Lead .NET Developer

Title: Lead .NET Developer
Location: Remote
Duration: Contract-to-Hire
Work Requirements: This position is W2 only.

Our client is hiring a net new Lead Software Developer to support growth and several high-priority technology initiatives. The position is a 6-month contract-to-hire opportunity and is heavily focused on hands-on development rather than people management. The primary challenge has been finding candidates who combine strong full-stack development skills with practical Azure experience and who can still code independently without relying on AI.

• Primary initiative: Approximately 70% of the role supports a core Azure-based web and mobile application. The remaining 30% supports corporate and internal business applications, including HR, IT service management, and other enterprise systems.

• Role structure: Roughly 90% hands-on development and 10% technical leadership. The Lead will mentor and unblock approximately six developers, senior developers, and DevOps resources but will have no immediate people management responsibilities.

• Core technical profile: Strong C# and .NET full-stack development, React and/or Angular on the front end, and solid Azure application development experience. Azure knowledge should include App Services, Storage Accounts, SQL databases, Service Bus, Event Grid, Event Hubs, Azure Functions, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code.

• Python: Important but secondary. Candidates only need basic to intermediate Python experience for Azure Functions and scripting. The preference is for a candidate with strong C# and application development skills plus moderate Python rather than an AI/ML-focused Python engineer with weaker application development skills.

• Ideal environment experience: Candidates should ideally come from a regulated environment and be comfortable taking applications into production. The team wants someone accustomed to owning more of the development lifecycle rather than working in highly segmented environments where infrastructure, deployment, DevOps, and development are completely separated.

• Biggest candidate gaps: The top issue has been candidates who are primarily managers and have not coded recently. The second is strong developers with insufficient Azure knowledge. The third is candidates who are overly dependent on AI tools and cannot independently code or troubleshoot without them.

• Communication is critical: This person will interact directly with business stakeholders, senior leadership, end users, and technical teams. A technically strong developer who cannot communicate effectively will not be successful in the role.

• Location and schedule: Remote with very limited travel, potentially a few times per year. Central and Eastern time zones are preferred. Mountain time can work, while Pacific time is less desirable due to morning standups. Contractors will generally work approximately 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Central, with some flexibility and occasional additional hours depending on project commitments.

Target Candidate: The ideal candidate is a hands-on Senior or Lead Full-Stack Developer who is strong in C#/.NET, genuinely comfortable building and deploying applications in Azure, can write moderate Python, understands DevOps concepts, communicates effectively with business stakeholders, and uses AI as a productivity tool rather than as a substitute for fundamental development skills.