Lead Application Engineer

Location: Irvine, California (Onsite)

This opportunity is structured as a contract-to-hire position.

About the role

The Lead Engineer for Enterprise Applications is responsible for driving the design, development, modernization, and lifecycle management of enterprise application portfolios. This role leads end-to-end delivery—from requirements through production—while optimizing applications for scalability, cost-efficiency, and business agility. The position plays a critical role in advancing digital transformation through application rationalization, cloud adoption, and modern engineering practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of web, mobile, and cloud-native applications using modern frameworks and architectures.
• Define and govern technical architecture, development standards, and technology stack selection (e.g., React, Node.js, .NET, Java, Python).
• Drive Agile execution, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, and release management.
• Incorporate AI-assisted development tools to improve engineering productivity and quality.
• Assess application portfolios to identify redundancy, technical debt, and opportunities for consolidation or modernization.
• Lead modernization initiatives such as microservices adoption, API enablement, and containerization.
• Manage and allocate engineering resources based on skills, capacity, and strategic priorities.
• Mentor engineers, conduct code reviews, and promote best practices in modern development.
• Ensure applications meet standards for performance, security, accessibility, and reliability.
• Champion CI/CD, automated testing, observability, and DevOps best practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of software development experience, including 5+ years leading engineering teams and modernization initiatives.
• Proven experience delivering customer-facing applications and leading enterprise application transformations.

Skills

• Strong proficiency in modern development stacks (JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Node.js, Java/.NET, Python, or similar).
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS/Azure), containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), and microservices architectures.
• Hands-on experience with Agile and DevOps tools such as JIRA, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or Terraform.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• PMP, AWS Certified Developer, TOGAF, or similar certifications in cloud, architecture, or modernization.
• Experience with AI/ML platforms or frameworks (e.g., Azure AI, AWS AI/ML services).
• Exposure to building or integrating conversational AI, recommendation systems, or intelligent automation solutions.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance plans.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP).
• 401K program with company match after 12 months of tenure.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) on the HDHP plan.
• SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions.
• Corporate discount savings program and other discounts.
• On-demand training program, access to certification prep, and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars after 6+ months of tenure.
• Certification discounts and perks for associations including CompTIA and IIBA.
• Dedicated customer service team for consultants and a certified Career Coach.