Software Engineer Manager and Full Stack Developer

POSITION SUMMARY

CFD Research is seeking an experienced Software Engineering Manager with strong full stack development capabilities to lead a team of engineers delivering high-quality software solutions. This role blends technical depth with people leadership — the ideal candidate is comfortable reviewing architecture decisions in the morning and running a 1:1 in the afternoon. You will own the full software development lifecycle for your team's domain, mentor engineers at all levels, partner with stakeholders across the organization to align technical execution with business objectives, and engage with external customers.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Team Leadership & Management

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of full stack engineers across varying experience levels
• Define team goals, manage workload, and foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement
• Partner with HR and senior leadership on hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning

Technical Oversight

• Serve as a hands-on technical lead capable of contributing code, reviewing PRs, and resolving architectural blockers
• Establish and enforce coding standards, testing practices, and CI/CD workflows
• Drive technical roadmap decisions in collaboration with product and architecture teams
• Evaluate and recommend tooling, frameworks, and platform improvements

Project Delivery

• Own end-to-end delivery of software features and systems from scoping through deployment
• Translate business requirements into technical tasks and sprint-level work
• Track velocity, identify risks early, and communicate status clearly to stakeholders (internal and external)
• Coordinate with DevSecOps, QA, and infrastructure teams to ensure reliable, secure delivery

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as the primary engineering interface for product managers, business development, and program sponsors
• Participate in proposal and SOW development where technical staffing or level-of-effort estimates are needed
• Represent the engineering team in program reviews, design sessions, and client-facing meetings as appropriate

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience)
• 5+ years of software development experience, with 2+ years in an engineering management or tech lead role
• Proven full stack development proficiency: frontend (React, Vue, or Angular), backend (Node.js, Python, Java, or .NET), and database design (SQL and NoSQL)
• Experience leading Agile/Scrum teams in a delivery-focused environment
• Demonstrated ability to hire, retain, and develop engineering talent
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present technical content to non-technical audiences
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and containerized deployment (Docker/Kubernetes)
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance is required 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in defense, government contracting, or research engineering environment
• Familiarity with DevSecOps practices and security-conscious development (e.g., STIG compliance, zero-trust architecture)
• Active security clearance or demonstrated ability to obtain one
• Experience with CI/CD toolchains (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions)
• Exposure to data-intensive or simulation-driven applications

TECHNICAL SKILLS SUMMARY

Frontend

React, Vue, Angular, TypeScript, HTML/CSS

Backend

Node.js, Python, Java, RESTful APIs, GraphQL

Data & Storage

PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis

Cloud & DevOps

AWS / Azure / GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform

Version Control & CI/CD

Git, GitHub / GitLab, Jenkins, GitHub Actions

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Technical Leadership — guides architecture decisions and elevates team capability
• People Development — coaches engineers toward promotion-readiness and long-term growth
• Delivery Accountability — owns commitments end-to-end and communicates proactively
• Stakeholder (internal and external) Engagement — translates between technical and non-technical audiences
• Adaptability — thrives in fast-moving, multi-priority environments