Lead IBM i Platform Engineer

What You'll Do

The Lead Software Engineer (iConnector) leads the team responsible for the Avalara IBM isoftware development kit, including design, build, testing, maintenance, and support.

This role ensures Avalara customers and partners using IBM i systems have reliable connector capabilities that support accurate tax compliance and business continuity. This role is needed because the current manager is approaching retirement, creating a need for leadership continuity, product knowledge transfer, and sustained execution. The manager maintains and improves existing IBM isoftware development kit connectors, supports Sales teams and partners with technical demos and product questions, and identifies new IBM iconnector opportunities, including potential electronic invoicing applications. The role exists to improve connector reliability, keep customer cost per order low for IBM icustomers, and create new ways for Avalara to serve customers and partners on the IBM iplatform. 

How This Role Elevates Avalara
This role strengthens Avalara’s ability to serve customers and partners who rely on IBM isystems by providing technical leadership for IBM i connector questions, issues, demos, and escalations. The manager brings expertise in a profitable but specialized technology platform that is not widely understood across Avalara. IBM icustomers contribute approximately $17 million in annual recurring revenue. This role protects that revenue by maintaining reliable software development kit connectors, keeping cost per order low, reducing churn risk, and ensuring customer escalations are resolved quickly. The manager also improves team execution by maintaining accurate technical documentation, reducing single points of knowledge, and ensuring new releases are fully tested before they are made available to customers.

#LI-Remote 

What Your Responsibilities Will Be

• Lead, coach, and develop direct reports who design, build, test, release, and support Avalara’s IBM i software development kit connectors.
• Own the IBM i software development kit delivery plan, including priorities, commitments, risks, and communication with Product Management and Engineering stakeholders.
• Ensure connector releases meet quality, reliability, and supportability expectations
  before they are made available to customers and partners.
• Drive timely resolution of customer escalations by coordinating engineering analysis, clear communication, and durable fixes.
• Support Sales, partners, and customer-facing teams with IBM i technical expertise, including product questions, demos, and solution guidance.
• Maintain accurate technical documentation and knowledge-sharing practices that reduce single points of knowledge and improve support readiness.
• Partner with Product Management and business stakeholders to align IBM i connector investments with customer needs, revenue protection, and cost per order goals.
• Identify and evaluate new IBM i connector opportunities, including electronic invoicing applications, that expand Avalara’s value for IBM i customers and partners.
  
  12-Month Success Signals:
• Existing IBM i software development kit connectors remain stable, supported, and ready for customer and partner use.
• Customer escalations are resolved within agreed service expectations, with clear communication and durable fixes.
• IBM i customer cost per order remains controlled, with the current score of 8 maintained or improved.
• A delivery plan is defined for new IBM i opportunities, including potential electronic invoicing applications.
• Documentation and knowledge transfer are strong enough to reduce dependency on the retiring manager and support long-term continuity.
• Direct reports demonstrate stronger ownership, execution quality, and release discipline.

What You'll Need to be Successful

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or Engineering.
• 10+ years of relevant software engineering experience, including hands-on experience with IBM i systems.
• 3+ years of people management experience, including coaching, performance
management, and team delivery ownership.
• Experience with RPG IV (ILE RPG). Both free format and fixed format versions.
• Experience with Control Language Program, systems analysis, application development, project management, change control, process improvement, documentation, research, and training.
• Some experience with Open-Source functionality on the IBMi (e.g. PASE runtime, Python, Node.js, PHP, Git, nginx, OpenSSH etc.)
• Experience leading software delivery across design, build, test, release, and production support.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with customers, partners, Sales, Product Management, and Engineering stakeholders.

Avalara is an AI-first Company

AI is embedded in our workflows, decision-making, and products.  Success here requires embracing AI as an essential capability.

• You’ll bring experience using AI and AI-related technologies, ready to thrive here.

• You’ll apply AI every day to business challenges - improving efficiency, contributing solutions, and driving results for your team, our company, and our customers.

• You’ll grow with AI by staying curious about new trends and best practices, and by sharing what you learn so others can benefit too.

How We'll Take Care of You

Total Rewards 

In addition to a great compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave, many Avalara employees are eligible for bonuses. 

Health & Wellness 
Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance. 

Inclusive culture and diversity 
Avalara strongly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is committed to integrating them into our business practices and our organizational culture. We also have a total of 8 employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and exec sponsorship. 

What You Need To Know About Avalara

We’re defining the relationship between tax and tech.

We’ve already built an industry-leading cloud compliance platform, processing over 54 billion customer API calls and over 6.6 million tax returns a year. Our growth is real - we're a billion dollar business - and we’re not slowing down until we’ve achieved our mission - to be part of every transaction in the world.

We’re bright, innovative, and disruptive, like the orange we love to wear. It captures our quirky spirit and optimistic mindset. It shows off the culture we’ve designed, that empowers our people to win. We’ve been different from day one. Join us, and your career will be too.

We’re An Equal Opportunity Employer

Supporting diversity and inclusion is a cornerstone of our company — we don’t want people to fit into our culture, but to enrich it. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, national orientation, disability, sexual orientation, US Veteran status, or any other factor protected by law. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.