Sr Director, Application Development

AvalonBay is proud to be named one of Glassdoor's Best Places to Work in 2018.

AvalonBay Communities, Inc. is one of the nation’s leading Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT’s), in the business of developing, redeveloping, acquiring and managing high-quality apartment communities in high barrier-to-entry markets of the United States. These markets are located in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Pacific Northwest and Northern and Southern California regions of the country. AvalonBay currently owns and operates approximately 80,000 apartment homes in the US and employs approximately 3,000 associates.

We are currently searching for a Senior Director of Application Development to lead all elements of AvalonBay's software development organization. This position will be based out of our corporate headquarters in Arlington, VA.

The Senior Director, Application Development will report to the Head of IT and manage day to day operations of the software development organization including all staffing and performance activities. This is a newly created role tasked with leading a team of ~30 developers, QA engineers, Product Managers, and Business Analysts who are responsible for the design, development, documentation, and support AvalonBay’s 16+ custom or customized systems.

The position is responsible to plan, coordinate, and supervise all activities related to the design, development, implementation of organizational information systems and software applications. This individual will apply proven communication skills, problem-solving skills,and knowledge of best practices to guide his/her development team on issues related to the design, development, and deployment of mission-critical information and software systems.

Responsibilities will include, but are not be limited to:

• Lead and manage the development and deployment of new applications, systems software, and/or enhancements to existing applications throughout the enterprise.
• Manage and provide direction for the various application development teams in support of the company’s business.
• Management of vendors and third-party services providers engaged on supporting the activities related to development and code maintenance.
• Provide technical leadership to project managers and programmers working on development project teams.
• Review and analyze existing applications’ effectiveness and efficiency, and then develop strategies for improving or leveraging these systems.
• Cultivate, disseminate, and enforce functional policies, procedures, and quality assurance best practices.
• Ensure that all systems meet performance and service utility expectations.
• Monitor and analyze new and emerging technologies.
• Provide guidelines and leadership to reporting development managers and directors in the areas of system feature sets, program strategy and process design.
• Work with executive teams to ensure development programs, strategies, and processes are aligned with corporate requirements.

Qualified candidates will be able to demonstrate how they have accomplished the following over the course of their career:

• Extensive experience and knowledge of Microsoft development platforms.
• Strong knowledge of system and software quality assurance best practices and
  methodologies.
• Working knowledge of network and PC operating systems, including Windows
  Servers; database design and file management techniques; and network hardware,
  protocols, and standards, including TCP/IP, MQ Series, or other messaging platforms
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with ability to convey ideas in both
  technical and user-friendly language.
• Excellent listening and interpersonal skills with strong customer-service orientation.
• Ability to conduct research into application development issues and products.
• Able to multi-task and coordinate multiple simultaneous project streams while
  managing and meeting established project time-lines.
• Experience working in a team-oriented, cross-functional matrix organization and
  collaborative environment.
• Knowledge of applicable data privacy practices and laws.
• Focus on execution and results – Establishing high standards for performance, setting
  goals and developing plans, follow through on plans and holding people accountable
  for results; motivating and developing own team and others, collaborating with
  colleagues and leading staff to create a results-driven, team-oriented environment;

Qualified candidates will have:

• 7+ years direct experience in a leadership capacity including software development
  and/or programming design and systems management.
• Deep track record of business application agile development and track record of
  reducing investments in internal DevOps teams while increasing cloud partnerships,
  and progressively migrating on-site infrastructure to the cloud.
• Proven experience in overseeing the direction, development, and implementation of
  software solutions.
• Extensive experience with core software applications, including general ledgers, retail
  banking, securities, funds, portfolio management, risk management systems.
• Technically fluent in programming languages, including C#, ADO.net, VB.net, SQL
  server
• Direct, hands-on experience with automated software and system management tools.

Education/Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer systems design or computer science or 10+ years
  equivalent work experience
• Certifications in Microsoft .net or in other Internet-based architectures preferred

We know that our teams are the beating heart of our success and we’re committed to showing our appreciation.

We offer:

• Comprehensive benefits – health, dental & vision, 401(k) with company match, paid vacation and holidays, tuition reimbursement, an employee stock purchase plan and more!
• Growth based on achievement and promotion from within.
• Associate recognition (a company-wide recognition program that celebrates associate efforts and successes in contributing to the overall success of the organization – including destination awards, ‘AvalonBay’s Very Best’ recognition program and others!).
• A 20% discount on our incredible apartment homes.
• A culture built on purpose and our core values -A Commitment to Integrity,A Spirit of Caring, andA Focus on Continuous Improvement.

AvalonBay will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with requirements under the law.

AvalonBay is an Equal Opportunity Employer.