Software Development Technical Lead

Software Development Technical Lead We are seeking a highly experienced Technical Lead / Solution Architect to lead the modernization of a legacy **Blue Yonder (RedPrairie/JDA) Labor Management System (LMS)** for a national distribution environment. **IMPORTANT: Hands-on Blue Yonder / RedPrairie / JDA LMS experience is a mandatory requirement for this role.** Please do not apply based solely on general WMS, cloud, Python, Java, or solution architecture experience. ABOUT THE PROJECT Our client is replacing a legacy labor management platform with a modern, in-house system responsible for labor productivity, engineered labor standards, pay calculations, and employee incentive calculations across multiple distribution centers. The new platform will integrate with warehouse management, payroll, and mainframe systems and will operate in parallel with the existing Blue Yonder environment before phased cutover. This is expected to be a 6–9 month engagement involving a payroll-critical system operating under SOX audit and change-management controls. WHAT YOU WILL OWN • Own the end-to-end solution architecture for the LMS replacement. • Serve as the technical authority on existing Blue Yonder / RedPrairie LMS behavior. • Translate legacy labor-management and payroll logic into the target architecture. • Lead architecture and development across ingestion, pay engine, engineered labor standards (ELS), supervisor UI, and payroll interfaces. • Design integrations between WMS, LMS, corporate payroll, and mainframe systems. • Lead migration from legacy batch/file integrations to REST APIs and Kafka-based event processing. • Define high-integrity data architecture and complete auditability for payroll-affecting transactions. • Lead design reviews and code reviews and provide technical direction to the engineering team. • Develop and execute the parallel-run validation strategy comparing new-system payroll/incentive output against Blue Yonder. • Investigate discrepancies and support go/no-go decisions for phased distribution-center cutovers. • Partner with warehouse/DC operations, payroll, HR, finance, WMS, and mainframe teams. • Ensure architecture and engineering processes support SOX change-management and audit requirements. TARGET TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENT • Python • PostgreSQL • Apache Kafka • Kubernetes • Google Cloud Platform (GCP) • REST APIs / event-driven microservices • Next.js supervisor interface The legacy environment includes Blue Yonder / RedPrairie / JDA WMS and LMS, batch integrations, labor standards, payroll/incentive calculations, and host/mainframe interfaces. REQUIRED EXPERIENCE • 12+ years of software engineering experience, preferably in supply chain, warehouse, or distribution systems. • 5+ years as a Technical Lead, Solution Architect, or similar technical leadership role. • Hands-on experience with Blue Yonder / RedPrairie / JDA LMS implementation, configuration, development, or integration. • Strong understanding of labor-management concepts including assignment operations, labor standards, goal times, clock punches, schedules, job codes, productivity, and incentive calculations. • Experience with WMS/LMS integrations, batch/file interfaces, host-system mapping, and enterprise integration patterns. • Strong experience with Python or Java and advanced SQL. • Experience designing cloud-native microservices and event-driven architectures. • Experience with Kafka and Kubernetes or comparable technologies. • Experience leading legacy-to-modern migrations, including data mapping, parallel/shadow runs, reconciliation, and phased production cutovers. • Strong technical leadership and communication skills. HIGHLY PREFERRED • Blue Yonder MOCA • Engineered Labor Standards (ELS) • MODAPTS or similar engineered standards methodologies • Blue Yonder Page Builder/report development • PostgreSQL performance and data architecture • Payroll or incentive-pay systems • Mainframe, AS400, or SAP integrations • Multi-distribution-center implementations • SOX §404 environments • Financially material systems requiring exact reconciliation ENGAGEMENT DETAILS Duration: Approximately 6–9 months Experience Level: Expert Engagement: Significant weekly commitment required Environment: Enterprise, multi-distribution-center modernization WHEN APPLYING Please provide concise answers to the following: Describe your hands-on Blue Yonder / RedPrairie / JDA LMS experience. Which versions/modules did you work with, and what were you personally responsible for? Describe your experience with labor standards, assignment operations, punches, goal times, productivity, and incentive/pay calculations. Have you worked with MOCA, Blue Yonder integrations, batch interfaces, or mainframe/host-system integrations? Please provide a specific example. Describe one legacy-to-modern WMS/LMS migration you personally led or architected. How did you validate the new platform against the legacy system? Describe your hands-on experience with Python, PostgreSQL, Kafka, Kubernetes, and GCP or another major cloud platform. Have you worked on a payroll, incentive-pay, timekeeping, billing, or other financially material system requiring detailed reconciliation? What is your availability over the next 6–9 months, and approximately how many hours per week can you commit?