Lead Developer

Job Description

The Department of Neurology has an open opportunity for a Lead Developer to join a new initiative focused on brain health aging and resilience.

The Lead Developer will play a critical role in advancing the Departments mission to improve brain health across the lifespan by leading the design development and maintenance of secure scalable and research-ready software platforms. This position supports interdisciplinary initiatives focused on brain aging cognitive resilience and precision-medicine approaches by building technical infrastructure that enables high-quality data collection integration analysis and translation.

Working at the intersection of neuroscience aging population health and data science the Lead Developer will partner with faculty clinicians and researchers to translate scientific and clinical priorities into robust digital systems that support longitudinal research biomarker pipelines digital phenotyping and personalized risk and resilience modeling. The position emphasizes scalability accessibility responsible data stewardship and alignment with UW and UW Medicine standards for security privacy and compliance ensuring that technology solutions effectively support research innovation and public impact.

The Lead Developer must convert evolving research questions in brain health aging resilience and precision medicine into clear adaptable technical solutions. This includes supporting diverse and complex data types while ensuring systems remain flexible maintainable and scalable over long research timelines. This position will collaborate closely with clinicians neuroscientists researchers analysts and community-engagement staff and successfully aligning technical development with diverse priorities workflows and timelines will require strong communication skills and the ability to translate between technical and non-technical stakeholders.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Software Development & Delivery 40%

Serve as a hands-on developer for complex features core services and mission-critical components

Oversee the full software development lifecycle including requirements gathering development testing deployment and maintenance

Ensure code quality performance accessibility and security through rigorous review testing and monitoring practices

Guide implementation of CI/CD pipelines version control workflows and automated testing strategies

Technical Leadership & Architecture 30%

Lead the architectural design and technical implementation of software platforms supporting research clinical programs registries and community-engaged initiatives

Define system architecture data models APIs and integration strategies that enable scalable and interoperable solutions

Establish and maintain technical standards development best practices and documentation aligned with UW and UW Medicine guidelines

Evaluate select and implement appropriate technologies frameworks and cloud services to meet evolving institutional needs

Data Governance Security & Compliance 10%

Ensure systems adhere to UW UW Medicine and regulatory requirements related to data security privacy and compliance (e.g. HIPAA IRB as applicable)

Implement best practices for data governance access controls auditability and long-term data stewardship

Proactively identify and mitigate technical risks vulnerabilities and technical debt

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement 10%

Work closely with faculty researchers clinicians project managers and community partners to translate programmatic and research needs into technical requirements

Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders

Support grant-funded projects by contributing to technical sections of proposals progress reports and documentation

Innovation & Continuous Improvement 5%

Stay current with emerging technologies development methodologies and research-enabling tools

Identify opportunities to improve efficiency scalability and user experience across UW-supported platforms

Contribute to long-term technical roadmaps that support sustainable growth of research and community-focused initiatives

Team Leadership & Mentorship 5%

Provide technical leadership and professional development support to developers analysts and trainees

Coordinate development efforts across internal teams collaborators and external vendors as needed

Foster a collaborative inclusive and learning-oriented development culture consistent with UW values

Support onboarding and training of new team members and student developers as needed

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Bachelors degree in Computer Science Data Science Biomedical Informatics Software Engineering or a related field and a minimum 5 years of relevant experience

Equivalent education and/or experience may substitute for minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements such as a license certification and/or registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Substantial experience in software development including designing and maintaining complex applications or platforms

Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership on multi-stakeholder projects

Proficiency in modern programming languages frameworks and database systems

Experience with cloud-based infrastructure APIs and system integrations

Strong understanding of version control CI/CD and agile or iterative development methodologies

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Masters degree or advanced training in Computer Science Data Science Biomedical Informatics Software Engineering or a related field or equivalent professional experience

Experience supporting research academic healthcare or public sector environments

Seven or more years of relevant experience with demonstrated senior-level technical expertise product management work and and leadership responsibilities

Familiarity with artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches including predictive modeling and precision analytics applied to complex multi-modal data

Experience working with data-intensive systems research registries or longitudinal analytics platforms

Ability to collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams spanning research clinical and community-engaged domains

Knowledge of accessibility standards inclusive design principles and ethical data use

Working Environment Conditions:

This is a hybrid employment opportunity combining office-based and remote work.

Occasional evening or weekend activities may be required.

Compensation Benefits and Position Details

Pay Range Minimum:

Pay Range Maximum:

Other Compensation:

Benefits:

Temporary or Regular

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent):

Union/Bargaining Unit:

About the UW

Working at the University of Washington provides a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses in our state and around the world.

UW employees bring their boundless energy creative problem-solving skills and dedication to building stronger minds and a healthier return they enjoy outstanding benefits opportunities for professional growth and the chance to work in an environment known for its diversity intellectual excitement artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

Our Commitment

The University of Washington is committed to fostering an inclusive respectful and welcoming community for all. As an equal opportunity employer the University considers applicants for employment without regard to race color creed religion national origin citizenship sex pregnancy age marital status sexual orientation gender identity or expression genetic information disability or veteran status consistent with UW Executive Order No. 81.

To request disability accommodation in the application process contact the Disability Services Office at or .

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.