Software Engineering Manager

Department BSD CTD - Platform Engineering: PlanX About the Department The Center for Translational Data Science (CTDS) at the University of Chicago is a research center whose mission is to develop the discipline of translational data science to impactful problems in biology, medicine, healthcare, and the environment. We envision a world in which researchers have ready access to the data needed and the tools required to make data driven discoveries that increase our scientific knowledge and improve the quality of life. We architect ecosystems of large-scale commons of research data, computing resources, applications, tools, and services for the broader research community to use data at scale to pursue scientific inquiry and accelerate discovery. Learn more at https://gdc.cancer.gov/, https://gen3.org/, https://stats.gen3.org/, and https://ctds.uchicago.edu/. This at-will position is wholly or partially funded by contractual grant funding which is renewed under provisions set by the grantor of the contract. Employment will be contingent upon the continued receipt of these grant funds and satisfactory job performance. Job Summary The Software Engineering Manager possesses the ability to manage multiple engineering teams and team leads, make well-informed engineering decisions and balance resources to help the organization achieve its strategic goals. You will be responsible for leading teams to achieve project objectives and helping individuals define their career paths and realize their goals. As a manager, you will proactively and effectively address management challenges by working with team leads and individuals, as well as serving as a subject-matter expert within all technical areas of all major projects’ and the core product’s scopes. Responsibilities Responsible for a scope vital to the long-term success of the engineering team, in one or more functional areas, providing team leadership and effectively supervising staff. Responsible for defining, improving, and managing engineering processes to ensure efficiency. Responsible for participating in strategy execution and staffing. Oversees design and implementation of top priority technical tasks and timely delivery of such tasks, meeting the required level of quality. Responsible for leading teams to achieve project objectives and helping individuals define their career paths and realize their goals. Proactively and effectively addresses management challenges by working with team leads and individuals. Negotiate complex decisions, present options and persuasively advocate for optimal technical solutions, internally and externally, and acts as a technical consultant and resource for faculty research, teaching, and/or administrative projects. Responsible for design and implementation of top priority technical tasks and timely delivery of such tasks, meeting the required level of quality. Lead team(s) of software engineers/ software engineers in test/ platform engineers and provide technical guidance and leadership for the team to follow best practices and deliver quality software timely while contributing to definitions of technical specifications and review implementation standards. Manage and lead the design of new systems, features, and tools. Solves complex problems and identifies opportunities for technical improvement and performance optimization. Reviews and tests code to ensure appropriate standards are met. Manages employees by establishing annual performance goals, allocating resources, assessing annual performance, and determining individual merit, incentive and/or promotional increases. Provides technical oversight and develops standards, guidelines, and processes for application systems. Creates plans to translate business requirements into well-designed applications while balancing user and business needs, technical competencies, industry developments, and time constraints. Advises decisions on project and infrastructure needs, including the evaluation of server technologies, languages, platforms, and frameworks. Develops timelines and project plans for the team. Formulates and defines specifications for complex installations, maintenance, and upgrades. Identifies and analyzes performance and capacity issues. Performs other related work as needed. Minimum Qualifications Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. --- Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7 years of work experience in a related job discipline. --- Certifications: --- Preferred Qualifications Education: Advanced degree in computer science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, or a relevant quantitative field. Experience: Relevant software development experience, full cycle preferred, including design, coding, testing, and support. Managerial or supervisory experience of cross functional software engineering teams. Advanced programming skills using Python, Golang/Javascript, and other languages like C/C , Java, or C#. Knowledge and or experience with the following: web applications, REST API, microservices, and containers; Unix/Linux programming, open source, and version control experience; configuration management utilities (Chef, Salt, Ansible) and container-based deployment solutions (Docker, Kubernetes); modern database and data analytics technologies (Postgres, MySQL, NoSQL, Elasticsearch, Spark, Hadoop, etc.); and High performance/cloud computing experience (AWS, GCP, Openstack). Experience with CI/CD and version control tools (e.g., Jenkins, Travis, git). Experience with managing open-source projects. Experience with Agile methodologies. Domain experience in biomedical informatics. Preferred Competencies High-level knowledge in all technical areas of all major projects’ and the core product’s scopes or having demonstrated the ability to achieve that level of proficiency in a short period of time. Ability to manage multiple engineering teams and team leads, make well-informed engineering decisions and balance resources to help the organization achieve its strategic goals. Ability to effectively communicate organizational goals and mentor team members by providing constructive and helpful input and feedback. Ability to prioritize and manage team workload to meet critical project milestones and deadlines. Ability to persuade/manage others to adopt new structures or systems to meet objectives. Advanced understanding of computer science principles. Project management skills, including a demonstrated ability to manage multiple teams and projects simultaneously, and own time well, and achieve objectives. Ability to take broad ideas and turn it into a roadmap and high-level tasks, estimate the effort needed to complete them, and ensure the completion of each task, meeting the required level of quality. In-depth knowledge with microservice architecture, design patterns, cloud platforms (AWS/GCP), RESTful API, and web services. Ability to work in a collaborative team and provide technical management of the engineering teams, and to ensure accountability for deliverables and outcomes. Understands and can maintain confidentiality related to sensitive matters such as strategic initiatives, trade secrets, quiet periods, and scientific discoveries yet to be put in the public domain. Working Conditions Office Environment. Application Documents Resume (required) Cover Letter (preferred) When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application. Job Family Information Technology Role Impact People Manager FLSA Status Exempt Pay Frequency Monthly Scheduled Weekly Hours 40 Benefits Eligible Yes Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement Yes Drug Test Required No Health Screen Required No Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required No Posting Statement Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward. The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination. Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form. We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange. All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position. 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