Squad Lead

Squad Lead

A Squad Lead manages a team of talented engineers to deliver high quality software solutions and services.  A Squad Lead is responsible for teams of 6 to 10 developers/devops. They ensure all projects are delivered to the highest standard with outstanding stakeholder service. They ensure all team members are productive, achieving set goals and advancing technically.

Our Squad Leads believe in servant-leadership. They empower their team, encourage growth, and embrace failure. They lead by example; understand strength comes in unity and leadership begins in the trenches.

Squad Leads are expected to continue to write code, develop software, whether it be for tooling, for automation, code refactoring or for application development.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Capability Development

• Direct manager for a team of 6-10 engineers across different technology skills
• Setting team objectives and conducting Performance Evaluation. Provide regular performance feedback and conduct career planning with staff. Takes appropriate corrective action as needed to promote optimal employee performance.
• Identifying training needs of the team and individuals. Collaborate with Principal Engineers and Tech Leads to develop skills of staff and help advance their careers
• Mentoring and coaching engineers.
• Recruitment (on/off boarding), hiring, and training of new talent
• Ensures individuals and team align with company policies, training, compliance modules etc.

Delivery

• Support interactions with customers and development team to gather and define requirements
• Accountable for the delivery of high quality software solutions, services and the support of such solutions and applications (i.e. Build and Run).
• Ensure the team consistently ships high quality code
• Build strong partnerships with business, operations, infrastructure and other key stakeholder groups
• Analyze risks, issues and other data in supporting teams reaching actionable decisions. Create and manage plans to mitigate risks for all projects in your Squad.
• Ensure the team focuses on removing bottlenecks, improving system performance, and optimizing reliability and maintainability
• Manage resource allocations and priorities effectively.
• Drive cross-team collaboration
• Partner with Product Owners and CJEs to own and plan the backlog and adapt to changes in priorities/requirements/velocity in an agile environment.
• Works with department management and operations team on planning, prioritization and resource allocation initiatives
• Maintains and manages team, customer, and vendor relationships that drive business results
• Provide regular reports to the Area Lead and other departments on your Squad’s achievements, challenges and recommended solutions.

Practice & Craftsmanship

• Work with Chapter Leads, Principal Engineers and other Tech Leads to ensure best practices are implemented and followed.
• Identify and implement appropriate continuous improvement opportunities
• Help improve our engineering tooling and practices

Required Skills

• Excellent Stakeholder Management
• Demonstrates independent thinking and decision-making abilities
• Possesses strong management and leadership skills including, but not limited to, innovation, communication, ability to influence, strategic thinking and planning
• Strong interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and changing business priorities and new requirements
• Strong innovation, influencing, negotiating skills, and strategic agility
• Professional maturity and responsibility. A Squad Lead is expected to take ownership of issues and work with others to resolve them.
• Strong ability to help a team in all facets of the delivery cycle from analysis of requirements, design, development through implementation.
• In depth knowledge of industry standard best practices, development lifecycle processes and methodologies. Experience using agile methodology is a plus.
• Thorough understanding of quality management.
• Experienced in the use of metrics to drive decision making and process change.
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Self-motivated, able to work independently and thrive in a fast-paced, multi-tasking, high productivity environment.
• Action-oriented, decisive approach to work required, with the willingness to take a hands-on role to ensure deliverables are met on time.
• Proven experience and expertise in delivering high quality enterprise applications.