Role Overview

The Technical Lead is responsible for the technical health and execution of an LHD project. They guide their project's development team (consisting of 1-3 other student developers), manage the codebase, and ensure the team adheres to the engineering standards set by the Software Engineering Director. The Technical Lead translates product requirements and designs into technical open-source solutions, making key architectural decisions for their project and mentoring the Software Engineer – Seniors, Software Engineer – Juniors and Developer Fellows on their team.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Execution & Code Quality
  • Lead the technical design and architecture for a specific project.
  • Enforce coding standards and best practices through regular code reviews.
  • Manage the project's codebase, including version control and branching strategy.
  • Draft necessary documentation for current future contributors to reference.
  • Identify and resolve technical roadblocks to ensure the team meets its goals.
• Team Leadership & Mentorship
  • Provide guidance and mentorship to the Software Engineer – Seniors, Software Engineer – Juniors, and Developer Fellows on the project team by ensuring they progress through the Skill Tags Framework’s Developer Skill Tags, Pathways, and Badges.
  • Delegate technical tasks and tickets to the development team members via GitHub Issues and Projects.
  • Foster a collaborative and productive environment for the engineers on the team.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Work closely with the project's Product Lead to understand user stories, product requirements, and assess the technical feasibility of features.
  • Collaborate with the UX Design Lead to ensure designs can be implemented effectively.
  • Regularly report on technical progress and challenges to the Software Engineering Director.
• Finance Management
  • Software Engineering Director,President
• Recruitment & Onboarding
  • Assist the Product Director, Product Lead, and Software Engineering Director in recruiting Developer Fellows when necessary.
  • From a technical perspective, assist the Software Engineering Director in onboarding Developer Fellows: Ensure proper GitHub org and project repo access, configure repository permissions, and orient them to LHD’s technical workflow.

Qualifications & Skills

• Required
  • Strong proficiency in the project's specific technology stack.
  • Experience with software development best practices, including version control (Git) and code reviews.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead or mentor other engineers.
  • Must be an active student at The University of Texas at Austin.
• Preferred
  • Previous experience as a Software Engineer – Senior or Software Engineer – Junior.
  • Familiarity with the project's existing architecture and codebase.
  • Experience with agile development methodologies.

Term of Service

Technical Leads are expected to serve for at least two academic semesters. There is no term limit, and leads are encouraged to remain involved as long as they are willing and able to fulfill all responsibilities associated with being a lead. Leads may be removed, as determined by the Executive Board, for inactivity, ineffective project progress or team development, or failure to fulfill the necessary duties for their role.