**Introduction** (Financial Services Focus) We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic technical leader to fill the role of Technical Lead Developer. This position requires a unique blend of deep technical expertise in both legacy mainframe systems and modern software development practices, with a specific focus on leading our data classification initiatives within the heavily regulated financial services industry. The successful candidate will drive high-level project planning, provide technical guidance to cross-functional development teams, and ensure robust, secure, and performant solutions that align technology with strategic business goals. This role requires balancing hands-on coding and architecture design with technical leadership and process optimization to deliver complex, regulated projects. **Your role and responsibilities** * Technical Leadership: Serve as the primary technical leader for complex projects, providing high-level project planning and strategic direction while ensuring alignment with business objectives and stakeholder requirements. * Data Classification & Compliance Expertise: Apply a deep understanding of financial data types and regulatory compliance requirements to the design and implementation of ML solutions. * Architecture & Design: Drive software architecture decisions, promoting component-based and domain-driven design principles for scalable and maintainable systems across relational and non-relational databases. * ML & Containerization Strategy: Oversee the technical integration and deployment of machine learning workloads specifically for data categorization, within containerized environments using Docker and zCX. * Security & Compliance by Design: Implement robust security practices following OWASP guidelines and Security-by-Design methodologies, ensuring all solutions meet stringent regulatory compliance frameworks across various industries. * Guidance & Mentorship: Guide and mentor engineering teams, fostering a culture of technical excellence, clean coding, and adherence to best practices. **Required technical and professional expertise** * Software Development Mastery: Strong technical expertise in software development and architecture, emphasizing clean code principles and modern software design patterns. * Python Proficiency: Highly skilled in Python for data science, machine learning applications, and automation tasks. * Mainframe Expertise: In-depth knowledge of mainframe environments, including the z/OS operating system, JCL, and REXX programming languages. * Database Management: Excellent understanding and experience with both DB2 (including performance tuning and management) and VSAM databases. * Security Management: Familiarity with External Security Managers (ESMs) such as RACF for authentication and authorization protocols. * MLOps & Deployment: Experience with deploying machine learning models in containerized environments (Docker, zCX), combined with familiarity with Unix/Linux operating systems. * Industry Experience: Prior experience working with large enterprises within highly regulated sectors such as Financial Services, Insurance, Government, and Transportation. * Web Technologies & DevOps: Familiarity with web technologies, CI/CD pipelines, test automation, and security-based design practices (OWASP). **Preferred technical and professional experience** * Java/JavaScript Experience: Familiarity with Java or JavaScript ecosystems, which can aid in integrating modern front-ends or enterprise middleware with backend systems. * API Management Tools: Prior use of API gateways and management platforms (e.g., Apigee, Mulesoft) for governing access to mainframe data services. * Additional Databases: Experience with other database technologies such as IBM IMS. * Certifications: Relevant certifications in software architecture, machine learning, or mainframe technologies are a plus. IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.