Software Developer - Technical Lead

Veterans Encouraged to Apply: Detroit Defense proudly supports those who have served. We welcome applicants with military experience, including those transitioning to civilian careers. Your leadership, adaptability, and mission-focused mindset are valued here. Detroit Defense is a 4x recipient of the Hire Vets Gold Medallion Award.

Detroit Defense is seeking an experienced C++ Embedded Software Developer Technical Lead to join our growing software engineering team. This Software Developer Technical Lead will serve as the primary technical authority and team manager for software projects developed in support of our Department of Defense customers. The Software Developer Technical Lead will be responsible for driving development efforts from requirements gathering through delivery, while mentoring and guiding a team of developers and a tester. This position may allow for some remote flexibility but will require on-site presence for key project milestones, design reviews, and customer engagements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage and prioritize GitLab tickets, labels, and sprint planning to ensure on-time delivery of software increments.
• Participate in and lead team meetings, sprint demos, and technical reviews, ensuring the team aligns with company best practices including the responsible use of AI tools as part of the development process where applicable.
• Maintain and manage GitLab repositories, including branch strategies, merge request reviews, and code quality enforcement.
• Lead requirements gathering sessions with customers and stakeholders, translating system-level needs into actionable software tasks.
• Develop and maintain key project documents including the Software Design Document (SDD), Software Requirements Specification (SRS), and related technical artifacts.
• Lead software design and analysis activities, producing architecture and design artifacts using model-based tools such as Cameo or Enterprise Architect (EA).
• Help manage and maintain project schedules, coordinating with program management to track progress and mitigate risks.
• Assist in compiling and delivering program deliverables to customers in accordance with contract requirements and deadlines.

• A bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited college or university in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field is required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a United States Government Secret Security Clearance and a Common Access Card (CAC). United States Citizenship is typically required to obtain a Secret Clearance.
• A minimum of five years of professional software development experience, with significant hands-on C++ development on desktop or embedded applications.
• Demonstrated experience leading a small software development team, including task assignment, sprint management, and technical oversight.
• Proficiency with GitLab, including repository management, CI/CD pipelines, issue tracking, and branch management workflows.
• Experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies and sprint-based software development.
• Strong background in software design and analysis, including creation of Software Design Documents (SDD) and Requirements documents.
• Experience with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler or Enterprise Architect (EA) for UML and SysML modeling.

Detroit Defense offers an impressive compensation and benefits package including:

• Medical, Dental & Vision Benefits
• Company Paid Life and AD&D
• Company Paid Short Term and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending & HSA Accounts
• Legal & ID Shield Services
• 401k with Company Match
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Time Off (PTO)

Why Detroit Defense:
At Detroit Defense, we deliver mission-critical solutions that enhance national security, protect the warfighter, and enable readiness through innovation, technical excellence, and end-to-end lifecycle support. 

Remaining steadfast in our core values of Trustworthy, Mission Driven, Creative, and Agile we are a complex systems integrator for the U.S. Government, Detroit Defense provides solutions to meet the technical and programmatic challenges faced by our customers. Our proven success in multi-domain cross-platform system-of-systems integration results in fielded capability for warfighters. From R&D to production, fielding, and sustainment, Detroit Defense provides services and solutions to Empower Those That protect Us.

Detroit Defense is a proud recipient of the Hire Vets Gold Medallion Award since 2022.

Detroit Defense is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity or gender expression), age, mental or physical disability, creed, ancestry, citizenship, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic trait or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.