Applications Manager - Software Development

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP•New York, NY

About The Position

The Applications Manager – Software Development leads Cleary Gottlieb’s in-house enterprise software development team within Enterprise Applications. This hands-on leadership position is responsible for the design, delivery, security, and ongoing support of custom applications across web, SharePoint Online, and mobile technologies, along with integration of those solutions with commercial platforms and third-party products. The manager coaches and develops a team of developers, establishes engineering standards and practices, and works with business stakeholders, Project Management, Business Analysis, other IT teams, and vendors to deliver reliable, secure solutions. The role brings a modern software-delivery approach, including GitHub-based source control and CI/CD pipelines, responsible use of AI-assisted coding tools, and adherence to a documented Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC). It oversees custom application development and maintenance, SharePoint Online solutions using SPFx, intranet and collaboration platforms, architecture, level-three application support, secure development practices, project delivery, and stakeholder communication.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
10+ years of application development experience, including experience leading or mentoring developers.
Strong hands-on experience with SharePoint Online and SPFx, including TypeScript and modern JavaScript frameworks such as React.
Expert-level .NET/C# development and deep knowledge of object-oriented design patterns and their effective application.
Experience with Git and GitHub, including branching and merging strategies, pull requests, and CI/CD or DevOps pipelines such as GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps.
Working knowledge of secure software development, including SSDLC practices, OWASP guidance, code scanning, and dependency management.
Experience with AI-assisted coding tools and understanding of their safe and effective use within a controlled development process.
Experience with software architecture, client-side and server-side components, and large-scale enterprise project implementations.
Proficiency with Microsoft SQL Server and Transact-SQL.
Experience integrating commercial software with custom solutions and other third-party products, including REST APIs.
Experience with Waterfall and Agile methodologies and the ability to manage projects to completion.
Practical experience providing level-three application support.
Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills, with the ability to work independently and communicate effectively with non-technical stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of InfoDash.
Experience with the Intapp suite of tools, such as Open and Integration Builder.
Experience with the iManage suite of tools, such as Work and SPM.
Experience with Atlassian products such as Jira and Confluence.
Experience with Microsoft 365 development, Power Platform, and Azure services.
Experience managing a software development team in a law firm or other professional services environment.

Responsibilities

Provide guidance, coaching, and leadership to the software development team, including workload and performance management, career development, and regular feedback.
Set and manage team objectives and tasks, and provide updates on the team, projects, and priorities to IT leadership and stakeholders.
Lead development and maintenance of custom applications across web, SharePoint Online, and mobile technologies.
Direct the design and delivery of SharePoint Online solutions using SPFx, including web parts, extensions, and integrations with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Graph.
Support and extend the firm’s intranet and collaboration platforms, including InfoDash solutions where applicable.
Architect applications for scale, complexity, security, and fault tolerance, and contribute to design and implementation.
Provide level-three application support and resolve issues in a timely, customer-focused manner.
Establish and evolve software development tools and practices, including GitHub repositories, branching and pull request workflows, and automated build, test, and deployment pipelines.
Guide the responsible adoption of AI-assisted coding tools and set standards for code review, testing, intellectual property, and protection of confidential firm and client information.
Ensure code is clean, reusable, well-tested, and adheres to coding standards and best practices; create guidelines as needed.
Apply Waterfall and Agile delivery approaches as appropriate to projects and stakeholders.
Ensure custom-developed software follows the firm’s documented and approved SSDLC, with security requirements incorporated into specification and design.
Enforce source-control, change-management, peer-review, and release-approval controls, and maintain separation between development, test, UAT, and production environments.
Integrate logging, monitoring, vulnerability detection, code scanning, and security testing into development, following practices such as OWASP.
Ensure developers complete annual secure-coding training and follow secure-coding guidelines for the languages in use.
Uphold firm policies on data governance, information security, and the end-to-end development lifecycle.
Manage projects through completion, including project definition, scheduling, and coordination with Project Management, Business Analysis, and other departments.
Work with business users to determine functional requirements, translate them into technical requirements, and manage stakeholder expectations in clear, non-technical terms.
Anticipate, identify, and communicate problem areas, and work with others to formulate and implement solutions.
Collaborate with third parties and vendors on technical solutions that support business processes, and with other IT teams on new systems, upgrades, and enhancements.