Senior Development Manager

Job Description

Job Description

General Information

• Job Code: CIT-DV-05M
• Location: Ripple Effect Headquarters – Rockville, MD 
• Employee Type: Exempt, Full-Time Regular
• Telework: Partial
• Salary Range: $141,803.00 - $163,073.00 (how we pay and promote) 

Position Overview

Are you passionate about building applications that make work smarter and faster?

As a Senior Development Manager with the Ripple Effect team, you will play a pivotal role in our Digital Transformation efforts. You will lead technical execution and system design across projects, overseeing delivery schedules, quality processes, and cross-functional coordination. In this role, you will manage client communications, contribute to budget planning, and drive continuous improvement through data-informed decision-making and project management. You will supervise a diverse technical team, managing workload distribution, guiding problem-solving, and providing performance feedback. You will also support hiring, onboarding, and training to ensure team growth and success.

While not an exhaustive list, the key duties for the position include:

• Leads technical execution in designing new systems and enhancing existing ones by evaluating feasibility, managing deviations, and communicating design decisions to stakeholders. (This ensures that software solutions are developed and improved according to requirements and project plans.)
• Facilitates cross-functional meetings, authors strategic communications (e.g. proposals and executive summaries), and ensures alignment of messaging across teams and stakeholders.
• Manages incoming technical requests and system enhancement tickets including triaging, prioritizing, and assigning work items while ensuring alignment with project goals, timelines and resource availability
• Translates business and user requirements into actionable technical specifications, including user stories, acceptance criteria, and implementation considerations to guide development teams.
• Leads the development of integrated project schedules, manages resources to meet contractual milestones, and ensures timely completion of all technical and administrative tasks.
• Takes accountability for the effectiveness of quality management processes during project execution and leads initiatives to promote risk-based thinking and continuous improvement across teams.
• Leads compliance efforts for technical projects, ensures alignment with contractual obligations, and responds to client inquiries regarding regulatory adherence.
• Leads the development of technical documentation – including methodologies, procedures, and findings – and ensures that documentation supports reproducibility and quality assurance.
• Coordinates cross-functional activities, implements innovative solutions to integration challenges, and develops scalable processes that promote efficiency and learning across teams.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Degree
• 12+ years of relevant software/app/AI development experience, additional education substitutes for experience, including:
• 4+ years of project management experience
• 2+ years of supervisory experience
• 4+ years of experience with federal government

Basic Requirements

• Proven software/app developer, with proficiency in programming languages such as C++, Python, Java, JavaScript, R, and scripting languages (e.g., Bash).
• Experience with databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and/or ElasticSearch
• Leader in routine use with AI/ML frameworks and tools (e.g., NLP libraries), including their limitations and risks, and how they can be applied to support project management tasks.
• Experience supporting federal clients or agencies (e.g., HHS, IRS, DoD, CMS) with an understanding of government operating structures and decision-making processes
• Familiarity with development tools and environments including Jupyter Notebooks, GitHub, GitLab, Agile/Scrum, and CI/CD pipelines
• Experience leading complex, cross-functional IT projects from initiation through closeout, and serving is primary point of contact for clients, including briefing senior stakeholders
• Demonstrated success managing multiple concurrent projects or task orders
• Experience managing the technical intake processes, including gathering, documenting, and validating business & systems requirements from stakeholders
• Ability to write clear, structured requirements documentation, including user stories, acceptance criteria, and technical specifications
• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated ability to execute instructions
• Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office productivity software and collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint
• Ability to travel and or report on-site to Ripple HQ (Rockville, MD) or client locations (in the DMV-area) on an as-needed basis.

Skills That Set You Apart

• Undergraduate or advanced degrees
• Experience in biomedical, clinical, or scientific computing domains.
• Familiarity with cloud-native development and container orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience implementing documentation and knowledge management strategies
• Strong understanding of Section 508 compliance and accessibility standards

About Ripple Effect

Ripple Effect is a woman-owned, 200-person company of communicators, scientists, researchers, and analysts. Established in 2003, and named as one of the “Best and Brightest Companies to Work For” in 2024 and 2025 by the NABR, Ripple Effect has earned acclaim for delivering unparalleled consulting services and top-tier talent across federal, private, and non-profit sectors.

Benefits

At Ripple Effect, we reward our employees for their contributions to our mission. Our comprehensive total rewards package includes competitive pay, exceptional benefits, and a range of programs that support your work/life balance and personalized preferences.

Learn more about our benefits and culture here.