augmented development workflows
• Ensure production excellence through strong observability, incident response, and operational practices
• Drive automation across testing, deployment, and operational processes
• Mentor engineers and help scale team capabilities and standards

How You Think:

• Systems‑oriented and pragmatic, balancing scale, reliability, and simplicity
• Spec‑first and AI‑native in your development approach
• Operator‑minded, with a focus on production readiness
• Focused on reducing complexity and enabling team effectiveness

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience, with 6+ years of experience building and delivering software or data‑driven solutions, including recent work applying AI in real‑world use cases
• Experience designing and operating complex, distributed systems at scale
• Strong foundation in building reliable, secure, and well‑observed production systems
• Ability to define and drive technical direction while mentoring and guiding other engineers
• Hands‑on experience applying AI in development workflows, with a spec‑driven approach to building and delivering solutions
• Product‑oriented mindset with the ability to rapidly iterate, test, and deliver business value
• Focus on automation, simplicity, and long‑term health
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to align teams around technical decisions and architecture
• Experience working in regulated or enterprise environments (preferred)

Commitment

Drive. Discipline. Confidence. Focus. Commitment.

Opportunity

Athene is a Military Friendly Employer! Learn more about how we support our Veterans.

EEO Statement

Athene is committed to inclusion and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.