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Contract Software Engineering Manager Jobs in Appleton, WI

ITW Miller

Software Engineer

Appleton, WI

ITW Welding continues to build its capabilities in software development as a core competency in ... with engineering teams, marketing, and product management to develop innovative and reliable ...

SECURA Insurance

Software Engineer

Neenah, WI · On-site

NET technologies, strong problem-solving skills, sound engineering judgment, and the ability to ... managing APIs and data flows * Analyze, design, program, test, and implement new solutions ...

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All JobsContract Software Engineering JobsContract Software Engineering Manager JobsContract Software Engineering Manager Jobs in Appleton, WI

Contract Software Engineering Manager information

See Appleton, WI salary details

$97.1K

$165.3K

$195.6K

How much do contract software engineering manager jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for contract software engineering manager in Appleton, WI is $165,270.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $168,800.00 and $168,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Contract Software Engineering Manager?

A Contract Software Engineering Manager is a professional who leads and oversees software development teams on a contractual basis, rather than as a permanent employee. They are responsible for managing engineering projects, guiding developers, and ensuring timely delivery of high-quality software solutions. Typically, they work for a specific duration or on particular projects, providing leadership, technical expertise, and process improvements. This role is ideal for organizations seeking temporary management support or specialized leadership for critical projects. Contract Software Engineering Managers often bring diverse experience from various industries and projects.

What are some unique challenges faced by contract software engineering managers compared to full-time managers?

Contract software engineering managers often face the challenge of quickly integrating into new teams and company cultures while rapidly understanding ongoing projects. They must establish trust and effective communication in a short period, all while delivering results within limited contract timelines. Additionally, contract managers may need to balance stakeholder expectations and project deliverables without the long-term context or authority that permanent managers might have. Adaptability, strong onboarding skills, and proactive relationship-building are key to thriving in this role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Contract Software Engineering Manager, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Contract Software Engineering Manager, you need strong leadership abilities, deep software development knowledge, and experience managing engineering teams, typically supported by a degree in computer science or related field. Familiarity with project management tools (like Jira or Trello), cloud platforms (such as AWS or Azure), and relevant certifications (e.g., PMP, Scrum Master) is often required. Outstanding communication, adaptability, and conflict-resolution skills help build trust and drive team performance in diverse, dynamic environments. These competencies ensure timely project delivery, high code quality, and effective collaboration with stakeholders.

What is the difference between Contract Software Engineering Manager vs Contract Software Developer?

AspectContract Software Engineering ManagerContract Software Developer
Required CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in CS or related field, management experienceBachelor's in CS or related field, coding skills
Work EnvironmentOversees teams, manages projects, collaborates with stakeholdersFocuses on coding, debugging, implementing features
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, consulting firms, startupsSoftware firms, tech startups, enterprise IT
Common Search & ComparisonManagement responsibilities, leadership rolesTechnical skills, coding focus

The Contract Software Engineering Manager typically oversees development teams, manages projects, and ensures delivery, requiring management experience and leadership skills. In contrast, the Contract Software Developer primarily focuses on coding and implementing software features. Both roles are common in tech industries but differ significantly in responsibilities and required credentials.

What are popular job titles related to Contract Software Engineering Manager jobs in Appleton, WI? For Contract Software Engineering Manager jobs in Appleton, WI, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Contract Software Engineering Manager jobs in Appleton, WI look for? The top searched job categories for Contract Software Engineering Manager jobs in Appleton, WI are:
What cities near Appleton, WI are hiring for Contract Software Engineering Manager jobs? Cities near Appleton, WI with the most Contract Software Engineering Manager job openings:
Contract Software Engineering Manager jobs near you
Infographic showing various Contract Software Engineering Manager job openings in Appleton, WI as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 96% Full Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 79% In-person, and 21% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $165,270 per year, or $79.5 per hour.
Software Test Engineering Manager (IGEN)

Software Test Engineering Manager (IGEN)

U.S. Venture, Inc.

Appleton, WI • On-site

Full-time

Posted 5 days ago

New

U.S. Venture rating

7.3

Company rating: 7.3 out of 10

Based on 16 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

171st of 358 rated retail wholesalers

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY
IGEN is seeking a Software Test Engineering Manager to lead and evolve our Quality Engineering function across all software products and platforms. This role is responsible for defining and executing a modern, automation-first, and AI-enabled quality strategy that ensures scalable, reliable, and high-performing SaaS solutions.
This individual will operate within a Microsoft-based technology ecosystem and Scrum-driven Agile model, partnering closely with Engineering, Product, Platform, and domain experts (tax advisors / logic experts) to ensure both technical quality and business logic accuracy.
The ideal candidate is passionate about driving continuous improvement, intelligent automation, and agentic testing capabilities, while ensuring logic fidelity, regulatory compliance, and customer trust in all product outputs.
The location for this role is on-site in Appleton, WI for 4 days per week (Monday - Thursday) and remote Friday's as business needs allow.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
Quality Strategy, Vision & Governance
  • Define and execute a portfolio-wide Quality Engineering strategy across all IGEN software products
  • Establish a quality-first culture where quality is embedded in design, development, and delivery
  • Translate product risk, customer impact, and system complexity into measurable quality KPIs and release criteria
  • Define and govern:
  • Defect escape rate
  • Test coverage across layers
  • Release confidence scoring
  • MTTR / MTTD

Microsoft & Platform Quality Engineering
  • Lead quality engineering within a Microsoft-centric ecosystem, including:
  • Azure-based SaaS platforms
  • Azure DevOps / GitHub CI/CD pipelines
  • .NET-based services and APIs
  • Define best practices for testing in:
  • Distributed cloud environments
  • Identity-enabled systems (Entra / IAM)
  • Ensure QA is deeply integrated into platform engineering practices

Scrum & Product Team Quality Ownership
  • Embed QA into Scrum teams, ensuring quality ownership throughout the sprint lifecycle
  • Define and enforce Definition of Done, including automation coverage and quality gates
  • Influence:
  • Sprint planning (test strategy and risk)
  • Backlog refinement (testability and acceptance criteria clarity)
  • Ensure product teams deliver with clear accountability for quality outcomes

Logic Validation & Domain Quality (Critical for IGEN)
  • Partner closely with logic experts (tax advisors and domain specialists) to validate:
    • Business rules
    • Regulatory logic
    • Calculation accuracy and scenario coverage
  • Establish structured processes for:
    • Logic validation testing (rule-based and scenario-driven testing)
    • Domain test case design tied to real-world client scenarios
    • Business acceptance validation beyond functional correctness
    • Ensure software quality includes confidence in both technical performance and domain correctness
    • Drive traceability between:
    • Requirements → rules → test coverage → expected outcomes

AI & Agentic Quality Engineering
  • Lead adoption of AI-driven and agentic QA capabilities, including:
  • Autonomous test generation from requirements and user stories
  • AI-assisted test maintenance and self-healing automation
  • Intelligent identification of coverage gaps
  • Establish governance for AI-generated testing and validation outputs
  • Drive evolution toward autonomous QA systems capable of adaptive testing at scale

Test Architecture & Automation Strategy
  • Define and own the enterprise test architecture, including:
  • UI, API, integration, contract, and end-to-end testing
  • Build and scale modular, reusable automation frameworks
  • Integrate automated testing into CI/CD pipelines with:
    • Automated quality gates
    • Real-time feedback loops
    • Drive best practices:
    • API-first testing
    • Test data management
    • Service virtualization
    • Test stability and flakiness reduction

DevOps, CI/CD & TestOps Integration
  • Embed quality engineering into CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps / GitHub Actions)
  • Implement TestOps practices with continuous quality monitoring
  • Drive shift-left and shift-right quality strategies:
  • Early validation within development
  • Production validation via telemetry

Observability & Production Quality
  • Leverage logs, metrics, and traces for production quality validation
  • Implement:
  • Synthetic monitoring
  • Release validation strategies
  • Establish feedback loops from production insights into:
    • Defect analysis
    • Risk prioritization
    • Backlog improvements

Leadership & Team Development
  • Lead, mentor, and develop QA Engineers, SDETs, and automation specialists
  • Act as a player-coach, contributing to design and technical implementation
  • Build organizational capability in:
    • Automation engineering
    • AI-enabled QA
    • Cloud-native testing
    • Foster a culture of shared ownership of quality across engineering teams

Core Behavioral Expectations
  • Strategic thinker with ability to balance speed, risk, and quality
  • Strong communication skills across technical and business stakeholders
  • Ability to lead in a fast-paced, Agile environment
  • Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills
  • Passion for innovation and continuous improvement
  • Lives IGEN values:
    • High Performance
    • Caring Relationships
    • Strategic Foresight
    • Entrepreneurial Spirit
    • Champions efforts to Find a Better Way through innovation and optimization

QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience
  • 5+ years of experience in QA, automation, or SDET roles
  • 3+ years in a leadership role
  • Strong experience with:
    • Test automation frameworks (Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, etc.)
    • API and integration testing
    • CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions)
  • Experience working in Scrum-based Agile environments
  • Programming experience (C#, JavaScript, Python, or Java)
  • Experience with cloud-native SaaS architectures (Azure preferred)

Preferred:
  • Experience with AI-driven or agentic QA approaches
  • Experience with:
  • Performance testing tools
  • Observability platforms
  • Experience integrating security testing and SCA tools
  • Experience working with domain-heavy systems requiring logic validation (e.g., tax, regulatory, or rules-based platforms)

DIVISION:
IGEN
U.S. Venture will not offer sponsorship for employment status (including, but not limited to, H-1B, TN, E-3, F1, CPT, OPT, STEM OPT, visa status and other employment-based nonimmigrant visas) for this position. Accordingly, all applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and must not require U.S. Venture's sponsorship to continue to work legally in the United States. In general, U.S. Venture does not sponsor candidates for nonimmigrant visas or permanent residency except when there is a specific business need.
U.S. Venture will not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. In the absence of an executed recruitment Master Service Agreement, there will be no obligation to any referral compensation or recruiter fee. In the event a recruiter or agency submits a resume or candidate without an agreement, U.S. Venture shall reserve the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers, shall be deemed the property of U.S. Venture.
U.S. Venture, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or other protected characteristic. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may call Human Resources at (920) 739-6101.
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