Software Development Lead

Athene; West Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Athene in West Des Moines, IA is seeking a Software Development Lead to own the architecture, engineering, and operations of the Institutional Administration platform that underpins contract administration, accounting, reconciliation, and reporting.

You will collaborate with Finance, Actuarial, Treasury, Operations, and technology teams to deliver scalable, AI-enabled solutions, while driving modern software practices, security, and governance.

Qualifications

• 10+ years designing and supporting enterprise software platforms.
• Experience with cloud-native applications and AI-enabled development.
• Experience in regulated finance/insurance domains.
• Strong architecture leadership and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture, development, production support, and continuous evolution of Athene’s Institutional Administration platform.
• Design and deliver enterprise integrations with financial, accounting, treasury, and operational systems.
• Translate complex business requirements into simple, reliable technical solutions with stakeholders.
• Champion modern software engineering practices, including AI-enabled development, cloud-native architecture, automation, CI/CD, and secure delivery.
• Provide technical leadership through architecture reviews, mentoring, and engineering standards.

Skills

Python

FastAPI

React/TypeScript

PostgreSQL

AWS

CI/CD

Infrastructure as Code

Observability

Security

AI in development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / IT / Engineering

Job description

Overview

Purpose: Athene is entering the stable value market through a new institutional business line, creating an opportunity to build the technology platform that will power the administration of these products from the ground up. As the Software Development Lead, you will own the architecture, engineering, and operational excellence of the Institutional Administration platform—the financial book of record supporting contract administration, accounting, reconciliation, and financial reporting. This role offers rare end‑to‑end ownership of a green‑field platform supporting a strategic growth initiative with executive sponsorship and live business. Working closely with Finance, Actuarial, Treasury, Operations, and technology teams, you’ll deliver scalable, AI‑enabled solutions that help transform retirement services.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, development, production support, and continuous evolution of Athene’s Institutional Administration platform, ensuring scalability, resiliency, security, and operational excellence.
• Design and deliver enterprise integrations with financial, accounting, treasury, and operational systems while maintaining strong controls, reconciliation, and audit readiness.
• Partner with Finance, Actuarial, Treasury, Operations, and business stakeholders to translate complex business requirements into simple, reliable technical solutions.
• Champion modern software engineering practices, including AI‑enabled development, cloud‑native architecture, automation, observability, CI/CD, testing, and secure software delivery.
• Provide technical leadership through architecture reviews, mentoring, code reviews, and engineering standards while influencing a blended team of internal engineers and delivery partners.
• Lead production readiness, incident response, platform stability, and continuous improvement initiatives to ensure reliable delivery of business‑critical financial services.

Qualifications and Experience

• 10+ years of relevant experience designing, building, and supporting enterprise software platforms, including ownership of business‑critical production applications or comparable experience.
• Deep expertise developing cloud‑native applications using Python, FastAPI (or similar frameworks), React/TypeScript, PostgreSQL, AWS services, infrastructure as code, and modern CI/CD practices.
• Experience building financial, accounting, insurance, or other highly regulated systems with a strong understanding of enterprise controls, auditability, and operational excellence.
• Demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools to improve software delivery while maintaining accountability for architecture, code quality, testing, and security through strong engineering judgment.
• Proven critical thinker with a bias for action, adaptability, innovation mindset, strong communication skills, and the ability to influence technical and business partners across the organization.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

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. Athene is a Military Friendly Employer.