Tech Lead Developer - Node.js / TypeScript / AWS

Tech Lead Developer — Node.js / TypeScript / AWS

Location: Plano, TX

Client: Randstad/Vanguard

Pay rate: $50/hr -$55/hr on W2

Assessment: Ropes Assessment required

Technical Focus: Approximately 60–70% backend and 30–40% frontend

Role Overview

Our client is seeking a hands-on Tech Lead to serve as the technical authority for one or more strategic initiatives. The role will define architecture, service contracts, and technical roadmaps while providing engineering leadership.

Development will focus primarily on Node.js and TypeScript, with frontend work using React and TypeScript. Initial priorities include technical discovery, solution design, and establishing the foundation for delivery and future team growth.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership and Architecture

• Serve as the lead developer and technical authority for assigned initiatives.
• Design resilient, cloud-native architectures and define technical roadmaps.
• Turn ambiguous requirements into clear, actionable technical plans.
• Define, document, and negotiate service and API contracts with partner teams.
• Ensure solutions meet enterprise security, resiliency, and maintainability standards.
• Identify technical dependencies, risks, sequencing needs, and trade-offs.
• Promote security considerations throughout design and development.

Hands-On Engineering

• Build backend services using TypeScript and Node.js.
• Support applications written in Java when needed.
• Contribute to React-based UI development and integration.
• Review code and maintain engineering quality standards across frontend and backend repositories.
• Resolve complex technical issues across the application stack.

Collaboration and Delivery

• Partner with product teams and stakeholders to define scope and priorities.
• Help sequence initiatives based on technical readiness and risk.
• Guide decisions on team composition and required skills.
• Work within a cross-functional team supporting multiple initiatives, initially in sequence.
• Support a flexible staffing model as project needs evolve.
• Develop primarily internal-facing APIs, with some potentially external-facing UI components.

Required Technical Skills

• TypeScript: Expert-level proficiency across the software stack.
• Node.js and Backend Architecture: Strong experience designing and building APIs and services.
• React: Working experience supporting UI enhancements and integrations.
• AWS: Hands-on experience with Lambda, ECS, and S3.
• DynamoDB: Practical database experience.
• Authentication and Authorization: Strong understanding of JWT and OAuth.

Preferred Skills

• Support-level proficiency in Java and/or Angular.
• GraphQL experience, primarily as a consumer, with potential subgraph development.
• Experience with migrations between Java and TypeScript/Node.js.
• Experience with additional SQL or NoSQL databases.
• Kong, Lambda Authorizers, and/or AWS Glue.
• Security and monitoring tools.
• GitHub Actions.

Ideal Candidate

A hands-on technical leader with strong backend engineering skills and experience designing resilient, cloud-native, API-first systems. The ideal candidate is comfortable with evolving requirements, works effectively across teams, and promotes secure, high-quality development practices.