This listing does not state pay. Across 35 open lead software engineer listings that state pay, the middle half runs $153,500 to $196,000 and the median is $182,000.

Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.

Lead Software Engineer salaries by state · Check your own pay

How AI is used in this kind of work

Among software developers, AI is already used for some of the tasks. Measured exposure for software developers: 29% (some).

Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.

Check how this applies to your own job

Skills this job asks for

Say which you have and which you want to build. We use it to match you to jobs like this one.

About the job

Overview

Responsible at the expert level for engineering, operating, and evolving enterprise Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) and Developer Experience platforms. Drives technical strategy, standards, adoption, automation, and continuous improvement across the software delivery ecosystem while ensuring the stability, scalability, security, and resiliency of critical engineering services.

Serves as a senior technical leader and subject matter expert for enterprise developer platforms, enabling software engineers to efficiently and securely develop, test, deploy, and maintain applications throughout the software development lifecycle. Provides technical leadership, platform expertise, and engineering guidance while partnering across Architecture, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Cloud Engineering, and Application Development teams. Adapted from the existing Lead Engineer role expectations and scope.

Primary Responsibilities

Design, engineer, administer, and continuously improve Enterprise Developer Experience and SDLC platform capabilities supporting software delivery across the organization.

Serve as the technical expert and platform owner for enterprise developer tooling including:

GitLab Source Code Management (SCM)

GitLab CI/CD

GitLab Duo and AI-assisted development capabilities

GitLab Runners and pipeline infrastructure

GitLab Governance and compliance controls

SonarQube

JFrog Artifactory

Mend Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

Integrated Development Environments (VS Code, IntelliJ, Eclipse, and related tooling)

Developer portals and self-service engineering capabilities

DevSecOps and software supply chain security tooling

Build, test, deployment, and release automation platforms

Develop platform capabilities following approved Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) processes and enterprise technology standards while identifying opportunities to improve engineering effectiveness and reduce delivery friction.

Design and implement enterprise software delivery workflows utilizing GitLab SCM, GitLab CI/CD, code quality, security, and artifact management capabilities.

Drive adoption and optimization of GitLab Duo and other AI-assisted engineering capabilities while ensuring alignment with enterprise governance, security, compliance, and risk management standards.

Design and implement integrations between GitLab, SonarQube, JFrog Artifactory, Mend, cloud platforms, identity services, developer workstations, ticketing systems, and observability platforms.

Engineer reusable CI/CD templates, pipeline standards, deployment frameworks, and self-service capabilities that improve consistency, quality, and engineering velocity.

Define and implement standards for source control management, branching strategies, merge request workflows, code review processes, testing automation, release management, and software supply chain security.

Review and approve technical designs, platform configurations, automation solutions, and integration proposals impacting the software delivery ecosystem.

Drive implementation adherence with patterns and practices for platform resiliency, scalability, observability, security, and operational excellence.

Lead platform modernization initiatives that improve developer productivity, streamline delivery workflows, and enhance the overall developer experience.

Define, measure, and report platform adoption, utilization, reliability, performance, developer productivity, and engineering effectiveness metrics.

Review testing methodologies, platform health indicators, and operational controls to ensure stable and secure service delivery.

Serve as a key partner with Architecture, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, Cloud Engineering, Risk, and Application Development teams to identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities spanning organizational boundaries.

Research, evaluate, and recommend emerging technologies, tools, and practices related to platform engineering, developer experience, DevSecOps, AI-assisted software development, and software supply chain security.

Contribute to enterprise architecture discussions and engineering strategy related to developer enablement, engineering productivity, and SDLC modernization.

Understand and effectively communicate platform architecture, roadmaps, adoption trends, technical challenges, and strategic recommendations to business and technical stakeholders.

Present at architecture review boards, engineering forums, and internal technology communities.

Author technical standards, implementation guides, operational runbooks, engineering documentation, and internal knowledge-sharing content.

Coach engineering teams on platform usage, SDLC best practices, CI/CD adoption, DevSecOps controls, and developer productivity improvements.

Understand and adhere to the Company's risk and regulatory standards, policies, and controls in accordance with the Company's Risk Appetite. Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.

Promote an environment that supports a culture of belonging and reflects the Company's values.

Maintain internal control standards, including timely implementation of audit findings, regulatory requirements, and risk remediation activities.

Complete other related duties as assigned.

Scope of Responsibilities

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities

No supervisory responsibilities. Maintains significant technical leadership and influence across multiple engineering organizations. Provides mentorship, technical coaching, and guidance to engineers, platform teams, and stakeholders. Consistent with the original Lead Engineer role, this position does not have direct management responsibility.

Education and Experience Required

Associate’s degree and a minimum of 7 years’ systems analysis and/or application development work experience or Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 5 years' systems analysis and/or application development work experience. In lieu of a degree, a combined minimum of 9 year’s education and/or relevant work experience, including a minimum of 5 years’ system analysis and/or application development work experience.

Expert experience with one or more enterprise developer platforms including GitLab, SonarQube, Artifactory, Mend, CI/CD platforms, or related SDLC technologies.

Experience building and supporting large-scale enterprise software delivery environments.

Experience designing and implementing automation, platform integrations, APIs, and engineering enablement solutions.

Experience supporting secure software development and DevSecOps practices.

Education and Experience Preferred

Expert knowledge of GitLab Enterprise capabilities including SCM, CI/CD, Duo, runners, governance, and platform administration.

Experience operating Enterprise Developer Experience (DevEx) or Internal Developer Platform (IDP) solutions.

Experience with software supply chain security, dependency management, SBOMs, and vulnerability remediation.

Experience implementing enterprise CI/CD standards and release automation solutions.

Experience with cloud-native platforms and platform engineering practices.

Knowledge of DORA metrics, developer productivity measurements, and engineering effectiveness frameworks.

Ability to work autonomously and lead complex technical initiatives.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Strong organizational and time management skills.

Advanced verbal and written communication skills.

Experience driving enterprise-wide platform modernization initiatives.

Experience partnering with Architecture, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure, and Engineering leadership teams.

Experience supporting large-scale engineering organizations with thousands of developers.

M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $116,400.00 - $194,000.00 Annual (USD). The successful candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.

Location Buffalo, New York, United States of America