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Software Development Manager Jobs in Sterling, VA

Software Development Project Manager

Herndon, VA

$107K - $179K/yr

  • Medical

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

MANTECH seeks a motivated, career and customer-oriented Software Development Project Manager to join our team in Herndon VA . As a Project Manager on our team, you will lead a team of a high ...

.NET Software Development Project Manager

Rockville, MD

$128K - $173K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Skills: .NET Software Development, Project Management, Software Development Certifications: None Experience: 6 + years of related experience US Citizenship Required: No Discover a career that is ...

.NET Software Development Project Manager

Rockville, MD

$128K - $173K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Skills: .NET Software Development, Project Management, Software Development Certifications: None Experience: 6 + years of related experience US Citizenship Required: No Discover a career that is ...

Showing results 21-40

Software Development Manager information

See Sterling, VA salary details

$78.7K

$140.7K

$176.8K

How much do software development manager jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 19, 2026, the average yearly pay for software development manager in Sterling, VA is $140,731.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $122,300.00 and $161,400.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a software development manager do?

As a software development manager, your primary responsibilities are to oversee software development teams and to act as a liaison between your teams and senior management. You hire and train new staff, manage and evaluate existing developers, provide guidance on the design and implementation of new software applications, and ensure that projects stay on schedule and within budget. You collaborate with upper-level management and your developers to make sure that new and existing software applications meet business objectives.

What does a software development manager do?

A Software Development Manager oversees teams of software engineers to ensure successful planning, development, and delivery of software projects. They coordinate project timelines, allocate resources, and facilitate communication between team members and stakeholders. Additionally, they mentor developers, set technical standards, and help align software initiatives with business objectives. Their role balances technical expertise with leadership and project management responsibilities.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a software development manager?

To thrive as a Software Development Manager, you need a solid background in software engineering, leadership experience, and usually a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with project management tools (like Jira or Trello), version control systems (such as Git), and sometimes certifications like PMP or Scrum Master are highly beneficial. Exceptional communication, problem-solving abilities, and the capacity to motivate and mentor teams are critical soft skills. These competencies ensure successful project delivery, foster team development, and align technical efforts with business goals.

How does a software development manager typically balance technical leadership with people management responsibilities?

As a Software Development Manager, you’ll find that balancing hands-on technical leadership with people management is a central part of the role. You’ll spend part of your time guiding architectural decisions and overseeing code quality, while also focusing on coaching, mentoring, and supporting your team’s professional growth. Effective delegation, setting clear priorities, and maintaining open communication with both developers and stakeholders are key to managing these dual responsibilities. Many managers also work closely with product managers, QA, and other departments to ensure alignment across projects.

What is the difference between Software Development Manager vs Software Engineer?

AspectSoftware Development ManagerSoftware Engineer
ResponsibilitiesOversees development teams, manages projects, sets strategic goalsDesigns, codes, tests software applications
Required SkillsLeadership, project management, technical expertiseProgramming, problem-solving, technical skills
CredentialsBachelor's or higher in CS or related field, often with experience in managementBachelor's or higher in CS or related field
Work EnvironmentTeam management, collaboration with stakeholdersIndividual or team coding tasks, development environments

The main difference between a Software Development Manager and a Software Engineer lies in their focus and responsibilities. Managers oversee teams and projects, while engineers focus on designing and coding software. Both roles require technical skills, but managers also need leadership and project management abilities.

What are the most commonly searched types of Software Development jobs in Sterling, VA?

The most popular types of Software Development jobs in Sterling, VA are:

What job categories do people searching Software Development Manager jobs in Sterling, VA look for?

The top searched job categories for Software Development Manager jobs in Sterling, VA are:

What cities near Sterling, VA are hiring for Software Development Manager jobs?

Cities near Sterling, VA with the most Software Development Manager job openings:

Infographic showing various Software Development Manager job openings in Sterling, VA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 57% In-person, 29% Hybrid, and 14% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $140,731 per year, or $67.7 per hour.

Software Development Manager, Amazon Optics, Amazon Optics

Amazon

Herndon, VA • On-site

$127K - $167K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 22 days ago


Amazon rating

7.4

Company rating: 7.4 out of 10

Based on 7,096 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

6th of 39 rated national retailers


Job description

The Amazon Optics team is looking for a Software Development Manager who will join the team to help build and manage services that are used by AWS and Amazon employees to secure our physical sites. Our services allow our customers to protect all Amazon locations and preserves the trust that all Amazon users have in us. You'll work with other engineers every day that are as passionate as you are about building systems that are an essential tool for our customers in keeping Amazon sites secure! The services you build are used around the world to secure assets for every single AWS customer! Your solutions will impact our customers directly!
This job requires you to constantly hit the ground running and your ability to learn quickly and work on disparate and overlapping tasks will define your success. High Impact production issues often require coordination between multiple Development, Operations and IT Support groups, so you get to experience a breadth of impact with various groups.
The ideal candidate is proactive, responsive, flexible, strategic and able to succeed within an open collaborative peer environment. They have a combination of in-depth knowledge of computer science principles and how to support a customer facing system. They demonstrate creative ideas to building services which improve usability and eliminate functional defects in production level code at the API, component, feature and UI levels.
In this role, you'll have independent technical ownership on new customer features and supporting architecture on a day to day and week to week basis. You'll be working on the brain of Amazon Optics that is used to secure our customer spaces. This role will involve working with various Optics customers and partners to solve large scale customer and engineering problems and have fun working with a pool of talented and exciting engineers. We do happy hours, demos and tech talks to show off our work consistently and ensure everyone is growing within their role regularly. You should be passionate about building, improving and championing the product and a strong sense of ownership is a must.
Key job responsibilities
• You are accountable for the team's structure, software, and strategic direction.
• You partner with engineers on your team by delegating oversight of components, processes, and/or operations.
• You lead with empathy and recognize the need to create a sustainable workload for your teams. You understand that there will be times where extra effort is needed to meet business goals and you lead your team through those situations with positivity.
• You build a team that delivers successfully without you. When you are involved, you use your technical judgment to question proposals and test assumptions in order to improve the outcome for customers, stakeholders, or your team.
• You independently own a software architecture, product, or suite of products with considerable business impact. The software is part of a larger business strategy.
• You work backwards from the customer, defining a vision of their need and how the product at hand will successfully resolve it.
• You tackle complex problems and proactively mitigate risks before they become roadblocks.
• You provide your team with the necessary support to take responsibility for their systems end-to-end
A day in the life
Identify areas where new best practices and workflows are needed and develop them
Prioritize and delegate work while clearing roadblocks to success.
Delegate as necessary while maintaining ownership
About the team
Our team and customers are distributed across the globe with most of our team members on the East Coast heavily concentrated in the DMV area and JFK and some members in the Seattle area.
Diverse Experiences
Amazon Security values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn't followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don't let it stop you from applying.
Why Amazon Security?
At Amazon, security is central to maintaining customer trust and delivering delightful customer experiences. Our organization is responsible for creating and maintaining a high bar for security across all of Amazon's products and services. We offer talented security professionals the chance to accelerate their careers with opportunities to build experience in a wide variety of areas including cloud, devices, retail, entertainment, healthcare, operations, and physical stores.
Inclusive Team Culture
In Amazon Security, it's in our nature to learn and be curious. Ongoing DEI events and learning experiences inspire us to continue learning and to embrace our uniqueness. Addressing the toughest security challenges requires that we seek out and celebrate a diversity of ideas, perspectives, and voices.
Training & Career Growth
We're continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth's Best Employer. That's why you'll find endless knowledge-sharing, training, and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.
Work/Life Balance
We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why flexible work hours and arrangements are part of our culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there's nothing we can't achieve.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- 3+ years of engineering team management experience
- 7+ years of working directly within engineering teams experience
- 3+ years of designing or architecting (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
- 8+ years of leading the definition and development of multi tier web services experience
- Knowledge of engineering practices and patterns for the full software/hardware/networks development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, certification, and livesite operations
- Experience partnering with product or program management teams
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience in communicating with users, other technical teams, and senior leadership to collect requirements, describe software product features, technical designs, and product strategy
- Experience in recruiting, hiring, mentoring/coaching and managing teams of Software Engineers to improve their skills, and make them more effective, product software engineers
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you're applying in isn't listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.
The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.
USA, MD, Annapolis Junction - 184,900.00 - 250,200.00 USD annually
USA, VA, Herndon - 184,900.00 - 250,200.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Seattle - 184,900.00 - 250,200.00 USD annually

What Amazon employees say

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Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom


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About Amazon

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Amazon.com, Inc., commonly known as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company. It was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and initially started as an online marketplace for books. Since then, Amazon has expanded its operations and become one of the largest e-commerce companies in the world. Amazon's primary business is its online retail platform, where customers can purchase a vast array of products, including electronics, clothing, books, home goods, and much more. The company offers a convenient and user-friendly shopping experience, with features such as fast shipping, customer reviews, and personalized recommendations. In addition to its e-commerce platform, Amazon has diversified its business into various other areas. One of its notable ventures is Amazon Web Services (AWS), a comprehensive cloud computing platform that provides services such as storage, compute power, and database management to individuals and businesses. AWS has become a leader in the cloud computing industry, powering many websites and applications worldwide. Amazon has also developed its own consumer electronics, including the popular Amazon Kindle e-reader, Fire tablets, Fire TV streaming devices, and the Alexa-powered Echo smart speakers. The Alexa voice assistant, integrated into these devices, allows users to interact with their devices using voice commands, perform tasks, and access information. Furthermore, Amazon has expanded into media and entertainment. It operates Prime Video, a streaming service that offers a wide range of movies, TV shows, and original content. Amazon Music provides a platform for streaming and purchasing digital music, while Audible offers audiobooks and other audio content. The company's commitment to customer satisfaction and convenience is demonstrated by its membership program, Amazon Prime. Prime members receive various benefits, including free two-day shipping, access to streaming services, exclusive deals, and more.

Industry

It services, book publishers, retail, real estate, computer and electronic product manufacturing and software development

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Seattle, WA, US