Lead Full-Stack Developer

Guidehouse•Olympia, WA

2d•$113,000 - $188,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This role involves working closely with clients, leaders, solution architects, and technical and functional leads to support client projects, growth initiatives, and capability development. The Lead Full-Stack Developer will serve as a key member of the modernization team, leading and mentoring full-stack development teams. They will provide technical guidance and architectural oversight for innovative solution prototypes using cloud architectures and modern software technologies. The role requires leading solution architecture and hands-on full-stack engineering for scalable, secure distributed systems using modern programming technologies, AWS-native services, microservices architecture, containerization, and API-first design patterns. Collaboration with user experience designers, platform engineers, product owners, solution architects, business analysts, and full-stack development teams is essential for designing, building, testing, and deploying high-value, operationally resilient software products on AWS. The position involves defining application architecture standards, design patterns, and development best practices, establishing architectural roadmaps for complex modernization projects, and ensuring alignment with AWS Well-Architected Framework principles. The Lead Full-Stack Developer will guide technical decision-making, oversee the implementation of complex distributed systems, and provide escalation support for challenging technical issues while managing timelines, resource allocation, and technical deliverables across multiple concurrent initiatives. Responsibilities also include guiding proof-of-concept development, technical demonstrations, and leading solution architecture efforts for RFPs, technical proposals, and thought leadership initiatives.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship or Green Card status is required.
A bachelor’s degree is required; Additional Four (4) years of exp is needed in lieu of degree.
Minimum of Six (6) years of relevant full-stack application development experience, including at least Four (4) years in leadership or architecture roles.
Experience leading teams and implementing frontend and backend services for cloud-native software products and solutions using technologies such as Python, JavaScript, Django, and Vue.js.
Expert proficiency in Python and JavaScript, with proven experience leading teams of five or more developers.
Proven ability to work independently while leading, mentoring, collaborating with, and supporting team members to solve complex technical problems across multiple concurrent projects.
Proven ability to architect software products and solution prototypes, establish technical standards, validate solution strategies, and explain the tradeoffs of complex design alternatives to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Experience with microservices architecture, API design patterns, containerization using Docker or Kubernetes, serverless computing, and modern CI/CD practices for enterprise-scale applications.
Familiarity with the AWS Serverless Application Model (SAM) and proven design patterns, such as Model-View-Controller, Circuit Breaker, and Event-Driven patterns, is required.
Candidates must also be able to design and build cloud-based software products that align with AWS Well-Architected Framework principles.
This hands-on cloud software architecture and engineering leadership role requires the ability to design, build, deploy, and architect custom AWS cloud applications while leading technical teams.
Proven ability to design, build, test, and deploy software products and solutions on AWS, with demonstrated success in client-facing roles and stakeholder management.
In-depth understanding of Agile and Scaled Agile practices, with extensive experience planning and implementing software products in agile environments while leading development teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to understand customer requirements, engineer solutions, and present complex technical concepts to executive stakeholders.
Must be able to OBTAIN and MAINTAIN a Federal or DoD "PUBLIC TRUST"; candidates must obtain approved adjudication of their PUBLIC TRUST prior to onboarding with Guidehouse.
Candidates with an ACTIVE PUBLIC TRUST or SUITABILITY are preferred.

Nice To Haves

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional certification.
AWS Certified Developer – Associate certification.
Experience with Flask, Docker, Amazon EKS/Kubernetes, AWS Step Functions, Amazon EventBridge, AWS Lambda, Amazon API Gateway, Elasticsearch, caching frameworks, Redis, Memcached, Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, and/or MongoDB.
Experience supporting solution architecture for technical proposal volumes, white papers, RFPs/RFIs, and thought leadership initiatives, with a proven track record in client services or consulting.
Experience with advanced monitoring and observability tools, performance tuning, and capacity planning for large-scale distributed systems.
Proficiency delivering cloud-based software products using modern CI/CD pipeline tools and collaborating with development, operations, and security teams to deliver secure, operationally resilient solutions.
Contributions to open-source projects, technical publications, or thought leadership in application architecture and cloud-native development.

Responsibilities

Work closely with clients, leaders, solution architects, and technical and functional leads across Guidehouse teams and market segments to support client projects, growth initiatives, and capability development.
Serve as a key member of the modernization team, leading and mentoring full-stack development teams while providing technical guidance and architectural oversight for innovative solution prototypes using cloud architectures and modern software technologies.
Lead solution architecture and hands-on full-stack engineering for scalable, secure distributed systems using modern programming technologies, AWS-native services, microservices architecture, containerization, and API-first design patterns.
Collaborate with user experience designers, platform engineers, product owners, solution architects, business analysts, and full-stack development teams to design, build, test, and deploy high-value, operationally resilient software products on AWS that meet functional and non-functional requirements.
Define application architecture standards, design patterns, and development best practices across teams; establish architectural roadmaps for complex modernization projects; and ensure alignment with AWS Well-Architected Framework principles.
Lead technical decision-making, oversee implementation of complex distributed systems, and provide escalation support for challenging technical issues while managing timelines, resource allocation, and technical deliverables across multiple concurrent initiatives.
Guide proof-of-concept development and technical demonstrations to validate solution strategies, and lead solution architecture efforts for RFPs, technical proposals, and thought leadership initiatives.

Benefits

Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance
Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays
Parental Leave
401(k) Retirement Plan
Group Term Life and Travel Assistance
Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance
Health Savings Account, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
Transit and Parking Commuter Benefits
Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development, Certifications & Learning Opportunities
Employee Referral Program
Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach Care.com annual membership
Employee Assistance Program
Supplemental Benefits via Corestream (Critical Care, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Assistance and ID theft protection, etc.)
Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus