Staff Python Software Engineer - Tech Lead

Growth Acceleration Partners•Colorado Springs, CO

About The Position

At Growth Acceleration Partners (GAP), we are looking for a Staff Python Tech Lead to support a long-term engagement with a global leader in irrigation technology and operational software solutions. In this role, you will combine hands-on backend engineering with strong technical leadership. You will design and evolve scalable, high-performance systems that power operational workflows, device-connected platforms, and data-driven applications in the irrigation domain. This is not just a Staff developer role. You will serve as the technical reference for the team, guiding architectural decisions, defining engineering standards, mentoring developers, and ensuring that solutions are robust, secure, and built for long-term scalability.

Requirements

8+ years of experience building enterprise-grade software applications.
5+ years of hands-on Python development experience in production environments.
Proven experience acting as a technical lead or staff-level engineer, influencing architecture and engineering direction.
Experience working in distributed systems, hardware-adjacent platforms, or operational workflow systems is highly valued.
Strong expertise in Python and production frameworks (Django, Flask, FastAPI).
Experience designing and building REST APIs (gRPC and GraphQL are a plus).
Strong SQL skills and experience with relational databases.
Experience designing data models aligned with operational workflows.
Experience working with AWS, Azure, or GCP.
Containerization using Docker; Kubernetes experience preferred.
CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, or similar).
Infrastructure and deployment best practices in cloud environments.
Strong understanding of software architecture principles and design patterns.
Experience with performance optimization (caching strategies, profiling).
Security best practices (OAuth, authentication flows, API protection).
Familiarity with Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban).
Advanced English proficiency (written and verbal).
Strong executive communication and ability to influence technical decisions.
High ownership mindset and accountability for system quality.
Strong mentoring capability and technical coaching skills.
Pragmatic decision-maker, able to balance speed and long-term maintainability.
Comfortable working in cross-functional environments with Product, Design, and Client stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Experience with IoT-adjacent systems, hardware integrations, or operational management platforms.
Experience designing event-driven or distributed systems.
Exposure to data processing pipelines or telemetry-based systems.
Familiarity with front-end collaboration (React or similar).
Experience in regulated or operationally sensitive environments.

Responsibilities

Define and evolve backend architecture using Python-based frameworks.
Guide system design decisions to ensure scalability, maintainability, and performance.
Lead code reviews and establish engineering best practices.
Mentor engineers and elevate overall team technical standards.
Partner with Product and Engineering leadership to translate business needs into scalable technical solutions.
Drive technical alignment across services, APIs, and integrations.
Design and build high-performance APIs and backend services using Python (Django, Flask, FastAPI, or similar).
Architect RESTful and event-driven integrations.
Ensure data integrity and reliability across operational workflows.
Implement caching, performance optimizations, and resilient system patterns.
Collaborate on cloud-native deployments and infrastructure decisions.
Enforce secure coding standards (OWASP, OAuth, secure API design).
Ensure proper automated testing coverage (unit, integration).
Define CI/CD best practices and release processes.
Monitor system performance, troubleshoot bottlenecks, and drive continuous improvement.