Tech Lead - SSE

Applied Systems is seeking a Staff Software Engineer (Tech Lead) to own technical solutions and provide direction across multiple engineering teams. In this role, you will design, build, and deliver high-quality full-stack features and system enhancements using Python, FastAPI, and ReactJS, while setting standards and guiding engineers across teams.
You will act as a recognized technical expert solving complex architectural problems, leading design and code reviews, and driving adoption of best practices across the engineering organization. This is not a passive individual contributor role. You will provide technical direction, shape architecture, build standards, and deliver production-grade software at pace.
The core responsibilities for the job include the following:
Design and Development:
Research, design, and deliver full-stack solutions using Python, FastAPI, and ReactJS to improve efficiency and effectiveness across multiple engineering teams.
Architect scalable, maintainable RESTful APIs and backend services using Python and FastAPI, integrating with cloud-based infrastructure.
Design and implement responsive front-end applications and components in ReactJS, ensuring performance, accessibility, and cross-browser compatibility.
Define and enforce full-stack architecture standards, coding conventions, and software security practices across the engineering organization.
Technical Leadership:
Provide technical direction and prioritize development of AI-powered tools, frameworks, and processes to enable team delivery.
Lead complex design discussions and code reviews, applying expert knowledge to clarify standards and drive alignment with best practices.
Act as an escalation point and trusted technical advisor for complex engineering problems across multiple teams.
Provide compelling justification for architectural enhancements and gain cross-team buy-in for implementation.
Problem Solving:
Find and resolve complex technical problems, addressing root causes from a broad architectural perspective.
Identify patterns, anti-patterns, and opportunities to reduce technical debt across the full-stack codebase.
Anticipate future technical challenges and address them proactively through adoption of new technologies and internal standards.
Documentation and Standards:
Create and maintain technical documentation, including architecture decision records (ADRs), API contracts, and development guides.
Define and communicate development standards for Python/FastAPI backend services and ReactJS front-end components.
Share knowledge with the team to support design, development, and testing practices across the organization.
Quality and Delivery:
Champion CI/CD best practices and automated testing strategies across unit, integration, and end-to-end testing layers.
Define technical project milestones, identify dependencies, and communicate status to stakeholders to ensure timely delivery.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Requirements:
8+ years of software engineering experience.
Demonstrated experience designing and delivering full-stack solutions with a Python backend and ReactJS frontend.
Experience leading technical design discussions and driving architectural decisions across teams.
Strong background in SaaS application development, cloud environments, and open-source tooling.
Experience with test automation strategies and tools aligned with continuous delivery practices.
Bachelor's degree in computer science, a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Expert knowledge of software engineering principles and practices, including documentation, testing, debugging, data structures, software design, and design patterns.
Expert proficiency in Python for backend development, including asynchronous programming and performance optimization.
Expert proficiency in the FastAPI framework, including dependency injection, middleware, background tasks, and OpenAPI documentation.
Expert proficiency in ReactJS, including state management (e. g., Redux, Context API), component architecture, and modern hooks patterns.
Expert knowledge of modern, cloud-based technologies and software security practices.
Expert knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and best practices for test automation.
Extensive knowledge of Agile frameworks and tools such as Jira and Confluence.
Advanced knowledge of full-stack architecture patterns, including RESTful API design, microservices, and containerization (e. g., Docker).
Demonstrated ability to influence technical decisions and communicate complex concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Proven ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and receive guidance only in the most complex situations.
Enthusiast in using AI effectively and responsibly to increase efficiency and quality delivery of the technical solution.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with containerized environments (e. g., Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud platforms (AWS/GCP).
Familiarity with SQL/NoSQL databases (e. g., PostgreSQL, BigQuery).
Experience with ORMs (e. g., SQLAlchemy) and asynchronous task processing (e. g., Celery, RabbitMQ).

Experience
8-12 yrs