Application Development Manager - Web

Description

Come Smile with Us!

Join the Delta Dental of Iowa team as an Application Development Manager and oversee the design, implementation, ongoing support, and documentation of our frontend web, mobile, and back-office applications. In this role, you will provide day-to-day leadership for development teams, building a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and professional growth through coaching and mentoring. You will help advance our development capabilities across a Java, Oracle, and Snowflake ecosystem, partnering with a highly skilled, tight-knit team to deliver new product initiatives and modernize platforms in alignment with business objectives—all in support of our not-for-profit mission and the people we serve. This position is located in Johnston, Iowa and not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Learn why Tammie enjoys working on our Technology team.

Why Delta Dental of Iowa?

For your smile. For your health. For your community.

At Delta Dental of Iowa, we’re more than just a dental and vision insurance company. Improving health and wellness is at the center of everything we do. As a not-for-profit, we aim to build stronger communities by investing in actions that promote and improve health. Delta Dental of Iowa invests 40% of our dollars directly back into the communities we serve.

Come see why we are passionate about "Bringing Smiles" to our customers. Our team enjoys competitive pay and benefits, an awesome "One Team" approach, and a company culture that fosters "Exceptional Quality Service" and "Leadership at All Levels." Together, we can make a difference – not only in Iowa but across the country.

Essential Functions and Principal Accountabilities:

• Lead, hire, coach, and develop application development staff through performance management, mentoring, and training to build engagement, strengthen technical capabilities, and model Delta Dental’s core values.
• Establish and evolve the technology vision for Delta Dental’s application ecosystem, providing technical leadership across web, mobile, frontend, and back-office platforms. Maintain a strong working knowledge of systems to guide architecture, design decisions, and long-term modernization of the technology stack.
• Own delivery of application initiatives from analysis and design through implementation and release, ensuring projects are completed on time, within agreed constraints, and aligned to business objectives.
• Ensure adherence to project management, architectural standards, and the software development lifecycle, including documentation, scope management, communication, testing, and deployment. Translate business strategy and vision into executable technical roadmaps and plans.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for production issues, lead complex defect resolution and release testing efforts, and provide on-call support as needed to ensure system stability, performance and reliability.
• Plan and track development activities, dependencies, and schedules; allocate team resources effectively; and adapt delivery plans as priorities, technologies, and business needs evolve.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, tools, and development practices; define and evolve coding standards and platforms; and lead continuous improvement efforts to enhance application performance, security, and developer efficiency.
• Communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders, including leadership and external partners; exercise sound judgment in technical decisions; maintain confidentiality of sensitive information; and perform other duties as assigned.
• Provide on-call support when necessary.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Required

1. Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related field, with 6 years of progressive experience in application development, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
2. Demonstrated experience leading or mentoring application development teams, including responsibility for planning, prioritization, and delivery of software solutions.
3. Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively translate between technical and non-technical audiences.
4. Proven ability to manage multiple priorities, organize work effectively, and support teams through changing requirements and timelines.
5. Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, with a track record of driving practical, high-quality solutions.

Preferred

1. Strong hands-on experience designing and maintaining modern web applications, with the ability to remain technically engaged while leading teams.
2. Solid understanding of full-stack web development, including front-end frameworks, server-side development, APIs, and data persistence layers.
3. Experience guiding teams through technical decision-making, architecture, and code quality practices via reviews, design discussions, and mentorship.
4. Working knowledge of relational databases and SQL, including data modeling concepts and performance considerations (Oracle or similar enterprise platforms a plus).
5. Experience leading or contributing to Agile development teams, balancing delivery, quality, and long-term maintainability of production systems.
6. Experience working in regulated or compliance-driven environments (healthcare, insurance, financial services, or similar).

Delta Dental of Iowa is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability and any other characteristic protected by applicable law. It is also the policy of Delta Dental of Iowa to take affirmative action to employ and to advance in employment, all persons regardless of their status as individuals with disabilities or protected veterans, and to base all employment decisions only on valid job requirements.