Engineering Team Leader

Overview

Black Canyon Consulting (BCC) is actively looking for a highly technical Engineering Team Leader for the role of Technical Program Manager to support our work for the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine (NLM), an institute of the National Institutes of Health. This opportunity is full-time and onsite at the NIH-NCBI in Bethesda, MD. There is the possibility of 1 day/week as remote work.

This position functions as a Technical Program Manager with a VERY strong engineering team management focus, responsible for leading multiple software development teams across high-performance, high-throughput data management systems within NCBI. The Technical Program Manager works closely with NCBI technical leadership to ensure mission-critical applications are reliable, scalable, and aligned with long-term modernization and data infrastructure goals. The Technical Program Manager will serve as a central integrator across engineering domains, ensuring the efficient design, development, and delivery of scalable, secure, and high-performance data systems that underpin cutting-edge biomedical research.

The Technical Program Manager works closely with a Program Head to maintain and enhance data access by serving as the software development team manager and primary program operational contact for technical activities. The TPM reports to the IEB Software Development Section Head. The position is essential to ensuring that the Program under the Program Head can meet long-term program and stakeholder needs with respect to preserving and disseminating data for scientific reuse.

We attract the best people in the business with our competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision coverage, 401k plan with employer contribution, paid holidays, vacation, and tuition and conference reimbursement. If you enjoy being a part of a high-performing, professional service and technology-focused organization, please apply today!

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Serve as the software engineering manager for multiple technical teams delivering high-throughput, high-availability data management systems and ensure they meet schedule, budget, and risk management targets.
• Plan, track, and deliver software initiatives that align with program objectives, schedules, and performance expectations.
• Understanding the Program Head program/project goals and communicating these goals and scope to technical staff in the context of technical activities.
• Collaborating with IEB Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Program Tech Leads to define technology strategy for the program.
• Manage interdependencies between development teams to mitigate risks and ensure efficient collaboration across organizational boundaries.
• Working closely with the CTO to make sure key technical decisions are appropriately vetted.
• Maintain transparent communication with senior management, presenting technical status, risk, and progress clearly and concisely.
• As a member of the Software Section, is responsible for developing and enforcing NCBI standard practices for software development and delivery.
• Oversee the design and delivery of distributed, data-intensive applications built primarily in C++ and Python.
• Directly manage engineers and technical leads, providing direction, performance oversight, and mentoring.
• Foster collaboration, ensuring cohesive team dynamics and shared ownership of outcomes.
• Build a culture focused on accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Coordinating shared technical activities with other programs

Required Skills:

• Eligible to work in the United States (U.S. citizen or permanent resident)
• Master of Science degree in engineering, computer sciences, information systems, bioinformatics, or a related or emerging field.
• 7+ years of experience leading complex software engineering or technical program management initiatives
• Demonstrated expertise in C++ and Python, with the ability to engage directly in technical design discussions and code reviews
• Proven track record of managing software development teams working on highly available, high-throughput data management applications
• Experience building Petabyte-scale data warehousing and data transformation applications
• Experience leading teams in an Agile environment, and able to translate business and policy requirements into sound architecture and designs
• Experience building cohesive, high-performance teams, staff development, and coaching
• Knowledge of Cloud technologies
• Excellent communication and organizational skills

Additional Qualifications:

• Experience implementing DevOps and DataOps practices
• Experience working on projects related to bioinformatics and sequence analysis
• Experience leading teams through Agile transformation
• Prior experience in federal contracting or large-scale mission-driven technical environments

Benefits and Salary

We offer a competitive salary commensurate with experience and location. The targeted range for this position is $145,000 - $190,000.