Software Engineering Manager

Cambridge Systematics • Lexington, KY

16d • $170,000 - $185,000

About The Position

Cambridge Systematics, Inc. is shaping the future of transportation. We are industry leaders, transportation specialists dedicated to ensuring that transportation investments can deliver the best possible results. By providing innovative policy and planning solutions, objective analyses and technology applications, we help our clients anticipate and meet future transportation needs while improving the performance of existing infrastructure and operations. Above all, we are committed to our clients’ success in making transportation better for future generations.
Our Software team delivers technology solutions to help public transportation agencies solve complex operational and data challenges. We combine deep domain expertise in transit and mobility with modern software engineering practices to design, build, and support scalable, cloud-based applications. Our work spans real-time information systems, data integration and analytics, and tools that support planning, operations, and decision-making.
The Software Engineering Manager leads technical delivery for client-facing software engagements, managing a small team of developers while serving as the primary decision-maker for system architecture, technology selection, and implementation approach. They oversee design, development, and support for high-quality software and technology solutions for our clients, with a strong focus on transportation and transit technology systems. They work directly with customers and external partners across multiple client engagements, leading technical discovery and solution definition, and translating client needs into implementable architectures.
The role emphasizes the design and development of cloud-native, API-driven systems using Java-based services, modern web technologies, and real-time data pipelines to support transportation operations, analytics, and passenger information systems. The Software Engineer Manager will set technical standards and mentor staff across projects, while contributing code where needed. The role also offers opportunities for collaboration with all areas of CS to explore and design technical solutions in areas of transportation spanning safety, asset management, data analytics, and beyond.

Requirements

• 10+ years of software engineering experience, including at least 3 years leading development teams or technical workstreams
• Deep experience building and deploying Java-based backend systems (e.g., Spring Boot or similar frameworks) in production environments
• Experience leading or overseeing front-end development using modern frameworks (e.g., React, Vue or similar), including integration with backend APIs
• Hands-on experience deploying and operating cloud-based applications (AWS preferred), including use of containerized services (e.g., ECS, Fargate, or Kubernetes)
• Comfort with Infrastructure as Code, e.g. Terraform or equivalent
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., code generation, automated testing support) to improve engineering productivity and code quality
• Experience with CI/CD automation and deployment pipelines
• Experience designing systems that process real-time or high-frequency data streams, including use of messaging platforms (e.g., Kafka or similar technologies)
• Understanding of tradeoffs in distributed systems, including data consistency, latency, and fault tolerance
• Experience with observability, monitoring, and operational tooling
• Deep experience with agile software development methodologies
• Experience with incorporating Quality Assurance in every stage of the development process
• Familiarity with industry-standard security best practices

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with GTFS, GTFS-Realtime or related transit and mobility standards
• Experience developing or supporting transportation and transit technology systems, including routing engines e.g. OpenTripPlanner
• Familiarity with Ruby on Rails, Model-View-Controller architectures, and Convention over Configuration
• Familiarity with database technologies including MySQL and PostgreSQL
• Familiarity with Atlassian tools in general, Jira in particular
• Experience with orchestration technologies and platforms
• Consulting experience, including client-facing exposure

Responsibilities

• Defines system architecture and makes final decisions on technology choices, frameworks, and integration patterns across projects
• Establishes enforceable engineering standards for code quality, testing, security, and deployment
• Reviews and approves technical designs to ensure scalability, maintainability, and alignment with project objectives
• Leads engineering efforts involving Java services, cloud infrastructure, containerization, CI/CD automation, and modern DevOps practices
• Serves as the primary liaison between software developers and quality assurance teams, ensuring adherence to established processes, release cadences, and requirements throughout the development lifecycle.
• Defines and enforces application security practices, including authentication/authorization, secure data handling, and vulnerability mitigation in cloud-based systems
• Evaluates emerging technologies, cloud platforms, and development frameworks for use on current and future transportation projects
• Researches and prototypes new software solutions, APIs, and operational tools related to mobility and transit systems
• Contributes to proposals and business development by defining solution architectures, estimating level of effort, and articulating technical approach and risks
• Owns technical delivery across one or more projects, balancing scope, schedule, and budget constraints
• Leads backlog definition and prioritization, breaking down requirements into executable development tasks
• Provides hands-on development, code review, and troubleshooting support during critical delivery phases
• Supports deployment planning, operational readiness, and troubleshooting activities for customer-facing transit systems
• Integrates and deploys applications using automated CI/CD pipelines, containerized infrastructure, and cloud-native tooling
• Accountable for system performance, reliability, and operational readiness of deployed solutions, including monitoring, alerting, and incident response coordination
• Produces clear, concise, and maintainable technical documentation
• Mentors staff on long-term career growth and technical development
• Aligns staff assignments with project needs and individual development goals
• Manages engineering staff day-to-day to ensure individuals understand technical deliverables and project objectives
• Establishes and supports individual goals aligned with team and organizational objectives
• Coaches staff on day-to-day technical operations and engineering best practices

Benefits

• We strive to create a culture in which every voice is valued, where employees have a sense of belonging and connection with one another and to the organization, and they feel empowered to do their best work. We are committed to providing an inclusive culture within the firm and we encourage people of all backgrounds to apply to our open positions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed