Lead Developer

Job Description

Job Description

Lead Developer
Information Technology Department Based in Harmarville, PA or Washington DC, near Metro (on-site)

 

Organization:
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is North America’s neighborhood union; standing together to improve the lives and livelihoods of workers, families and communities. Our members work primarily in the retail food, meatpacking, poultry, food processing and manufacturing and retail store industries.

Location:
Harmarville, PA and Washington DC, near Metro (on-site)

Position Description: 
The Lead Developer is responsible for designing, developing, maintaining, and providing technical oversight of UFCW's web-based application portfolio. This is a senior individual contributor role requiring deep full-stack experience, sound engineering judgment, and the ability to operate independently in a small, mission-driven organization. The incumbent must be comfortable inheriting systems, making and defending technical decisions, and working directly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Include the following. Other duties may be assigned. This list is not exhaustive and may be supplemented.

Development & Application Architecture

• Design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain web applications and supporting services.
• Lead technical design discussions and recommend scalable, maintainable solutions.
• Ensure applications meet performance, security, accessibility, and usability standards.
• Maintain code quality through testing, peer review, documentation, and adherence to development standards.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, system architecture diagrams, and development standards.

Technical Ownership & Team Leadership

• Assume technical ownership of existing applications, infrastructure, databases, integrations, and deployment processes.
• Conduct code reviews and establish development standards, coding best practices, and quality assurance processes.
• Lead knowledge transfer activities related to inherited and legacy applications.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation to support business continuity, succession planning, and operational stability.
• Evaluate technical debt and recommend modernization strategies.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for complex application issues and technical troubleshooting.

Vendor, Local Union & Stakeholder Collaboration

• Collaborate extensively with UFCW departments, Local Unions, vendors, and other stakeholders to identify business needs and develop technology solutions that support organizational objectives.
• Coordinate technical activities with external development partners, ensuring alignment with UFCW standards, project requirements, and quality expectations.
• Review vendor deliverables for accuracy, quality, security, and adherence to organizational standards.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with Local Union staff and external partners to support application development and ongoing system improvements.

Reporting, Operations & Continuous Improvement

• Create, maintain, and enhance end-user reports using SQL, reporting services, and other reporting tools.
• Monitor application performance and troubleshoot production issues across the full technology stack.
• Triage, prioritize, track, and resolve software defects and operational issues.
• Participate in technology planning, modernization initiatives, and process improvement efforts.
• Support disaster recovery, backup, business continuity, and application resiliency planning.
• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of the Information Technology Department and UFCW's mission.

DIRECTION & DECISION MAKING
This position operates with a high degree of independence and technical authority. The Lead Developer exercises significant judgment in software architecture, system design, development methodologies, technology selection, troubleshooting, and implementation strategies. The incumbent is expected to independently prioritize work, evaluate technical alternatives, recommend solutions, and provide guidance to leadership regarding application development and technology investments.

QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field; equivalent experience may be substituted.
• Minimum seven (7) years of experience designing, developing, maintaining, and supporting full-stack web applications.
• Strong technical proficiency with C#, .NET Core, REST APIs, React, TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, SQL, relational databases, data modeling, reporting tools, and source control systems (e.g., Git).
• Demonstrated experience troubleshooting applications, documenting systems and technical processes, conducting code reviews, and supporting the full software development lifecycle.
• Strong analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across technical and non-technical teams.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Ability to read COBOL well enough to extract and understand intended behavior from legacy systems. Reading proficiency sufficient; writing is not required.
• Experience with CI/CD pipeline setup and maintenance.
• Cloud hosting and deployment experience, e.g. Microsoft Azure.
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite and related productivity tools.

WORKING CONDITIONS
UFCW is a mission-driven organization dedicated to supporting workers and strengthening Local Unions across North America. This position operates in a collaborative environment that requires close coordination with IT staff, business stakeholders, Local Union representatives, and external vendors.

The role requires balancing multiple priorities, responding to operational needs, and supporting critical business applications. Occasional travel may be required.

Equal Opportunity Employer
UFCW is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce.

This is an exempt position under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Reasonable accommodations will be provided pursuant to state and federal laws.

COMPENSATION
Salary Range: $120,000 – $128,000

The UFCW provides a very generous benefits package, including:

• Comprehensive health insurance coverage.
• Life insurance provided with ability to purchase supplemental life insurance at favorable rates.
• Retirement Savings Account.