Software Development Engineer III (SDE III) Tech Lead

About Braille Works

Braille Works is a family-owned, Christ-centered company and one of the nation's leading providers of reading materials for people who are visually impaired and blind. We are dedicated to Making the world a more readable place™, delivering high-quality, accessible documents for our clients in healthcare, finance, and education.

Summary

We are seeking a Software Development Engineer III (Technical Lead) who will serve as a hands-on technical leader responsible for guiding architecture, improving technical planning, and establishing repeatable technical planning and decision documentation practices across our software solutions.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Include The Following

• Drive improvements that increase both development speed and quality of outcomes.
• Help drive, review, and refine major technical design decisions across applications and deployment pipelines.
• Evaluate technical approaches, documenting tradeoffs and risks in a way that supports clear, timely decision-making.
• Partner with IT and cross-functional teams to align on solution direction and technical feasibility.
• Translate business requirements into developer-ready work items, including:
  • Acceptance criteria
  • Edge cases and examples
  • Dependencies and sequencing
  • Clear definition of done
  • Improve planning quality to increase predictability in estimates and delivery timelines.
  • Create repeatable technical planning and decision documentation practices across the team.
  • Create lightweight documentation practices so technical decisions and plans are easy to find, understand, and reuse.
  • Mentor engineers and raise overall technical quality.

Mentorship and Quality Oversight

• Lead and reinforce code quality through structured reviews, review coaching, and technical guidance.
• Support engineers in solving complex technical challenges and improving design thinking through pairing and hands-on support.
• Ensure consistency in development practices and adherence to established standards.

Continuous Improvement and Delivery Support

• Identify architectural risks and areas for improvement; develop actionable plans to address them.
• Improve backlog clarity, prioritization, and readiness for development.
• Support continuous improvement of development workflows, CI/CD processes, and deployment practices.

Role Impact (first Phase Expectations)

• Gain familiarity with the codebase, tools, and workflows.
• Develop a prioritized list of architectural risks and improvement opportunities, along with a practical plan to address the top items.
• Provide targeted review leadership, especially for changes with broader architectural impact.
• Begin improving backlog clarity, technical planning consistency, and development workflows through documentation and mentorship.

Qualifications And Skill Requirements

• Senior-level software engineering experience with demonstrated technical leadership.
• Strong system design and architecture experience, with a track record of improving application quality over time.
• Proven ability to translate business requirements into structured, developer-ready technical plans.
• Experience with C#, Blazor, and modern application development frameworks.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and deployment processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to document technical decisions and tradeoffs clearly.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Will provide technical mentorship and guidance to software engineers and development team members.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position operates in a hybrid work environment with the expectation that the employee is able to report to the designated office location as needed for meetings, trainings, audits, or other business requirements. This role may require periodic on-site presence based on business needs. Advance notice will be provided when possible; however, flexibility to support in-person needs is required based on operational and contractual obligations.

Company-wide Standards And Compliance Requirements

• Comply with all company policies, procedures, and documented standards.
• Protect sensitive and confidential information in accordance with company data protection and security policies.
• Adhere to approved data transmission protocols and system usage requirements.
• Follow acceptable use standards for technology and internet access to reduce cybersecurity risk.
• Maintain physical security controls, including proper badge use and prevention of unauthorized access.
• Demonstrate professional, respectful, and work-appropriate conduct at all times.
• Adapt to system, workflow, and procedural changes as business needs evolve.
• Cooperate with cross-functional support and assist other departments when assigned.
• Maintain and continuously develop the technical, interpersonal, and conceptual skills required for the role.
• Support additional hours as needed to meet client delivery commitments and service level agreements (SLAs), based on business demand.

Other Duties

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS

• Sit, walk and stand.
• Talk or hear, both in person and by telephone.
• Use hands repetitively to handle, feel or operate standard office equipment.
• Reach with hands and arms.
• Lift up to 25 pounds.
• Close vision, distance vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• Use written and oral communication skills.
• Read and interpret data, information and documents.
• Analyze and solve non-routine and complex office administrative problems.
• Observe and interpret situations.
• Learn and apply new information or skills.
• Perform highly detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks.
• Work under intensive deadlines with frequent interruptions.
• Interact with managers, staff, customers, the public and others encountered in the course of work.

Pre-employment Requirements & Position Details

• Computer-based skills assessment.
• Criminal background check and client-required screening.
• Drug screening (medical exemptions considered in accordance with applicable law).

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

Braille Works is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

ADA & Reasonable Accommodation Statement

The company is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations will be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position. Applicants requiring accommodation during the application or hiring process should notify Human Resources.

Accessibility Commitment

The organization is committed to accessibility and inclusive practices. We strive to ensure that our workplace, communications, and digital content are accessible to individuals with disabilities and comply with applicable accessibility standards.