Technical Lead, Application Engineering

Location: Greater Toronto Area Department: Digital and Information Technology Reports to: Director, Application & Platform Engineering Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time The Application Engineering Manager leads a team responsible for building custom applications and integrating them into the company’s technology ecosystem. As Heart & Stroke modernizes key technology solutions and engineering practices, this role is responsible for improving engineering maturity and productivity by introducing modern delivery methods and AI-assisted development tools. The role combines technical architecture, hands-on engineering leadership, and team management. You will design technology solutions, guide delivery from discovery to deployment, and ensure systems are scalable, secure, and aligned with enterprise strategy. This position works cross-functionally with stakeholders across Product, Fundraising, Marketing, Engineering, Security, and Infrastructure & Operations to deliver technical solutions that support business objectives. You will manage Software Developers I and a Business System Analyst and work closely with Platform, Data, Security, Infrastructure & Operations, Product, Fundraising, Marketing, Mission and Project Management teams. Stakeholder Collaboration • Work with Product, Fundraising, Marketing, Mission stakeholders and Project Managers to clarify project scope, gather requirements and define delivery timelines. • Translate business objectives and KPIs into technical requirements and solution designs. • Communicate project status, risks and dependencies to technology leadership and stakeholders. • Explain technical concepts and solutions to non-technical audiences. Project Intake & Solution Design • Contribute to the project intake process to ensure business requirements are clear and complete. • Lead solution design and effort estimation to support prioritization of multiple initiatives. • Assign and manage execution activities across the team to meet scope, timeline and budget goals. • Ensure smooth transition of solutions to operations after deployment or launch. Engineering Delivery Leadership • Architect major changes to existing solutions and co-design new solutions with the Director of Software Engineering. • Oversee development of custom applications and integrations using modern frameworks and engineering practices. • Ensure code quality through development standards, peer reviews, automated testing and CI/CD pipelines. • Embed security and compliance into development workflows. • Drive improvements in automation, observability, documentation and CI/CD maturity. • Lead initiatives to reduce technical debt. • Contribute to standards for application architecture, integrations, APIs and event-driven systems. Technical Leadership & Vendor Management • Guide development and delivery of solutions for custom applications and system integrations. • Align technical decisions with business objectives and architectural standards. • Lead technical design reviews, code reviews and architecture assessments. • Manage external technology vendors to ensure secure and high-quality project delivery. • Ensure vendor solutions meet architecture, development and security standards. AI-Enabled Engineering • Evaluate and pilot AI-assisted development, testing and design tools. • Integrate approved AI tools into development workflows and CI/CD pipelines. • Establish governance and usage standards with Security and Infrastructure teams. • Coach engineers on responsible AI-assisted engineering practices. • Measure the impact of AI tools on productivity, quality and risk. Operational Excellence • Work with Infrastructure & Operations to define non-functional requirements including availability, reliability, performance and security. • Ensure solution designs address these requirements effectively. • Drive continuous improvement through Agile practices including sprint planning and retrospectives. • Ensure documentation is maintained for delivered solutions. • Support Level 3 issue escalation and problem resolution. • Contribute to disaster recovery and high-availability strategies. Talent Management • Lead team development and maintain high engineering standards. • Support team members in developing skills and progressing in their careers. • Build succession planning and leadership development plans. • Set performance objectives and provide ongoing coaching and feedback. • Recruit engineering talent as needed. • Ensure compliance with organizational policies and accurate administration of employee information. • Foster strong collaboration with cross-functional teams across Product, Business, Data and Application groups. Key Requirements • 7+ years of software engineering experience • 3–5+ years managing engineering teams • Strong architectural judgment and enterprise system integration experience • Experience translating business requirements into technical solutions • Experience driving engineering process improvements and delivery transformation • Experience implementing or operationalizing AI-assisted development tools • Experience working with cross-functional stakeholders and managing complex technology projects Technologies & Tools • React • Node.js • JavaScript • Python • APIs and microservices • Event-driven systems • Azure (preferred) or GCP • CI/CD pipelines • Git-based development workflows • Agile development practices • AI-assisted engineering tools (OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Google, etc.) Additional Experience (Assets) • Digital Experience Platforms such as Contentful, Optimizely or Sitecore • Enterprise platforms such as HRIS • Implementation or integration of off-the-shelf enterprise software solutions • Experience applying configuration-over-customization best practices Education Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience. Key Skills • Technology solution architecture and implementation • Application integration and API design • Security-by-design principles • Engineering operations and reliability management • Stakeholder communication and collaboration • Vendor coordination and project delivery oversight • Budget estimation and engineering project execution • Strong analytical skills in troubleshooting and diagnostics • Ability to work across multiple stakeholders and priorities in a fast-paced environment Performance Indicators • Accuracy of project time and budget estimates • Delivery of maintainable and high-quality code • Effective stakeholder collaboration • Ability to balance business needs with system constraints • Successful translation of business requirements into technical solutions • Team development and continuous improvement • Effective troubleshooting and resolution of technical issues The role is budgeted at $100,000–$120,000 for the right candidate. It also includes paid vacation, personal and wellness days, a paid office closure from December 25 to January 1, health and dental benefits, life and disability coverage, an EAP, pension matching, a hybrid work model, mobile and home office reimbursement, and professional development support.