Team Lead, Software Engineer - Data

ACV Auctions; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 125,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

ACV Auctions in Buffalo, NY is seeking a Team Lead, Software Engineer to guide and elevate an engineering team focused on VIN Decoder domain. You will balance hands-on coding with people leadership, shaping architecture, and mentoring engineers in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

You will drive multi-cloud infrastructure, in-memory data processing, and scalable Python services while partnering with Product to translate roadmaps into deliverable features.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 5+ years hands-on production Python development.
• 2-4+ years Terraform/Infrastructure as Code concepts.
• 3-5 years of active experience building, maintaining, and optimizing automated pipelines.
• 2-4 years applying domain driven design principles to architect and build complex systems.
• Experience with in-memory data processing and monitoring tools (e.g., DataDog).
• Strong communication and collaboration in a fast-paced global team environment.
• Deep practical experience operating within Agile development environments and leading sprints.

Responsibilities

• Directly manage a small team of software engineers responsible for VIN Decoder domain and growth.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, provide actionable feedback, and map out career progression paths for reports.
• Cultivate a collaborative, inclusive team culture and empower engineers to innovate.
• Provide technical leadership through mentoring, coaching, and code review feedback to raise quality.
• Facilitate communication across engineering, product and business teams for alignment and delivery.
• Participate in feature development, code reviews, and problem-solving across core services.
• Own scrum and agile ceremonies: planning, stand-ups, grooming, reviews, retrospectives.
• Drive the technical vision for multi-cloud infrastructure and in-memory technologies.

Skills

Python backend

Terraform

Distributed systems

Agile/Scrum

Mentoring

SQL

REST APIs

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/IT or related field

Job description

If you are looking for a career at a dynamic company with a people-first mindset and a deep culture of growth and autonomy, ACV is the right place for you! Competitive compensation packages and learning and development opportunities, ACV has what you need to advance to the next level in your career. We will continue to raise the bar every day by investing in our people and technology to help our customers succeed. We hire people who share our passion, bring innovative ideas to the table, and enjoy a collaborative atmosphere.

Who we are

ACV is a technology company that has revolutionized how dealers buy and sell cars online. We are transforming the automotive industry. ACV Auctions Inc. (ACV), has applied innovation and user-designed, data driven applications and solutions. We are building the most trusted and efficient digital marketplace with data solutions for sourcing, selling and managing used vehicles with transparency and comprehensive insights that were once unimaginable. We are disruptors of the industry and we want you to join us on our journey.

At ACV we focus on the Health, Physical, Financial, Social and Emotional Wellness of our Teammates and, to support this, we offer:

• Multiple medical plans including a high deductible, low cost health plan
• Company-sponsored (paid) Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, and Life Insurance
• Comprehensive optional benefits such as Dental, Vision, Supplemental Life/AD&D, Legal/ID Protection, and Accident and Critical Illness Insurance
• Generous paid time off options, including uncapped vacation days, the greater of 3 paid sick days or in accordance with the applicable state or local paid sick leave law, 6 paid company holidays, 2 floating holidays, parental leave, bereavement leave, jury duty leave, voting leave, and other forms of paid leave as required by applicable law or regulation
• Employee Stock Purchase Program with additional opportunities to earn stock in the Company
• Retirement planning through the Company’s 401(k)

Who are we looking for

We are looking for an exceptional Team Lead, Software Engineer to lead, architect, and elevate our engineering team. We need a leader who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and is passionate about solving complex technical challenges.

The ideal candidate has a strong foundation in software development, database design, multi-cloud environments, and in-memory data technologies. You bring deep technical expertise in software development, demonstrate strong communication and collaboration skills, and embrace a hands-on, problem-solving mindset to tackle ACV's most challenging data engineering problems.

In this dual-impact role, you will serve as a senior technical authority while directly managing and mentoring a team of talented software engineers. You will bridge the gap between high-level business strategy and technical execution, ensuring your team ships high-quality, scalable software while fostering an environment of continuous growth and collaboration.

If you are passionate about solving complex architectural challenges and is equally invested in developing the careers of those around you, this is the perfect opportunity.

This is a hands on keyboard and team lead/manager role.

What you will do

• Directly manage a small team of software engineers responsible for VIN Decoder domain, owning their performance, growth, and day-to-day engagement.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, provide actionable and constructive feedback, and map out clear career progression paths for your direct reports.
• Cultivate a collaborative, inclusive, and psychologically safe team culture where engineers are empowered to innovate and take ownership.
• Provide technical leadership through mentoring, coaching, and strong design/code review feedback, helping raise overall engineering quality.
• Facilitate effective communication across engineering, product, and business teams to ensure alignment and successful delivery.
• Actively participate in feature development, code reviews, and technical problem-solving across the team's core services.
• Own scrum agile methodologies within the team. Facilitate and lead core Agile ceremonies including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, backlog grooming/refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
• Drive the technical vision for your team’s domain, making critical decisions on multi-cloud infrastructure, in-memory technologies, and overall system architecture.
• Drive predictable execution against team commitments, balancing delivery, quality, and operational excellence.
• Establish clear priorities, roadmaps, and execution plans aligned with organizational objectives.
• Monitor and improve key engineering and business metrics related to system reliability, delivery performance, and customer outcomes.
• Ensure software solutions are secure, scalable, maintainable, and aligned with ACV engineering standards.
• Architect, develop, and maintain robust Python backend services operating seamlessly across a complex multi-cloud infrastructure.
• Partner closely with Product Managers to define technical roadmaps, scope projects, translate epics into actionable user stories, and deliver features on time.
• Foster a culture of ownership, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Identify technical, operational, and delivery risks and proactively drive mitigation plans.
• Collaborate with engineering leaders across ACV to improve development practices, operational processes, and platform capabilities.
• You will need to maintain standard Eastern Time (ET) working hours to ensure seamless collaboration with your team and direct reports
• Participate in on-call rotation
• Other duties as assigned.

What you will need

• Ability to read, write, speak and understand English.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent work experience)
• 0–2 years of people management experience preferred, including mentoring, developing engineers, and running effective Agile/sprint ceremonies
• 5+ years hands-on production experience programming in Python preferred
• 2-4+ years of experience working with Terraform/Infrastructure as Code concepts
• 3-5 years of active experience building, maintaining, and optimizing automated pipelines
• 2-4 years of hands-on experience applying domain driven design principles to architect and build complex systems
• Experience architecting and designing systems from the ground up, including making pragmatic decisions for scalability, reliability, and maintainability.
• Experience with in-memory data processing, database monitoring and diagnostic tools, preferably DataDog.
• Strong experience integrating 3rd-party APIs, implementing authentication & authorization and developing asynchronous data flows.
• Strong experience developing unit and integration-tests, and setting expectations for test strategy and coverage
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in a fast paced global team environment.
• Deep practical experience operating within and leading Agile development environments, with a strong understanding of how to run effective sprints and agile ceremonies

Our Values

Trust & Transparency | People First | Positive Experiences | Calm Persistence | Never Settling

At ACV, we are committed to an inclusive culture in which every individual is welcomed and empowered to celebrate their true selves. We achieve this by fostering a work environment of acceptance and understanding that is free from discrimination. ACV is committed to being an equal opportunity employer regardless of sex, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, national origin, age, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, disability, military status, status as a veteran, or any other protected characteristic. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires reasonable accommodation, please let us know. For information on our collection and use of your personal information, please see our Privacy Notice.

No immigration or work visa sponsorship provided for this position.

Compensation

The compensation range for this position is listed in the "Job Details" section at the bottom of this posting. Please note that final compensation will be determined based upon the applicant's relevant experience, skill set, location, business needs, market demands, and other factors as permitted by law.