Application Development Manager

Schedule: Full-time

THE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT MANAGER POSITION

Ohio Legislative Information Systems is dedicated to transforming public service by leveraging modern digital tools, fostering dynamic teams, and guiding progress through future-focused leadership to better serve our customers and the citizens of the state. As we evolve our approach to people, process, and technology to achieve our mission, we are looking for an Application Development Manager who will bring expertise in software delivery and join our existing team of managers. Key attributes for this position include a growth mindset, a commitment to continuous learning and improvement, and a strong drive to solve problems with innovative solutions.

YOUR ROLE

As an Application Development Manager, you will lead, grow, and manage a cross-functional software development team responsible for delivering impactful technology solutions that support LIS’s mission. You’ll balance the needs of your team, the business, and LIS customers, ensuring quality projects are delivered on time, and that solutions solve our customers’ challenges. This role goes beyond traditional management. You’ll collaborate across product and engineering teams, champion best practices, foster the development and well-being of each team member, and play a key role in shaping the organization’s evolving culture of innovation and excellence.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Team Leadership & Growth

Support and develop cross-functional team members through coaching, feedback, and growth planning.

Conduct performance reviews, lead crucial conversations, and create opportunities for career advancement.

Cultivate a collaborative environment where team members can learn, take risks, and thrive.

Identify individual and team development needs and take action by leveraging the right tools or support systems.

Project Delivery & Execution

Ensure successful delivery of software projects by aligning resources, clarifying priorities, and monitoring delivery quality, timelines, and customer expectations.

Address delivery challenges proactively, keeping projects “green” and guiding teams out of “yellow” or “red” statuses through problem solving, collaboration and strategic support.

Work closely with Product Owners and Technical Leads to ensure the creation of roadmaps, backlog refinement, etc., upholding software delivery practices.

Guide teams with confidence when direction is unclear by navigating change and helping teams stay focused and clear on prioritization.

Strategic Planning & Resource Management

Partner with other Application Development Managers and senior leadership to make decisions around talent staffing, team project assignments, and resource allocation based on the organization’s needs.

Maintain a high-level view of organizational priorities, team capacity, and project timelines to ensure thoughtful and informed decisions.

Balance long-term strategic planning with hands-on tactical execution.

Culture & Best Practices

Help shape, model, and implement standards for software delivery across the organization.

Promote collaboration and shared ownership across the team.

Celebrate wins, champion experimentation, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Demonstrate, uphold, and promote LIS’s cultural values of collaboration, quality delivery, fast feedback, and continuous learning.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

Proven experience managing cross-functional software development teams.

Deep knowledge of software delivery practices, agile methodologies, and continuous improvement.

Demonstrated ability to lead through change and ambiguity with a steady, thoughtful presence.

Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to identify and resolve issues proactively.

A passion for developing others and creating space for growth, innovation, and high performance.

Excellent communication and collaboration skills across technical and non-technical teams.

A mindset aligned with servant leadership, systems thinking, and continuous learning and improvement.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in applying agile/scrum processes in application development environments.

Experience or familiarity with the public sector.

Familiarity with incident response, backlog management, and testing strategies.

Ability to balance multiple priorities and lead teams across multiple concurrent projects.