Team Lead

About Bluestaq
At Bluestaq, we're not just another tech company-we're a mission-driven team of innovators, problem-solvers, and trailblazers. Whether supporting space exploration, defense systems, global alliances, government initiatives, healthcare advancements, or commercial breakthroughs, our work spans industries that shape the future. Founded in 2018, Bluestaq has quickly become a leader in enterprise software and secure data management. Our name? A nod to our roots-"blue" (military shorthand for the good guys) and "staq" (as in software stack).

Recognized Excellence
We don't just talk about excellence-we deliver it. Bluestaq has earned national recognition as one of Inc. Magazine's Fastest-Growing Private Companies and is consistently ranked among Colorado's Best Workplaces. Whether we're supporting national security, enabling healthcare advancements, or driving commercial innovation, we're committed to building data management solutions that matter.

Join the Mission
Ready to push boundaries with tech that transforms industries? At Bluestaq, we engineer secure, scalable data ecosystems for space, defense, healthcare, and beyond. Join us to tackle mission-critical challenges, protect the world's most valuable data, and build what's next. Let's make extraordinary possible - together.

Software Engineering Team Lead – USSF UDL 

Open Roles: 3 Team Lead Positions 

We are seeking a technically skilled and people-centered Software Engineering Team Lead to guide a small team of engineers building secure, scalable solutions for government and commercial missions. In this pivotal role, you’ll combine deep technical contributions with direct team supervision, ensuring that delivery stays on track, systems meet quality and security standards, and engineers are supported in their growth. 

As a first-line leader, you will coach, mentor, and develop team members while also serving as the technical point of contact within your domain. You’ll work closely with Product, Program, and Engineering stakeholders to align execution with broader strategic goals. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who enjoys empowering others to do their best work and is comfortable stepping in to unblock complex technical challenges when needed. 

Why This Role Matters 

Team Leads are the connective tissue between execution and leadership. Your work directly impacts how well engineering teams deliver, how quickly they adapt, and how confidently they scale. By combining day-to-day technical leadership with people development, you’ll help ensure our systems are built to last and our engineers are equipped to grow. 

If you're driven by technical excellence, passionate about building high-performing teams, and ready to lead from the front, this is your opportunity to play a key role in advancing national security and commercial innovation. 

Key Responsibilities 

People Leadership 

• Directly supervise engineers on your team; conduct performance check-ins, feedback, and development planning. 
• Uphold Bluestaq’s core values of trust, ownership, curiosity, teamwork, mentorship, and talent development, fostering a culture where team members take initiative, support one another, and grow together. 
• Mentor engineers in both technical execution and professional development. 
• Identify and escalate growth needs, performance concerns, or resourcing issues to the Engineering Manager. 
• Contribute to hiring, onboarding, and retention of high-performing engineering talent. 
• Support rapid onboarding, development, and retention of engineering talent on the program. 

Technical Leadership (Software Engineering Focus) 

• Guide a small team of software engineers in designing and building secure, scalable software systems for government and commercial applications. 
• Provide hands-on technical leadership across the team, including code contributions where appropriate. 
• Ensure consistent application of modern software development practices, including CI/CD, code reviews, testing, and documentation. 
• Support resolution of complex technical challenges, stepping in directly when needed to unblock progress. 
• Promote code quality, maintainability, and secure development practices throughout the sprint cycle. 
• Guide your team through complex implementations and align technical work with architecture standards and security requirements. 
• Partner with architects and senior engineers to support scalability, performance, and maintainability across systems. 
• Collaborate with engineering leadership to evaluate and implement appropriate tools, languages, and frameworks aligned with mission and program needs. 
• Stay current with relevant technologies and introduce improvements in tooling, languages, and frameworks where they meaningfully improve outcomes. 

Delivery Management 

• Partner closely with product owners, product managers, or engineering managers to plan sprints, define scope, clarify requirements, and prioritize backlog items. 
• Own the day-to-day execution of delivery: assign tasks, track progress, and proactively remove blockers. 
• Ensure that sprint commitments are met with both technical rigor and high-quality standards. 
• Ensure systems and codebases meet architectural guardrails and security requirements. 
• Escalate risks, delivery challenges, or resource constraints to Product, Program, and Engineering Management with clarity and urgency. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

• Serve as the key point of contact for your team across product, program, and architectural stakeholders. 
• Contribute to technical feasibility analysis, scope planning, and integration conversations. 
• Participate in broader engineering planning, capability discussions, and system architecture reviews. 
• Collaborate with other Team Leads and Engineering Managers to improve engineering process maturity and cross-team alignment. 

Continuous Improvement 

• Drive adoption of tools, frameworks, and practices that improve engineering productivity and system reliability. 
• Advocate for sustainable investments in tech debt, refactoring, and system reliability. 
• Contribute to building a culture of technical excellence, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement. 

Outcomes 

• High-performing, engaged engineering team delivering secure, scalable software solutions. 
• Systems and codebases that meet architectural guardrails, security requirements, and mission needs. 
• Rapid onboarding, development, and retention of engineering talent. 
• Technical solutions that scale reliably and are delivered with clarity, predictability, and confidence. 

Qualifications and Skills 

• Proven experience guiding engineering teams technically, including hands-on software development expertise. 
• Prior experience supervising, mentoring, or coaching team members. 
• Skilled in managing agile workflows, sprint planning, and cross-functional collaboration. 
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate ambiguity with composure. 
• Effective communicator with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. 
• Ability to balance short-term delivery needs with long-term sustainability and technical quality. 

Required Education and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field and 4 years of engineering or related experience, OR 
• Associate degree in a related field and 6 years of engineering or related experience, OR 
• High School Diploma/GED and 8 years of engineering or related experience. 

Clearance Requirement 

This position requires the ability to obtain a TS/SCI Clearance. To be eligible for a security clearance, U.S. citizenship is required, and an employee must agree to participate in a background screen and credit check. Eligibility for a TS/SCI Clearance will be assessed as part of the onboarding process or based on programmatic needs. 

Additional Details 

Date the Position Closes: Applications will be accepted until X, 2025, or until the position is filled, whichever comes first. 

Salary Range (CO): 
$120,000 - $250,000 USD 

Physical Requirements 

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. 
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times. 
• Must be able to access and navigate each department at the organization's facilities.