Engineering Team Leader

Overview

Black Canyon Consulting (BCC) is actively looking for a highly technical Engineering Team Leader for the role of Technical Program Manager to support work for the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine (NLM), an institute of the National Institutes of Health. This opportunity is full-time and onsite at the NIH-NCBI in Bethesda, MD, with the possibility of 1 day/week remote work.

This position functions as a Technical Program Manager with a strong engineering team management focus, responsible for leading multiple software development teams across high-performance, high-throughput data management systems within NCBI. The TPM works closely with NCBI technical leadership to ensure mission-critical applications are reliable, scalable, and aligned with long-term modernization and data infrastructure goals. The TPM serves as a central integrator across engineering domains, ensuring the efficient design, development, and delivery of scalable, secure, and high-performance data systems that underpin cutting-edge biomedical research.

The TPM works with a Program Head to maintain and enhance data access by serving as the software development team manager and primary program operational contact for technical activities. The TPM reports to the IEB Software Development Section Head. The position is essential to ensuring that the Program can meet long-term program and stakeholder needs regarding preserving and disseminating data for scientific reuse.

We attract the best people in the business with our competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision coverage, 401k plan with employer contribution, paid holidays, vacation, and tuition and conference reimbursement. If you enjoy being part of a high-performing, professional service and technology-focused organization, please apply today!

• Serve as the software engineering manager for multiple technical teams delivering high-throughput, high-availability data management systems and ensure they meet schedule, budget, and risk management targets.
• Plan, track, and deliver software initiatives that align with program objectives, schedules, and performance expectations.
• Understand the Program Head program/project goals and communicate these goals and scope to technical staff in the context of technical activities.
• Collaborate with IEB Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Program Tech Leads to define technology strategy for the program.
• Manage interdependencies between development teams to mitigate risks and ensure efficient collaboration across organizational boundaries.
• Work closely with the CTO to ensure key technical decisions are appropriately vetted.
• Maintain transparent communication with senior management, presenting technical status, risk, and progress clearly and concisely.
• As a member of the Software Section, develop and enforce NCBI standard practices for software development and delivery.
• Oversee the design and delivery of distributed, data-intensive applications built primarily in C++ and Python.
• Directly manage engineers and technical leads, providing direction, performance oversight, and mentoring.
• Foster collaboration, ensuring cohesive team dynamics and shared ownership of outcomes.
• Build a culture focused on accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate shared technical activities with other programs.

• Eligible to work in the United States (U.S. citizen or permanent resident).
• Master of Science degree in engineering, computer sciences, information systems, bioinformatics, or a related or emerging field.
• 7+ years of experience leading complex software engineering or technical program management initiatives.
• Demonstrated expertise in C++ and Python, with the ability to engage directly in technical design discussions and code reviews.
• Proven track record of managing software development teams working on highly available, high-throughput data management applications.
• Experience building Petabyte-scale data warehousing and data transformation applications.
• Experience leading teams in an Agile environment, and able to translate…