Contract Software Engineering Manager Jobs in Appleton, WI

• Leads, develops and coaches team:
  • Provides clear expectations, feedback and recognition
  • Participates in the hiring/selection process
  • Writes and conducts performance evaluations and progress reports
  • Handles associate relations issues
• Delivers results in line with the following key metrics/accountabilities:
  • Development project timelines
  • Application quality, system uptime and system performance targets
  • Associate retention
• Manages the Software Development Life Cycle process and methodology to ensure a high level of quality for all products and services.
• Oversees development team and construction of site enhancements and changes.  Ensures 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 other senior members, managers and architects to assess/introduce/implement new development frameworks, tools and processes.
• Coordinates technical implementations and interfaces with Information Technology team to maintain optimal server configuration, database accuracy/integrity and for coordination of staging 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 for supported applications and platforms, 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 needs 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 the technology tools and trends and remains current in new technology 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, secure design reviews as part of planning and execution.
• Carries out responsibilities in a fair, ethical and non-discriminatory manner and ensures that staff follows these same guidelines.
• 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 and strives to maintain a clean, healthy and safe workplace.

Education

• 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.

Experience

• 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.

Other Skills/Qualifications

• 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.

Internal J. J. Keller experience requirements may vary from those for external candidates, with consideration given to demonstrated performance, institutional knowledge, and career progression within the organization.

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 also required.