Technical Manager - Maintenance & Modernization

First Rate, Inc; Arlington (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Health Savings Account contributions

Profit sharing

Paid parental leave

Choice PTO

Life and disability insurance

Charitable giving & sabbaticals

Job summary

First Rate, Inc. seeks a Technical Manager – Maintenance & Modernization to lead the modernization of the product ecosystem. You will drive hands-on technical leadership, guide onshore and offshore teams, and collaborate with Product Managers to prioritize modernization and reduce technical debt.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in software development with leadership, and at least 5 years of WebFOCUS experience, plus strong Agile practices and architectural skills for scalable solutions.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional software development experience, including leadership responsibilities.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with WebFOCUS programming language (required).
• Experience managing distributed and offshore engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead maintenance and modernization across First Rate’s product ecosystem.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership and architectural guidance to onshore and offshore teams.
• Collaborate with Product Managers to prioritize modernization initiatives.
• Develop and implement standardized maintenance and modernization processes.
• Mentor engineers in debugging, refactoring, and modernization of complex legacy code.

Skills

Technical leadership

Agile development

Distributed teams management

WebFOCUS

Debugging & troubleshooting

Architectural guidance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Tools

WebFOCUS tooling

Job description

At First Rate, we help financial institutions transform complexity into confidence through innovative WealthTech solutions, services, and data insights. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Arlington, Texas, First Rate serves clients around the world while remaining privately held, entrepreneurially driven, and focused on building long-term relationships.

Our culture is guided by four core values: Love, Give, Serve, and Enjoy. These values shape how we support one another, serve our clients, and invest in our communities. We believe meaningful work and meaningful lives go hand in hand, creating an environment where co-workers can grow professionally, make an impact, and enjoy the journey

ABOUT THE ROLE

This position offers the opportunity to work alongside talented professionals, solve complex challenges, and contribute to initiatives that help drive the future of our products, services, and business. Success in this role requires a commitment to excellence, strong teamwork, and alignment with First Rate's culture and values.

This role is accountable for leading the technical maintenance and modernization efforts across First Rate’s product ecosystem. The Technical Manager – Maintenance & Modernization is responsible for driving the transition of custom-built client programs into scalable, supportable base product capabilities, while ensuring ongoing system stability and maintenance excellence.

This role provides hands-on technical leadership and architectural guidance to onshore and offshore teams, collaborates closely with Product Managers to recommend modernization priorities, and develops repeatable maintenance and upgrade processes that accelerate client upgrade cycles and reduce long-term technical debt.

STRATEGIC WORK

Contribute to the departments and company’s success by identifying modernization opportunities, reducing reliance on custom code, and recommending scalable product-aligned solutions that improve upgrade velocity, operational efficiency, and client experience.

TACTICAL WORK

Lead and manage onshore and offshore maintenance and modernization teams across Afghanistan, Chile, India, and other current or future development centers.

• Maintain expert-level, hands-on knowledge of WebFOCUS-based solutions and custom client implementations.
• Evaluate existing custom programs and collaborate with Product Managers to recommend candidates for conversion into base product functionality.
• Develop and implement standardized maintenance and modernization processes designed to accelerate client upgrade cycles.
• Ensure technical design documentation is created and maintained for complex legacy and modernization initiatives.
• Oversee and enforce unit testing and validation processes for all maintenance and modernization deliverables.
• Mentor engineers in debugging, refactoring, and modernizing complex legacy programs.
• Communicate maintenance health, modernization progress, and upgrade readiness to product leadership and stakeholders.
• Enforce software development life cycle methodologies and modernization best practices.
• Assist with Quality Assurance, Technical Writing, and Configuration Management as needed.
• Support internal and external client inquiries related to maintenance, upgrades, and legacy functionality.

Experience/Education Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (ex. IT related, Engineering, Mathematics or similar) required.
• 7+ years of professional software development experience, including leadership responsibilities.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with WebFOCUS programming language (required).
• Ability to assess, refactor, and modernize complex legacy systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and analytical problem-solving skills.
• Experience managing distributed and offshore engineering teams.
• Strong knowledge of Agile development and modernization best practices.

CHARACTERISTICS:

• Strong technical leadership presence with modernization mindset.
• Ability to balance long-term modernization goals with short-term maintenance needs.
• Detail-oriented with a focus on quality, scalability, and sustainability.
• Comfortable collaborating cross-functionally with Product Managers and stakeholders.
• Proactive in identifying technical risks, upgrade blockers, and improvement opportunities.
• Works effectively in a fast-paced, distributed team environment.

BENEFITS & PERKS*

We believe in investing in our co-workers by providing benefits that support health, financial well-being, personal growth, and life outside of work.

Highlights include:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage available from your date of hire
• Company-funded Health Savings Account (HSA) contributions
• Profit sharing opportunities
• Paid parental leave
• Choice Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Company-paid life and disability insurance
• Unique employee perks including charitable giving, retreats, and long-service sabbaticals

*Benefits and eligibility are subject to applicable plan documents and company policies