Technical Lead

Location:
Austin, TX – Hybrid (3 days per week on-site)

Schedule:
40 hours/week, Monday–Friday (8:00 AM–5:00 PM)

Contract Duration:
6 months, with potential for extension

Pay Rate:
$60–$72/hour

Regulatory & Eligibility Requirements:

• Valid passport required
• This position is subject to U.S. government export control and security regulations. Only candidates who meet U.S. citizenship eligibility requirements may be considered.
• Must be eligible to obtain post-hire clearance from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury

Job Title:
Technical Lead / Project Design Authority (Identity & Biometric Solutions)

Position Summary

Our client is seeking an experienced
Technical Lead / Project Design Authority (PDA)
within the
Identity and Biometric Solutions (IBS)
domain. This role serves as the primary technical authority for the design, development, and deployment of complex identity and biometric systems.

Working with minimal supervision from the Program/Project Leader or Engineering Director, you will lead multidisciplinary engineering teams, define solution architecture, and ensure delivery of secure, high-quality, and customer-aligned solutions. You will be accountable for one or more projects of significant complexity, cost, and strategic importance to the organization.

In partnership with the Project Manager, you will also support project planning, scheduling, reporting, and cross-functional coordination to ensure successful execution and delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Bid & Presales Support

• Act as the primary technical authority for the engineering aspects of bids and proposals
• Ensure solution feasibility, architecture maturity, and compliance with contractual, technical, cost, schedule, and customer constraints
• Contribute to the development of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and organization of engineering activities
• Review and approve key bid and project engineering deliverables
• Support customer demonstrations and technical workshops, including presentations and discussions

Project Technical Leadership

• Develop Design Validation Architecture (DVa) documentation, detailing solution architecture, technology choices, regulatory constraints, standards, risks, and mitigation plans
• Translate customer requirements into functional specifications, solution-level requirements, and interface documentation
• Own and govern overall solution architecture, guiding technical decisions related to security, performance, cost, environment, and timelines
• Collaborate closely with architects and Work Package Managers (WPMs) to ensure architectural consistency
• Review and approve technical documentation produced by the engineering team
• Validate workload estimates and optimize project timelines while maintaining high quality standards
• Lead customer workshops to gather requirements and translate needs into clear, actionable specifications
• Define and manage interfaces between customer systems, internal subsystems, and integrated solution components

Project & Team Leadership

• Organize and lead technical meetings, peer reviews, and design reviews with Project Managers, Engineering leadership, and stakeholders
• Maintain accountability for engineering delivery and progress across multiple work packages
• Drive execution of engineering processes and activities throughout the project lifecycle
• Coordinate technical work packages to ensure seamless solution integration
• Define and support verification, validation, and integration strategies
• Prepare and present engineering steering committee updates to management and/or customers
• Identify, track, and mitigate technical, quality, and security risks
• Report engineering project status to the Project Manager and Engineering Operations leadership

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline (or equivalent experience)
• 8+ years of software engineering experience with strong knowledge of engineering best practices and processes
• Demonstrated technical leadership experience with a pragmatic, results-driven approach
• Strong architectural and systems design expertise, able to collaborate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with proven ability to lead teams and facilitate collaboration
• Experience managing multiple projects and leading technical workshops to clarify scope and requirements
• Proficiency with project tracking and collaboration tools such as
  Jira
  and
  Confluence
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on cost-effective, high-quality solutions
• Self-motivated with excellent technical documentation and writing capabilities

Additional Requirements

• Travel:
  Approximately 15–20% annually within North America