Appian Development Lead – Platform & Architecture Lead

ICF•Washington, DC

13h•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a senior Appian Development Lead/Application Architect to lead an Appian delivery team building scalable, secure, and high-performing enterprise applications. This role is hands-on and technical, combining Appian solution design, development leadership, and technical mentorship to ensure high-quality delivery and long-term maintainability. You will work closely with program and product leadership to translate business requirements into effective Appian solutions while applying Appian and industry best practices to reduce risk, maximize reuse, and minimize technical debt. This role is expected to provide technical thought leadership by identifying improvement opportunities and bringing practical, actionable ideas to both internal leadership and client stakeholders. This position is Hybrid, with a preference for an on-site presence in Washington, DC. Remote candidates will be considered with the ability to travel quarterly.

Requirements

Strong hands-on experience designing and building solutions on the Appian platform
Experience leading Appian developers in an enterprise delivery environment
Solid understanding of BPM concepts, application architecture, and integration patterns
Experience implementing development and testing best practices across the software development lifecycle
Experience working in agile delivery environments, with a solid understanding of Scrum, Kanban, or scaled agile frameworks (such as SAFe)
Ability to collaborate effectively within large, multi-team delivery programs and align technical work to sprint, release, and program-level planning
Demonstrated ability to proactively drive platform innovation, challenge existing delivery patterns, and introduce measurable improvements in efficiency, quality, and scalability
Ability to balance hands-on development with team leadership and technical oversight
Strong communication skills and the ability to work directly with technical and non-technical stakeholders
7+ years of application development experience, including 5+ years of deep, hands-on Appian platform experience in complex enterprise environments
5+ years of experience leading Appian development teams, including accountability for delivery outcomes, code quality, and release stability
5+ years of experience designing BPM and workflow-based solutions in large-scale environments
5+ years of experience building and supporting Appian integrations (APIs, services, data exchanges)
Solid understanding of application architecture, performance, scalability, and security considerations
5+ years of experience identifying and implementing platform or delivery improvements that resulted in measurable gains in efficiency, stability, or scalability
5+ years of experience modernizing legacy Appian implementations and reducing technical debt through refactoring, reuse strategies, and improved design patterns
5+ years of hands-on experience designing, optimizing, and supporting enterprise database systems used in Appian applications
5+ years of experience working in agile delivery environments, including multi-team programs or large initiatives
Appian Certified Lead Developer (or ability to obtain within a defined timeframe)

Nice To Haves

Experience operating within scaled agile delivery environments (e.g., SAFe), including cross-team coordination, release planning, and enterprise-level backlog alignment
Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Demonstrated track record of staying current with Appian platform releases and proactively introducing new capabilities into enterprise solutions
Experience leading performance testing, tuning, and scaling of large, production Appian applications environments with high user volumes
Experience designing or supporting Appian solutions in cloud-based environments (AWS, Azure), including secure integration patterns and data architecture considerations
Experience evaluating and implementing newer Appian platform capabilities (e.g., AI features, Intelligent Document Processing, Process HQ) in enterprise solutions
SAFe or other agile certification

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and implementation of Appian applications, including interfaces, process models, records, integrations, and data structures
Proactively identify opportunities to improve Appian delivery practices, architecture, or platform usage, and bring clear, actionable recommendations to program leadership and clients
Translate business and functional requirements into clear technical designs and Appian implementations
Provide hands-on technical leadership to an Appian development team, overseeing day-to-day development activities and delivery execution
Review Appian designs and configurations to ensure adherence to Appian best practices, performance standards, scalability, and security expectations
Coach and mentor developers on Appian platform capabilities, reusable patterns, and development best practices
Perform design and code reviews to improve quality, consistency, and maintainability
Support performance tuning, scaling, and root-cause analysis for complex technical issues
Partner with program leadership to identify and resolve technical risks, dependencies, and delivery challenges
Create and maintain technical documentation such as architecture diagrams, interface designs, and implementation guidelines
Continuously evaluate team delivery performance and introduce improvements that reduce cycle time, rework, and technical debt
Identify opportunities to modernize existing Appian solutions using newer platform capabilities (e.g., AI Composer, Process HQ, Intelligent Document Processing)
Proactively bring forward innovation ideas, proof-of-concepts, and platform optimization recommendations to internal and client leadership
Champion reuse of components, automation of repetitive tasks, and simplification of overly complex workflows
Establish measurable improvements in release stability, performance, and maintainability
Stay current on Appian platform releases and emerging capabilities, and actively evaluate their applicability to existing solutions
Identify modernization opportunities within legacy Appian implementations and develop practical, phased improvement plans
Challenge existing delivery patterns and drive improvements that reduce complacency, increase efficiency, and improve long-term maintainability