Software Development Manager (Programmer VI)

MISSION: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

Core Values: 
•  We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in the pursuit of our main purpose, to improve outcomes for students. 
•  We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most committed talent, representing the diversity of Texas, each contributing to our common vision for students.
•  We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on success and failure, and try new approaches in the pursuit of excellence for our students.
•  We are Servant Leaders: Above all else, we are public servants working to improve opportunities for students and provide support to those who serve them.

New hires, re-hires, and internal hires will typically receive a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees in their same classification. Offers will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications and will thoughtfully consider internal pay equity for agency staff who perform similar duties and have similar qualifications. The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates who exceed the requirements and qualifications for the role. The maximum salary range is reserved for candidates that far exceed the required and preferred qualifications for the role.

About Office of IT

The Office of Information Technology works closely with all agency divisions to implement innovative technology solutions in a cost-efficient manner that supports the goals and priorities of the Texas Education Agency. The Office of IT provides efficient technology solutions and stellar customer services to internal staff, 20 Educational Service Centers, and 1,200-plus public-school districts and charter schools. The following services are provided by IT: leadership on IT initiatives; guidance on security/policy issues; new application development/enhancements; software acquisition; technical support; assistance with technical sections of purchasing documents such as Request for Information (RFI), Request for Offers (RFO), Request for Proposals (RFP); and oversight on the data collection process which helps to support and improve outcomes for all of Texas’ 5 million-plus students.

Position Overview

The Software Development Manager performs highly advanced managerial work overseeing and managing the software development activities for multiple projects in the Information Technology division. The work involves initiating and managing enterprise-level projects, directing, developing, and evaluating projects utilizing accepted and appropriate software development life cycle and project management methodologies. The Software Development Manager plans, assigns, and supervises the work of others while working under minimal supervision, with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. This role works across multiple agency stakeholders to ensure the quality and efficacy of all TEA applications, ultimately in the service of Texas’ 1,200 school districts.

Flexible work location in Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.

Please note that a resume is a required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.  

Essential Functions 
Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

1. Team Management and Supervision: Possesses management, leadership, and technical skills to perform software development work of considerable difficulty. Plans, assigns and directs the activities of personnel involved in the design, development & analysis activities required to develop software applications or setup software purchased from outside vendors; Works with employees to establish goals and supports their professional development; Conducts 1-1 meetings regularly to assess individual needs and provide guidance; Conduct technical and non-technical meetings effectively; Manages hiring process; Manage staff that needs improvement up or out.

2. Software Development/Implementation: Possesses technical leadership skills to develop and deploy application code that meets approved requirements and deadlines; Analyzes, interprets and clarifies business requirements for development team; Manages activities such as code branching, merging, software build and deployment requests to test and production environments are performed and ensures that they are performed with a high level of accuracy; Creates, approves and tracks support issues using the established processes and monitors progress so they are resolved on or before the customer due date; Ensures software code quality via code reviews and thorough dev testing; Follows technology updates to ensure supported versions of software components are used.

3. Technical Aptitude: Possesses the technical knowledge, problem solving, and analytical skills required for analyzing and solving complex problems; Evaluates and recommends new technologies and technology upgrades as needed; Sets and enforces best practices and coding standards. Provides technical advice to leads and developers to design/architect systems using best practices, new techniques, and procedures; Performs code reviews and provides feedback. Create knowledge-base and cross-train team members; Proactively reviews and assesses issues using monitoring tools available, engaging appropriate stakeholders timely.

4. Leadership: Possesses leadership skills required for defining, managing, and improving software development processes; Mentors team to learn and adapt new technologies and processes. Establishes support meetings and weekly support rotation as required; Collaborates with PMs to plan and manage releases; Builds consensus to make decisions and follows up; Encourages and guides team to collaborate with other teams such as DBAs, IVV, Ops, DevOps, Tools, PMs etc. for building, deploying, maintaining and monitoring applications to produce and implement high quality solutions. 

 

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university 
• Experience: At least six (6) years of experience in software development, preferably over a large portfolio of software applications. At least three (3) years of experience in leadership role managing delivery of full Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) application projects. 
• Substitutions: Each additional year of related experience above the required minimum may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis.

Other Qualifications

• Share the belief that all Texas students can achieve at high levels and are able to succeed in college, career, or the military 
• Experience with agile software development methodologies is a plus
• Hands-on experience leading fast-paced development teams to create, maintain and deliver web-based applications, using agile practices
• Proven ability to build web applications from inception to deployment
• Working knowledge of software development languages and platforms, including C#.NET, Java, and SQL
• Working knowledge of infrastructure for high scalability and availability of deployed applications
• Source code management, including branching and merging of code to accommodate agreed upon release cycles
• Knowledge of software/hardware change and configuration management
• Proven ability to partner with operations and testing teams to deliver quality systems that meet business needs
• Budget development and financial analysis
• Team building and leading highly skilled technical team members with a focus on active career development
• Willingness to assist other departments to develop solutions and metrics
• Excellent communication skills
• Meticulous attention to detail with an ability to produce high quality work in a dynamic environment
• Desire to self-reflect, give/receive feedback and continuously improve
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple tasks at once and meet deadlines

As an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age or veteran status, unless an applicant is entitled to the military employment preference.

To review the Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to each job classification series in the State’s Position Classification Plan (provided by the State Auditor's Office), please access the Military Crosswalk (occupational specialty code) Guide and click on the military “occupational category” that corresponds with the state classification in this job posting title.

This position requires the applicant to meet Agency standards and criteria which may include passing a pre-employment criminal background check, prior to being offered employment by the Agency.

To learn more about working at TEA, including hiring timelines, process details, and candidate resources, please visit the Employment at TEA page.

No phone calls or emails, please. Due to the high volume of applications, we do not accept telephone calls and cannot reply to all email inquiries. Only candidates selected for interview will be contacted. Please add "[email protected]" and "@tea.texas.gov" to your safe senders list to ensure you receive email notifications from our talent acquisition team and/or hiring division regarding your candidacy.