Lead Developer

Role Summary The Lead Developer provides technical leadership, architectural direction, and hands-on application development expertise for enterprise business systems and strategic technology initiatives. This role partners with business and IT leadership to design, develop, integrate, and support scalable, high-quality software solutions that align with organizational goals and operational standards. The ideal candidate combines strong technical depth with leadership, communication, and strategic planning capabilities. This individual will guide development teams through the full software development lifecycle while promoting innovation, operational excellence, system integrity, and continuous improvement. Key Responsibilities  Lead the design, development, and implementation of enterprise application solutions.  Define application architecture, development standards, integration strategies, and best practices.  Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend solutions that improve efficiency, scalability, and business value.  Ensure solutions meet functional, performance, security, compliance, and supportability requirements.  Provide technical guidance, mentoring, and oversight to development teams.  Lead developers through the full software development lifecycle including requirements analysis, design, coding, testing, deployment, and support.  Develop level-of-effort estimates, project timelines, and technical implementation plans.  Ensure projects are delivered with high quality, reliability, and operational stability.  Coordinate with infrastructure, operations, and business teams to resolve system and application issues.  Support onboarding, integration, and data transformation efforts related to acquisitions and new initiatives.  Promote structured development methodologies, governance, and source management practices.  Ensure proper technical documentation, testing procedures, and support transition processes are completed before production deployment.  Communicate project status, risks, opportunities, and technical recommendations to leadership and stakeholders.  Foster a collaborative, innovative, and customer-focused development environment.  Recommend and support ongoing training and professional development for team members. Required Qualifications Education / Experience  Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.  7-10+ years of progressively responsible application development experience.  3-5+ years of technical leadership, architecture, or development team leadership experience.  Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale software development projects and system integrations. Technical Skills (Required)  Strong experience with IBM i application development technologies including

RPG III, RPG IV, RPG

Free, CL/CLLE, DB2, SQL, DDS, DDL, and related development tools.  Experience with modern development and integration technologies such as APIs, web services, JSON, XML, and service programs.  Experience with source management and software lifecycle tools (MD CMS, Aldon, Implementer, TurnOver, Git, etc.).  Understanding of application architecture, software design principles, and system integration methodologies.

Preferred / Plus

 Working knowledge of Python, PHP, Java, .NET, or similar technologies preferred.  Familiarity with cloud technologies, business intelligence, analytics, and data warehouse concepts is a plus.  Retail and merchandising systems experience preferred; JDA MMS experience highly desirable. Leadership & Personal Attributes  Strong leadership, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.  Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.  Ability to translate technical concepts into business-friendly language.  Strong customer service orientation and collaborative mindset.  Self-motivated with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.  Demonstrated ability to drive innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. Work Conditions  Occasional evening or weekend work may be required to support project deadlines and production activities.  Limited travel may be required based on project or business needs.