Software Engineering Manager

Requisition #: 20831 | Full-Time | In Office / Partial Remote from Neenah/Appleton/Oshkosh area | Standard Business Hours

About the Role

J. J. Keller is seeking a Software Engineering Manager who will lead, develop, and mentor a team of software engineers while ensuring the successful delivery of technology solutions that support business objectives. This role provides both strategic and day-to-day leadership for software development initiatives, overseeing project execution, application quality, team performance, and adherence to development and security best practices. The Software Engineering Manager drives continuous improvement, fosters innovation, and ensures solutions are delivered efficiently, securely, and in alignment with organizational goals.

Responsibilities

• Leads, develops, and coaches a team of software engineers by providing clear expectations, feedback, and recognition.
• Participates in the hiring and selection process, writes and conducts performance evaluations, and handles associate relations issues.
• Delivers results aligned with key metrics, including development project timelines, application quality, system uptime, system performance targets, and associate retention.
• Manages the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) process and methodology to ensure high-quality products and services.
• Oversees the development team and construction of site enhancements and changes, ensuring adherence to best practices for development, security, and release management.
• Ensures strong communication and training for technical support relative to site changes.
• Contributes to the overall plans and objectives of the department as a member of the Leadership Team.
• Acts as a mentor and performs code reviews with the team to ensure quality and standards, particularly for contract resources.
• Works with senior members, managers, and architects to assess, introduce, and implement new development frameworks, tools, and processes.
• Coordinates technical implementations and interfaces with the Information Technology team to maintain optimal server configuration, database accuracy, and production moves.
• Owns technical direction and architectural oversight for supported applications and platforms, ensuring alignment with business strategy, enterprise architecture standards, security requirements, scalability objectives, and AI-first engineering practices.
• Provides hands-on technical and architecture leadership, including solution design guidance, architecture reviews, code review support, and oversight of technical decisions to ensure scalable, secure, maintainable, and AI-ready solutions.
• Collaborates with development teams, product owners, and management to balance technical and business needs while ensuring project objectives are met.
• Communicates with third-party vendors, end users, customers, and internal product stakeholders on systems requirements, enhancements, and recommendations to support business direction.
• Develops and maintains a solid understanding of technology tools and trends, remaining current with new developments and their potential impact on the department.
• Ensures secure development practices are adopted across the team, including adherence to OWASP standards, secure coding guidelines, and security-by-design principles throughout the SDLC.
• Collaborates with architecture, security, and product teams to align feature delivery with security requirements and secure design reviews as part of planning and execution.
• Manages expenses in line with departmental budgets and corporate business conditions.
• Enforces and supports all company policies and procedures.
• Fully supports the company’s commitment to safety and the environment, striving to maintain a clean, healthy, and safe workplace.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field. Equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• 6+ years of Microsoft stack development experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading software development projects and project teams to successful completion.
• Previous experience leading, coaching, and mentoring team members.
• Experience with Agile project methodologies (preferably Scrum) and project management tracking tools.
• Working knowledge of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including the use of AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot or similar technologies.
• Experience developing full-stack web applications using React and .NET/C#.
• Experience building and consuming RESTful APIs and integrating frontend applications with backend services.
• Object-oriented programming experience.
• Understanding of SQL Server development and database structures.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate, test, and refine AI-generated code before implementation.
• Understanding of secure software development practices, including authentication, authorization, input validation, API security, and protection of sensitive data.

Skills

• Ability to manage multiple system development projects simultaneously and facilitate project team activities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences at all organizational levels.
• Ability to develop and implement employee growth and development plans.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and time management skills.

Schedule

Standard Business Hours

Physical Requirements

• Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment.
• Work involves operation of personal computer equipment for extended periods of time.
• Travel to customer sites and/or industry and training events is required.