Senior / Lead Applications Developer

Our client is one of the most professional and forward thinking financial institutions in Canada located in Waterloo, ON.

They are looking for a Lead Developer within the Strategic Projects team.  This team is responsible for implementing new technical solutions / applications and major changes to our existing systems.  The team works in a matrix environment.

Responsibilities will include technical leadership for projects and; ensuring deliverables are produced on time, within budget and quality targets, communicating with business and systems personnel to effectively understand business requirements and to develop solutions.

To be successful in this role, you must possess strong communications and influencing skills, have a Developer background in Client / Server or Web based applications and have demonstrated success delivering enhancements for complex N-tier applications.  Your success in this role will hinge on your technical skills and your ability to leverage a natural and successful aptitude for leadership and coordination of technical resources.  This position provides an environment for continued development of technical subject matter expertise and IS leadership management development.

Responsibilities

• Develop high level design documents
• Coordinate and lead technical tasks delivered by in-house and offshore Developer
• Communicate with Business Systems Analysts to define system requirements and develop solutions.
• Use tools and methods such as proof-of-concept to assess alternate solutions to help ensure the team proceeds with the right solutions
• Develop and modify application components across disparate platforms and technologies
• Ensure comprehensive and appropriate documentation at all stages, within an assignment
• Conduct development life cycle reviews as required, driving IIS best practices (e.g. design, documentation, quality)
• Support test phases executed by Business Systems Analysts, systems testers and business partners
• Apply technical and business knowledge to identify, analyze and solve problems
• Develop, review and validate team schedules and estimates
• Provide guidance to all members of the Developer team, including onshore and offshore vendor partners regarding all aspects of Developer work in Institutional IS
• Integrate vendor solutions and interfaces for medium to highly complex situations
• Collaborate with geographically and culturally diverse cross-functional teams
• Provide technical expertise and support where required
• Contribute to continuous improvements of departmental best practices
• Provide technical leadership and consulting support for large implementations
• Provide off hours systems support

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of progressive experience in leading developer roles in a complex IS environment with large business applications
• Demonstrated experience with Microsoft .Net platform including Visual Studio, C#, Web Services, Microsoft SQL Server
• Demonstrated experience with Java development and Websphere technologies
• Nice to have experience with Salesforce, ETL (Informatica) and middleware’s like Castiron, DataPower, IBM Integration Bus (IIB)
• Background in OO application development
• Familiarity with a multi-platform, distributed environment
• Ability to coordinate multiple stakeholders to achieve solutions
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to communicate in a multi-cultural environment
• Excellent organization, planning and time management skills in a flexible environment
• Capable of adapting quickly, manage multiple demands and competing priorities, deliver to deadlines
• Post-secondary degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent work experience
• Looking for leadership experience with on/off shore teams and strong coding skills.

Attributes

• Customer service focused
• Learn and adapt quickly
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills
• Strong multi-tasking skills, receptive to change
• Strong leadership and influencing skills
• Works well under time constraints/pressure
• Attention to details and quality
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently, and with others

Nice To Have

• Knowledge of ITIL best practices  (Service Desk Function & Incident; Problem and Change Management Processes; Release Management Processes)
• Insurance and/or Financial Services industry experience
• Experience with client server applications integrated with mainframe back-end systems