VP of Engineering

Position
Software Engineering Manager

Description


Universal Background provides industry leading people insights to safety sensitive organizations in a simplified experience through our best-in-class background screening, drug testing, occupational health, and verification services. We are proudly ranked as an industry leader in quality and service delivery. To support the company's continued growth, we are seeking a Program Manager to join our growing team.

Job Summary
The Software Engineering Manager is responsible for leading a team of software engineers in designing, developing, and delivering high-quality software solutions. This role combines technical leadership with people management, requiring hands-on expertise in modern development technologies and databases. The ideal candidate will have deep technical knowledge in .NET framework, multiple database systems, and AWS data warehousing solutions, while effectively managing team performance, project delivery, and technical strategy. This position requires proven experience leading and collaborating with distributed teams, including offshore development resources across multiple time zones, as well as proficiency in implementing and leveraging modern AI-assisted development tools to enhance team productivity.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of software engineers across various skill levels, both onshore and offshore
• Conduct regular one-on-ones, performance reviews, and career development planning
• Recruit, onboard, and retain top engineering talent
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across distributed teams
• Set clear goals and expectations aligned with business objectives
• Manage team capacity, resource allocation, and workload distribution across multiple locations
• Build and maintain strong relationships with offshore development teams
• Establish effective communication protocols and workflows for distributed team collaboration
• Ensure alignment and consistency in development practices across all geographic locations
• Champion adoption of AI-assisted development tools and best practices across the team

Technical Leadership

• Provide hands-on technical guidance and code review oversight for both onshore and offshore teams
• Define and enforce coding standards, best practices, and development methodologies across all teams
• Make critical architectural and technical decisions for projects
• Stay current with emerging technologies and evaluate their applicability
• Participate in complex technical problem-solving and troubleshooting
• Champion technical excellence and software craftsmanship within the team
• Facilitate knowledge transfer and technical mentoring across distributed teams
• Lead the evaluation, implementation, and optimization of AI-assisted development tools
• Establish guidelines for effective and responsible use of AI coding assistants

Software Development & Architecture

• Lead the design and development of scalable, maintainable software solutions
• Architect applications using .NET framework and related technologies
• Design and optimize database schemas across SQL and NoSQL platforms
• Implement data warehousing solutions using AWS services
• Ensure application performance, security, and reliability
• Drive technical innovation and modernization initiatives
• Coordinate technical implementation across onshore and offshore development teams
• Leverage AI-assisted tools to accelerate development and improve code quality

Project & Delivery Management

• Plan and execute software development projects from conception to deployment
• Collaborate with product managers to define requirements and priorities
• Manage project timelines, milestones, and deliverables across distributed teams
• Identify and mitigate technical risks and dependencies
• Ensure on-time delivery of high-quality software releases
• Implement and refine Agile/Scrum development processes
• Coordinate sprint planning, daily standups, and retrospectives across time zones
• Manage handoffs and dependencies between onshore and offshore teams
• Establish clear documentation and communication practices for asynchronous collaboration
• Measure and track productivity improvements from AI-assisted development adoption

Database & Data Management

• Oversee database design, implementation, and optimization across multiple platforms
• Ensure data integrity, security, and compliance with regulations
• Design and implement ETL processes and data pipelines
• Optimize query performance and database efficiency
• Manage database migrations and upgrades
• Implement backup, recovery, and disaster recovery strategies

AI-Assisted Development & Productivity

• Implement and standardize use of AI coding assistants (GitHub Copilot, Claude, Cursor) across the team
• Train team members on effective prompting and utilization of AI development tools
• Establish security and compliance guidelines for AI tool usage
• Monitor and optimize team productivity gains from AI-assisted development
• Stay informed about emerging AI development tools and their potential applications
• Balance AI assistance with maintaining core development skills and code quality
• Ensure code generated by AI tools meets security and quality standards

Collaboration & Communication

• Work closely with cross-functional teams including product, QA, DevOps, and business stakeholders
• Communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Provide regular status updates and reports to senior leadership
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and technical discussions within the team
• Manage stakeholder expectations and build strong working relationships
• Maintain effective communication channels with offshore teams using collaboration tools
• Bridge cultural and time zone differences to ensure smooth team operations
• Conduct regular video conferences and ensure inclusive team participation

Offshore Team Collaboration

• Manage daily operations and deliverables of offshore development resources
• Ensure offshore teams have clear requirements, specifications, and acceptance criteria
• Monitor offshore team productivity, code quality, and adherence to standards
• Address technical blockers and provide timely support to offshore developers
• Facilitate effective handoffs between onshore and offshore teams
• Manage escalations and resolve issues arising from distributed development
• Coordinate training and skill development for offshore team members
• Roll out AI-assisted development tools to offshore teams with appropriate training

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities for process improvements and automation
• Implement CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Establish metrics and KPIs to measure team performance and software quality
• Drive post-mortem analyses and incorporate learnings into future work
• Promote testing strategies and quality assurance practices
• Optimize processes for distributed team efficiency and collaboration
• Continuously evaluate and improve AI tool integration into development workflows

Position Requirements

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field
• Master's degree preferred

Experience:

• 8+ years of software development experience
• 3+ years in a software engineering management or technical lead role
• Proven track record of delivering complex software projects
• Extensive hands-on experience with the required technology stack
• 3+ years of experience managing or collaborating with offshore development teams
• Demonstrated success leading distributed teams across multiple time zones and geographies
• Experience with vendor management or offshore partner coordination (preferred)
• 1+ years of hands-on experience implementing and using AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Claude, Cursor, or similar platforms
• Proven track record of driving AI tool adoption and measuring productivity improvements

Technical Skills

Programming & Frameworks

• Expert-level proficiency in .NET Framework (.NET Core, ASP.NET, C#)
• Strong understanding of object-oriented programming, design patterns, and SOLID principles
• Experience with RESTful API design and development
• Knowledge of front-end technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, modern frameworks)
• Familiarity with microservices architecture

Database Technologies

• Advanced hands-on experience with MS SQL Server (T-SQL, stored procedures, indexing, performance tuning)
• Proficiency in MySQL (query optimization, replication, administration)
• Strong experience with PostgreSQL (advanced queries, functions, extensions)
• Expertise in MongoDB (document modeling, aggregation framework, sharding)
• Deep understanding of relational and NoSQL database design principles
• Experience with database migration strategies and version control

AWS Data Warehousing

• Hands-on experience with AWS Redshift for data warehousing solutions
• Knowledge of AWS data services (S3, Glue, Athena, EMR, Kinesis)
• Experience designing and implementing data lakes and data warehouses
• Understanding of dimensional modeling and star/snowflake schemas
• Familiarity with ETL/ELT processes and tools

AI-Assisted Development Tools

• Hands-on experience with GitHub Copilot (code suggestions, completions, chat features)
• Proficiency with Claude (for code generation, debugging, architecture discussions)
• Experience with Cursor IDE (AI-powered code editing, refactoring, multi-file editing)
• Understanding of effective prompting techniques for AI coding assistants
• Knowledge of AI tool limitations, security considerations, and best practices
• Experience establishing team standards and workflows for AI-assisted development
• Ability to evaluate and review AI-generated code for quality, security, and maintainability

Additional Technical Skills

• Version control systems (Git, GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps)
• CI/CD tools and practices (Jenkins, Azure Pipelines, GitHub Actions)
• Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Cloud platforms (AWS preferred, Azure, GCP)
• Testing frameworks and methodologies (unit, integration, automated testing)
• Monitoring and logging tools (Application Insights, CloudWatch, ELK stack)
• Agile/Scrum methodologies
• Collaboration and project management tools (Jira, Confluence, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom)
• Experience with remote code collaboration tools (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket)

Preferred Certifications

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect or AWS Certified Database Specialty
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate or similar .NET certifications
• Database certifications (Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
• Scrum Master or Agile certifications
• GitHub Copilot or AI-assisted development certifications (if available)

Key Competencies

• Strong leadership and people management skills
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical thinking
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal abilities
• Technical depth combined with strategic thinking
• Ability to balance hands-on technical work with management responsibilities
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Mentoring and coaching abilities
• Conflict resolution and decision-making skills
• Passion for technology and continuous learning
• Results-oriented with attention to quality and detail
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and manage multiple priorities
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills for global team collaboration
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity when working with diverse, international teams
• Flexibility to accommodate meetings and support across different time zones
• Ability to establish trust and rapport with remote team members
• Experience creating clear documentation that enables asynchronous work
• Strong delegation and task management skills for distributed teams
• Patience and clarity in explaining technical concepts across language barriers
• Forward-thinking approach to adopting emerging technologies and tools
• Ability to balance innovation with pragmatism and risk management

Special Requirements

• May require on-call availability for critical incidents
• Occasional travel may be required to offshore development locations
• Flexibility required for meetings with offshore teams across different time zones
• Some on-call availability for critical production issues

• Must be proficient in the English language, both written and verbal.

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

• Ability to lift 50 pounds.

Selected candidates will be required to pass a comprehensive background check and drug screening.


Universal Background is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visa.


Universal Background is committed to creating a diverse work environment and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Full-Time/Part-Time
Full-Time


This position is currently accepting applications.