Lead, Software Engineer

Description

Your Impact

As a Lead Software Engineer, you are responsible for setting technical direction while remaining deeply engaged in hands-on delivery. You will guide the design and implementation of scalable, reliable software systems, partner closely with product and engineering leadership to translate business needs into technical solutions and ensure engineering best practices are consistently applied. This role combines technical leadership, mentorship, and execution, balancing long-term architectural thinking with day-to-day delivery to help teams ship high-quality software efficiently and sustainably.

We are looking for a Lead Software Engineer to help build and lead a brand-new team for our PDF Accessibility product. This role is well-suited for a self-starter who is comfortable operating with a high degree of ambiguity and helping shape both the team and the technical direction from the ground up. In the early stages, you will be deeply hands-on, spending a significant portion of your time writing code, making architectural decisions, and establishing engineering practices, while laying the foundation for a high- performing team as the product and organization mature.

About CivicPlus

At CivicPlus, we strive to bring our company vision to life through innovation and collaboration. Supported by approachable leadership and transparent communication, we're empowered to make an impact on local government and the residents they serve. Grow your career alongside great people, where authenticity is welcome, successes are celebrated, and potential is nurtured.

What You’ll Do

As a Lead, Software Engineer you will:

- Abstract requirements to analyze and design innovative new software solutions for enhancement of the company’s products

- Responsible for the performance of employees on their team and provides status reports

- Provide technology leadership and mentoring to the team

- Reviews and evaluates the team’s output to ensure that all work adheres to standards and best practices while maintaining a high degree of quality

- Develop code using the company’s best practices and current software patterns

- Read, understand, debug code to find and solve current software problems and resolve defects

- Ensuring code remains compliant with the company’s security, privacy, and open source usage standards

- Understand the team’s deployment pipelines and processes

- Leverage the team’s capabilities to maximize effectiveness

- Understand the high-level architecture employed by the team and cross-product interactions

- Test and own software solutions appropriately throughout their lifecycle

- Actively participate as a full member of an Agile development team

- Deliver unit-tested solutions

- Evident interest in keeping up to date with technology landscape and best practices

- Responsible for completing employee performance reviews and development plans

- May be asked to perform other duties as assigned

What We’re Looking For

We know that excellent candidates come from diverse backgrounds. Even if you don’t meet 100% of the listed requirements, we encourage you to apply!

Preferred Qualifications:

- Proficient with Claude Code

- Understanding of Anthropic & OpenAI models

- Proficient with PHP, MySQL, Laravel

- Proficient with JavaScript

- Understanding of SOLID design principles

- Experience of unit tests and testable code

- Familiarity with AWS

- Highly effective communication skills

- Proficient with source code control tools and techniques

- 6yrs experience as a Senior Developer or Lead

- Professional experience developing highly scalable API's and integrations

- Solid understanding of Web application architecture and operations

- Experience with Agile development processes

Compensation and Benefits

- Estimated Salary Grade Range: $119,100 - $181,100

- - The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience and is based on a 40-hour work week.

- Benefits: Comprehensive health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, Flexible Time Off, 401(k) plan, and more.

Our Hiring Process

- Introductory call with Talent Acquisition

- Interview with the Hiring Manager

- Panel Interview with CivicPlus team members, including an interview project activity

- Offer

Note: The process may vary slightly depending on the role.

Additional Information

- CivicPlus is currently unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position now or in the future. Applicants must be authorized to work in the US.

- This position will remain open until February 18th, 2026, at 3pm CST. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and the posting may close earlier at the discretion of the Talent Acquisition team

Equal Opportunity Commitment

CivicPlus is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We celebrate and support diversity for the benefit of our employees, products, clients, and communities. Reasonable accommodations are available during the interview process.