Sr Technical Lead - Software Engineering

Job Summary

The Software Engineering, Sr. Technical Lead provides senior technical leadership for a team responsible for designing, building, and operating highly complex monitoring and validation services used to assess registry and registrar compliance with ICANN contractual obligations. This role sits at the intersection of deep Internet protocol expertise and modern software engineering, ensuring reliable, secure, and scalable systems that support ICANN’s mission. The Technical Lead establishes technical direction, mentors engineers, and remains hands-on in the design and implementation of distributed services. Success in this role requires strong domain knowledge of registry/registrar operations, Internet standards, and a disciplined approach to building resilient production systems.

Key Responsibilities & Duties

• Provide technical leadership for a software engineering team responsible for monitoring registry and registrar systems and infrastructure.
• Architect, design, and review distributed and microservices-based systems with a focus on scalability, resiliency, and security.
• Lead the development and maintenance of services that interact with Internet protocols such as EPP, RDAP, HTTPS, and TLS.
• Establish and enforce engineering best practices, including code quality, testing strategies, documentation, and operational readiness.
• Serve as a subject-matter expert in registry/registrar operations, advising on technical design decisions and system behavior.
• Guide the implementation of solutions that correctly handle IDNs, Universal Acceptance, and internationalization requirements.
• Remain hands-on in software development, primarily using modern Java versions and Spring Boot, with supporting services in Python where appropriate.
• Collaborate closely with product, policy, and cross-functional stakeholders to translate requirements into technical solutions.
• Lead technical design reviews, threat modeling, and architectural discussions for new and existing services.
• Ensure systems meet high standards for reliability, observability, and operational support, including monitoring and alerting.
• Mentor and coach engineers, supporting their technical growth and fostering a culture of engineering excellence.
• Contribute to roadmap planning, technical debt management, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Other duties as assigned or requested

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): (Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions)

• Broad knowledge and experience in Internet infrastructure, registry and registrar systems, and ICANN-related technical domains.
• Strong expertise in Internet protocols, including EPP, RDAP, HTTPS, TLS, and related standards.
• Demonstrated ability to design and operate distributed, microservices-based architectures in production environments.
• Excellent skills in Java (recent LTS versions) and Spring Boot, including RESTful service design and integration patterns.
• Solid working knowledge of Python and Python web frameworks for building and supporting services and tooling.
• Strong understanding of Kubernetes concepts and operations, including container orchestration, service networking, configuration management, scaling, and deployment strategies.
• Experience with modern CI/CD and continuous delivery practices, including the use of Spinnaker or similar platforms to manage automated, reliable deployments.
• Deep understanding of IDNs, Universal Acceptance, and internationalization considerations in Internet-facing systems.
• Proven ability to lead technical discussions, make sound architectural decisions, and balance short-term delivery with long-term maintainability.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, provide constructive feedback, and lead by example.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree required, preferably in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; Master’s Degree preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in software engineering roles.
• Extensive experience building and operating distributed systems and microservices.
• Demonstrated experience with registry/registrar systems or closely related Internet infrastructure domains is strongly preferred.
• Prior experience working in a global or international organization is preferred.

Languages

• Fluency, both written and spoken, in English is required
• ICANN is a global organization that values diversity; preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated skills in additional languages besides English

Working Conditions & Physical Requirements:

• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed
• Comfort level with an international work environment that requires availability at times outside normal business hours.
• Work is performed in a normal office environment with limited privacy and some exposure to background noise
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand and walk. The employee regularly is required to sit. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear; use hands and arms to reach, handle or feel. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds

Targeted Base Salary Low

150,000.00 + 20% Bonus + Benefits

Targeted Base Salary High

200,000.00 + 20% Bonus + Benefits

Note: The salary range provided here is a general estimation for the position at the time of posting based on the primary location. Salary ranges vary based upon geographic regions and countries. Final compensation packages take into consideration of a variety of factors including but not limited to a candidate’s location, work experience, knowledge, skills and other compensable factors.