IT Team Lead - Application Development

Be part of a growing, successful company in an exciting and challenging field. Border States is 100% employee-owned, which means you’re empowered to make decisions, find solutions and receive rewards for your hard work.

This position will be located in: Fargo, ND or Remote

Application Deadline: Posted Until Filled

Please note that the position may be filled before or after the listed application deadline. Applications will only be accepted while the posting remains active.

Job Summary

The IT Team Lead Application Development (AppDev) role supports the strategy, execution, and delivery of key products and experiences in Border States developed applications and across the Customer Technology area. This role supervises and leads a team of developers and technical team members and collaborates with infrastructure shared service teams, business stakeholders, and leadership to ensure products and shared service platforms deliver maximum value while maintaining scalability, security, and compliance.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Leads, mentors, and develops a team of Developers and technical team members, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth.
• Co-defines and executes product strategies, ensuring alignment with business and technical goals.
• Co-develops and maintains a scalable roadmap, prioritizing features and improvements based on business value with Business Partner.
• Ensure that all development efforts are customer-centric and focused on delivering value to end users, incorporating user feedback into product enhancements.
• Oversee code reviews, testing, and deployment processes to ensure high-quality deliverables and adherence to coding standards.
• Guide the team in designing scalable, maintainable, and secure application architectures that align with business requirements and technical standards.
• Partner with other IT and engineering teams to develop reusable services and APIs that support multiple applications and business functions, reducing duplication and improving efficiency.
• Use analytics and KPIs to monitor application performance, identify bottlenecks, and drive improvements in speed, reliability, and scalability.
• Owns the product backlog, ensuring clarity and prioritization for development teams and other infrastructure shared service teams.
• Manages cross-functional collaboration with Security, Infrastructure, DevOps, Product, and Business teams to develop scalable, reusable services that drive efficiency and drives technical decisions related to application delivery, shared services support, and product lifecycle management.
• Conducts mid-year and year-end performance reviews for direct reports.
• Ensures shared services align with security, compliance, and industry best practices.
• Translates complex business requirements into technical deliverables, ensuring clarity across teams.
• Manages dependencies across multiple products and platforms including shared services.
• Identifies opportunities to optimize systems, reduce technical debt, and enhance automation.
  
  

Nonessential Functions

• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor or designate.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, mathematics, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 7 years of experience in product ownership, product management, or related role.
• Strong experience working with shared services, enterprise software platforms, or technology solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple cross-functional teams and work in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for business stakeholders.
• Background in software platform management, resource management, and project management.
• Experience managing customer, vendor relationships or external partners.
  
  

Skills And Abilities

• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to address system and process challenges both independently and within teams.
• Strong customer service orientation, ensuring both internal teams and end users receive the highest level of support.
• Excellent customer service skills include being competent, accurate, responsive, and engaged.
• Has a mindset for continuous improvement of processes and procedures.
• Ability to bring passion and focus to collaboration team to continuously deliver a leading-edge user experience for our customers.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with customers, vendors, and others related to the company, with a positive and supportive outlook.
• Ability to work independently and with others across geographical, functional and cultural boundaries.
• Accurately assess and acknowledge own strengths and limitations, with desire to improve needed areas and skills.
  
  

Physical Requirements

Frequency at which you would carry/lift in a typical day:

Occasionally 0 – 33% Frequently 34 – 66% Continuously: 67 – 100%

Lift from Waist:

< than 10 lbs. - Not at all

10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all

26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all

51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all

75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all

100 lbs. - Not at all

Lift from Floor:

< than 10 lbs. - Frequently

10 to 25 lbs. - Frequently

26 to 50 lbs. - Occasionally

51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all

75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all

100 lbs. - Not at all

Carried for Distance:

< than 10 lbs. - Not at all

10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all

26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all

51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all

75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all

100 lbs. - Not at all

Physical Activity

Frequency at which you would do the following in a typical day:

• Sitting (a continuous period of being seated) - Continuously
• Standing (for sustained periods of time) - Frequently
• Walking (moving about on foot to accomplish tasks) - Frequently
• Bending/stooping (downward and forward) - Occasionally
• Crawling (moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet) - Not at all
• Climbing/Walking Stairs (ascending or descending) - Frequently
• Reaching (extending arms in any direction) - Frequently
• Crouching/squatting (bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine) - Occasionally
• Kneeling (bending legs at knee to come to rest on knee(s)) - Occasionally
• Balancing (maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling) - Occasionally
• Repetitive motion (substantial movement (motions) or the wrists, hands, and/or fingers) - Continuously
• Pivoting (movement in any direction with one foot, keeping the other in contact with the floor) - Occasionally
• Pushing/Pulling (using upper extremities to press against or draw or tug) - Occasionally
• Grasping (Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm) - Continuously
• Fingering (picking, pinching, typing; working with primarily fingers and not whole hand) - Continuously
• Talking (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word) - Frequently
• Driving (the control and operation of a motor vehicle) - Occasionally
• Desk work (work usually performed at a desk) - Continuously
• Use of a computer - Continuously
• Use of a telephone - Frequently
• Hearing (Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels) - Continuously
• Exposure (to adverse weather & temperature conditions) - Not at all
• Travel (travel needed to perform job duties) - Occasionally
  
  

Additional Information

This job description is a summary of the job duties and responsibilities and is not intended to cover all possible job duties and is subject to change at the employer’s discretion. Employees must be able to perform the essential job duties and satisfy job requirements either with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Our History

Border States is a leader in the electrical supply distribution industry with approximately 130 locations in 31 states. Our employee-owners are second to none in delivering top-notch customer service and in demonstrating extra-ordinary people skills. We are one of the largest independent electrical distributors in the United States providing products and services to the construction, industrial and utility industries. Border States has a competitive benefit package and is a 100 percent employee-owned company. Employee-ownership is a significant part of our culture and our success stems from the dedication of our employee-owners. We practice open-book management and our employee-owners are empowered with clearly defined levels of authority to be innovative and decisive, allowing us to respond quickly to the needs of customers. Employee-owners understand their roles in the success of the company and care about customers’ needs, which drives our focus on adding value to everything we do. We recognize that not all customers are the same and each has specific requirements. Our employee-owners understand these diverse needs and have the commitment, resourcefulness and flexibility to outperform all others.

Values

As a Border States employee-owner, you’re responsible for living our mission, service philosophy and service standards.

Our Purpose

We believe unstoppable businesses shouldn't go it alone. We are owners - of relationships, of outcomes, of every moment these unstoppable businesses need to deliver.

Service Philosophy

We earn customer loyalty and confidence by caring about their needs and adding value to everything we do.

Service Standards

Border States employee-owners are competent, accurate, responsive, and engaged .

Your career

Join an experienced team at one of the largest electrical distributors in the United States. What are you waiting for?

Border States has a competitive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:

Health, Dental and Vision Benefits

Accident, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity

FSA & HSA

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

Disability Benefits

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Paid Holidays

Paid Volunteer Time

Personal Leave time and more!

Border States provides bonuses to their employee-owners upon the achievement of branch and company goals.

Equal Opportunity For All

It’s not just the law. It’s something we’ve believed in since our founding. We value the diversity of all of our employee-owners and will always be an equal opportunity employer.

Drug Free/Smoke Free workplace

Employment may be contingent on the offered candidate successfully passing one or more of the following pre-employment screenings:

• Criminal background check (required for all positions)
• Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) check (required for positions involving driving)
• Drug testing
  
  

The MVR check and drug testing vary by role and will be communicated to the offered candidate during the onboarding process and as applicable.