Team Lead, Software Engineering

Finalsite is the first community relationship management platform for K-12 schools, transforming how schools attract students, engage families, build community and thrive. More than 7,000 schools and districts worldwide trust Finalsite’s integrated platform for their websites, communications, mobile apps, enrollment, and marketing services. Finalsite is headquartered in Glastonbury, CT, USA with employees who work remotely in nearly every state in the U.S. as well as Europe, South America, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.finalsite.com.

The Opportunity

At Finalsite, we believe that when schools and families connect, students thrive. As a Team Lead, you will be at the helm of the engine that powers these vital connections for school districts across the USA. By leading the development of our multi-channel communication platform, you ensure that critical information from emergency alerts to daily classroom updates reaches parents and teachers exactly when they need it.

The Mission

Your mission is to lead a high-performing squad of six senior engineers in building a scalable, reliable, and intuitive communication ecosystem. You will own the technical delivery and operational excellence of a platform serving millions of users, balancing your deep expertise in React/TypeScript with strategic oversight of our Python/Django backend to drive meaningful impact for our clients.

• 12-Month Outcomes

  • Scale Multi-Channel Delivery: Successfully oversee the deployment of new communication integrations (e.g., SMS, Email, Social Media) 

  • Maintain Engineering Excellence: Ensure the team meets a 90% "Sprint Commitment" success rate while maintaining high code quality and minimal technical debt.

  • Strategic Resource Alignment: Partner with Product leadership to successfully pivot and adjust scope for at least two major feature launches based on evolving district requirements.

  • Cross-Functional Synergy: Establish a seamless feedback loop and workflow between your team and the Core Backend/SRE teams, reducing cross-team dependency bottlenecks.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership: Act as the primary technical authority for the team, focusing on frontend excellence (ReactJS/TypeScript) while maintaining a strong grasp of Python/Django backend services.

• Team Management: Lead and empower a team of 6 senior engineers, ensuring alignment on goals, managing resources, and fostering a high-trust, high-accountability environment.

• Scrum Mastery: Drive all Scrum ceremonies (Daily Standups, Sprint Planning, Retrospectives), keeping the team unblocked and focused on high-value delivery.

• Stakeholder Partnership: Collaborate closely with Product Owners, UI/UX Designers, and Engineering Managers to translate product vision into technical reality.

• Architecture & Infrastructure: Oversee the health and scalability of the platform within an AWS-based infrastructure, ensuring optimal performance of our MariaDB databases.

• Scope & Delivery: Proactively manage project scope and timelines, making data-driven decisions to adjust delivery tracks based on technical constraints or product shifts.

Required Skills

• Advanced Frontend Expertise: Deep professional experience with ReactJS and TypeScript, capable of leading architectural decisions and performing high-level code reviews.

• Full-Stack Fluency: Strong familiarity with Python and Django, enabling you to contribute to backend discussions and understand the full lifecycle of the application.

• Proven Team Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading senior-level engineers, focusing on high-level coordination, project management, and operational efficiency.

• Cloud Infrastructure: Competency in AWS services and experience working with relational databases, specifically MariaDB.

• Agile Proficiency: Mastery of Scrum methodologies and the ability to drive agile processes in a fast-paced environment.

• Strategic Communication: The ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders clearly and persuasively.

How to Leverage GenAI in This Role

In this role, you are encouraged to use GenAI tools to augment your leadership and technical output. You will use tools such as GitHub Copilot and ClaudeAI to:

• Accelerate Documentation: Generate initial drafts of technical specs or API documentation.

• Optimize Code Reviews: Use AI-driven insights to identify edge cases or security vulnerabilities in complex pull requests.

• Refine Communication: Draft stakeholder updates or team announcements to ensure clarity and professional tone.

• Brainstorming: Use AI as a sounding board for architectural patterns or refactoring strategies.

Nice to Have Skills

• Direct experience building or maintaining high-volume communication platforms (SMS gateways, Email service providers).

• Prior experience in the EdTech sector or working with US school districts.

• A strong background in SRE principles or performance tuning for MariaDB at scale.