Software Engineering Senior Manager

Worky; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 195,000 - 234,000; Full time

Job summary

Sidley Austin LLP is seeking a Software Engineering Senior Manager to architect, build and operate a cloud‑native automation platform on Azure. This role emphasizes technical leadership with a strong background in cloud and distributed systems, and people management is a secondary focus.

The candidate will drive architecture for Azure services, containers, and pipelines, mentor engineers, and ensure scalable, secure deployment patterns across multi‑stage DevOps pipelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related field; or equivalent professional experience with cloud architecture expertise
• Minimum 6 years of hands‑on software engineering experience building cloud‑native applications on Azure
• Minimum 3 years of experience with Azure Container Apps, AKS, or equivalent container orchestration platforms
• Minimum 2 years of people management experience leading software engineering teams
• Proven track record delivering distributed systems in production using microservices and event‑driven patterns
• Hands‑on experience with Azure Service Bus, Azure database services including Azure SQL Database with Elastic Pools, Azure PostgreSQL Flexible Server, managed identity authentication, connection pooling, and private endpoint configuration
• Deep understanding of microservices communication patterns
• Proficiency in C# and .NET including NET Core Web API, Async/await, LINQ, DI, EF Core
• Proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript including JS development, npm/pnpm, module systems, Bash/PowerShell
• Container image build and deployment workflows including Dockerfile optimization and ACR integration
• Mentoring software engineers on cloud‑native development patterns and Azure architecture
• Strong code review skills for backend APIs and infrastructure code
• Systematic troubleshooting for distributed systems
• Analytical skills for capacity planning, performance optimization, and cost analysis

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve the distributed system architecture for the cloud-native automation platform, including Azure Container Apps, Service Bus, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Blob Storage
• Design event-driven architectures using Azure Service Bus for high-volume asynchronous processing
• Optimize platform performance, cost, and operational complexity through architectural improvements
• Lead .NET backend development including ASP.NET Core APIs, CQRS with MediatR, Entity Framework Core, and FluentValidation
• Conduct code reviews ensuring adherence to SOLID principles, async programming best practices, and distributed systems patterns
• Own and evolve multi-stage Azure DevOps YAML pipelines including multi-phase infrastructure deployment, container image builds, and environment-specific deployments
• Manage and mentor software engineers, focusing on cloud engineering skill development

Skills

Cloud architecture

Distributed systems

People management

Azure

C#/.NET

Event-driven

Code reviews

SOLID principles

CQRS/MediatR

Performance tuning

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/SE or related

Azure cloud architecture certifications (AZ-400/305/204/104)

Tools

Azure DevOps

AKS

Azure Container Apps

Azure Service Bus

Azure SQL Database

Azure PostgreSQL

Redis

Entity Framework Core

Docker

Bicep/Terraform

Job description

The Software Engineering Senior Manager is a senior technical leader responsible for architecting, building, and operating the firm's cloud-native automation platform. This role requires deep expertise in Azure cloud architecture, distributed systems, and software engineering.

This is a technical leadership role first, people management second. The ideal candidate comes from a cloud engineering, platform engineering, or full-stack development background with DevOps expertise.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design and evolve the distributed system architecture for the cloud-native automation platform, including Azure Container Apps, Service Bus, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Blob Storage
• Design event-driven architectures using Azure Service Bus for high-volume asynchronous processing
• Optimize platform performance, cost, and operational complexity through architectural improvements
• Lead .NET backend development including ASP.NET Core APIs, CQRS pattern with MediatR, Entity Framework Core, and FluentValidation
• Conduct code reviews ensuring adherence to SOLID principles, async programming best practices, and distributed systems patterns
• Own and evolve multi-stage Azure DevOps YAML pipelines including multi-phase infrastructure deployment, container image builds, and environment-specific deployments
• Manage and mentor software engineers, focusing on cloud engineering skill development

Education and/or Experience:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or related technical field; or equivalent professional experience with demonstrable cloud architecture expertise
• Minimum 6 years of hands‑on software engineering experience building cloud‑native applications on Azure
• Minimum 3 years of experience with Azure Container Apps, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), or equivalent container orchestration platforms
• Minimum 2 years of people management experience leading software engineering teams
• Proven track record delivering distributed systems in production using microservices architecture and event‑driven patterns
• Hands‑on experience with Azure Service Bus, Azure database services including Azure SQL Database with Elastic Pools, Azure PostgreSQL Flexible Server, managed identity authentication, connection pooling, and private endpoint configuration
• Deep understanding of microservices communication patterns including synchronous HTTP, asynchronous messaging, event‑driven architecture, and service discovery
• Proficiency in C# and .NET (minimum .NET 6, preferably .NET 8+) including NET Core Web API with Controllers, Async/await patterns and Task‑based asynchronous programming, LINQ and lambda expressions, Dependency injection and Options pattern and Entity Framework Core
• Proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript including js development, Async patterns (Promises, async/await), npm/pnpm package management, Module systems (CommonJS, ES modules) and scripting proficiency in Bash or PowerShell for deployment automation and troubleshooting
• Container image build and deployment workflows including Dockerfile optimization, multi‑stage builds, and Azure Container Registry integration
• Proven ability to mentor software engineers on cloud‑native development patterns, distributed systems concepts, and Azure architecture
• Strong code review skills with ability to provide constructive feedback on backend APIs, infrastructure code, and integration logic
• Systematic troubleshooting approach for complex distributed systems issues
• Strong analytical skills for capacity planning, performance optimization, and cost analysis

Preferred:

• Expert‑level experience with Azure DevOps YAML pipelines including multi‑stage pipelines, pipeline templates, variable groups, and environment‑based deployments
• AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions
• AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
• AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure
• AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator

Advanced Technical Skills

• Experience with .NET Aspire for cloud‑native application orchestration and service discovery
• Experience with CQRS and Mediator patterns (MediatR or equivalent)
• Event Grid and Event Hubs for event‑driven architectures
• Agile/Scrum certifications including Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or SAFe Agilist
• Experience in professional services industry (legal, financial services, accounting, consulting)
• Understanding of enterprise security and compliance requirements (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR)
• Familiarity with legal technology or document management systems
• Deep Azure networking expertise including VNETs, subnets, Network Security Groups, private endpoints, Private DNS Zones, VNET peering, Application Gateway, and NAT Gateway
• Ability to diagnose Azure networking problems including DNS resolution failures, private endpoint connectivity issues, and Application Gateway routing problems
• Expert‑level Bicep or Terraform proficiency with ability to read, write, and debug complex Infrastructure-as-Code modules (500+ lines)

Other Skills and Abilities:

The following will also be required of the successful candidate:

• Strong organizational skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Good judgment
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
• Able to work harmoniously and effectively with others
• Able to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities

#LI-OE1

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or in the future

The target salary range for this role is:

$195,000 - $234,400 if located in Illinois, New York, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts or Washington, D.C.

Salaries vary by location and are based on numerous factors, including, but not limited to, the relevant market, skills, experience, and education of the selected candidate. Our compensation package also includes bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits program. Benefits information can be found at Sidley.com/Benefits.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the Duties and Responsibilities above satisfactorily and meet the requirements. The requirements listed above are representative of the minimum knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. If you need such an accommodation, please email [e-mail] (current employees should contact Human Resources).

Sidley Austin LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer.