Senior Software Developer / Technical Lead with an AI Focus
Who We Are
At Kyndryl, we design, build, manage and modernize the mission-critical technology systems that the world depends on every day. So why work at Kyndryl? We are always moving forward – always pushing ourselves to go further in our efforts to build a more equitable, inclusive world for our employees, our customers and our communities.
The Role
As a trusted advisor, you'll forge strong relationships with our customers, gaining deep insights into their business objectives and long-term aspirations. Armed with this understanding, you'll provide expert guidance on how technology can be leveraged to propel them towards unprecedented success. From aligning processes to technology to developing and deploying bespoke solutions, you'll be the visionary architect behind their digital transformation journey. Your expertise in application development and deployment best practices will ensure seamless integration and optimized performance.
In this role, your impact will be immense. You'll conduct thorough needs assessments, uncovering the requirements for new applications or upgrades to existing ones, and document these specifications with utmost precision using cutting-edge Business Analysis (BA) methodologies. Whether it's crafting comprehensive use cases, tracing requirements meticulously, or visualizing process flows, your attention to detail will be unmatched.
Drawing upon your exceptional analytical prowess, you'll gather requirements from stakeholders and masterfully translate them into functional and nonfunctional specifications. As the driving force behind our customers' application modernization endeavors, you'll guide them through every step of the process, ensuring their systems are future-proofed and optimized for success. Your expertise will also come into play as you assist customers in selecting and customizing the perfect packaged solutions to fulfill their unique business needs.
Collaboration will be your cornerstone as you work closely with application architects and development staff to bring your visions to life. Your keen eye for detail will shine as you analyze requirements, meticulously plan design and implementation work, all while adhering to time, cost, and quality targets. You'll consult with customers on compatibility challenges, such as hardware and operating system considerations, data conversion processes, and training requirements, offering them holistic solutions that align seamlessly with their budgets.
In this fast-paced environment, you'll have the exhilarating responsibility of helping customers choose between multiple applications, including packaged solutions. Your sharp insights and discerning judgement will empower them to make informed decisions that drive their organizations towards unprecedented heights.
Our consultants are restless for innovation. They are at the edge of technology, changing the way our customers implement business solutions – so, if you’re a problem-solver, an innovative thinker, and a self-starter with a passion high impact assignments which align technology to business outcomes, then we want to hear from you! Apply today to join our dynamic team that has a host of exciting projects and customers waiting for you to work with them to solve complex transformation puzzles through technology.
Your Future at Kyndryl
As an Application Consultant at Kyndryl you will join the Kyndryl Consultant Profession, working with other Kyndryl Consultants, Architects, Project Managers, and cross-functional Technical Subject Matter Experts – presenting unlimited opportunities with unmatched support through our investment in your learning, training, and career growth.
Kyndryl currently does not require employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, however, if you are hired to work at a client, customer, or partner location, you may be required to show proof of vaccination to align with their respective COVID-19 vaccination policies. Those who believe they are eligible may apply for a medical or religious accommodation prior to the start of employment.
Who You Are
At Kyndryl, we design, build, manage and modernize the mission-critical technology systems that the world depends on every day. We are always moving forward — pushing ourselves to go further in our efforts to build a more equitable, inclusive world for our employees, our customers and our communities.
In our AI Led Application Modernization team we both create new applications and modernize old ones. We’re a relatively new part of Kyndryl and operate with a startup mentality. We know that the way that software is created is changing and we have the opportunity to build a team that’s aligned to the future. We end up modernizing all kinds of applications from the mainframe and Fortran to J2EE apps and ASP web front ends. We end up building new applications that are user centric. In both cases we use (and continue to improve) our Kyndryl Agentic Framework.
Kyndryl is seeking a hands-on Senior Software Developer / Technical Lead with an AI focus to help us lead teams that build new applications and modernize existing ones for our clients. You will work as part of an AI Led Application Modernization team that believes the way software is designed, built, tested, and maintained is changing quickly—and that senior technical leaders have an opportunity to shape how teams adopt these changes responsibly and effectively. Among your responsibilities will be:
Set technical direction for delivery teams, including architecture, engineering practices, modernization approach, AI adoption patterns, and quality expectations. Remain hands-on in the work by designing, coding, reviewing, testing, and troubleshooting software while helping other developers deliver well-architected solutions. Use AI-assisted development tools and create fit-for-purpose agents and agentic workflows using frameworks such as LangGraph, A2A, MCP-enabled tools, or similar approaches when they are the right solution for a client or delivery challenge.
This role is both hands-on and leadership-oriented. You will write code, review AI-generated output, guide architectural decisions, mentor developers, establish delivery patterns, and help teams use AI responsibly to build and modernize software faster without sacrificing quality, security, or maintainability.
Key Responsibilities
Lead a team of developers through new application builds and modernization programs while remaining actively involved in design, coding, review, testing, and troubleshooting
Set technical direction for projects, including architecture, integration patterns, modernization strategy, engineering standards, delivery approach, and technical risk management
Use AI-assisted development tools to accelerate code comprehension, generation, refactoring, testing, documentation, and migration planning while ensuring that outputs are validated by experienced engineering judgment
Architect and build fit-for-purpose agents and agentic workflows using frameworks such as LangGraph, A2A, MCP-enabled tools, or comparable technologies
Guide modernization of existing applications by analyzing legacy code, identifying business logic, assessing constraints, defining target architecture, and creating incremental transformation roadmaps
Make pragmatic architecture decisions across APIs, data models, cloud services, security, observability, integration, DevSecOps, and user experience considerations
Mentor developers in software engineering practices, AI-assisted delivery techniques, secure coding, automated testing, maintainable design, and effective code review
Collaborate with architects, product owners, business stakeholders, client technical teams, and delivery leaders to translate business needs into executable technical plans
Identify and manage risks in AI-generated software, including brittle code, hidden assumptions, weak tests, security issues, licensing concerns, maintainability gaps, and architecture drift
Create reusable patterns, accelerators, prompts, agents, reference architectures, and engineering practices that help the broader team deliver modernization work more effectively
You are a senior developer and technical leader who still enjoys building useful software and solving hard problems. You have seen enough delivery challenges to recognize patterns, anticipate risks, and help a team choose the right architecture and engineering approach for the situation.
You have led developers through either new software development projects, application modernization efforts, or both. You know how to establish technical direction, break complex work into deliverable increments, coach developers through tradeoffs, and keep the team focused on building software that is secure, maintainable, testable, and aligned to business outcomes.
You are excited by the changes coming to software development. You have a growth mindset, actively experiment with AI-assisted development tools, and are interested in creating practical agents, workflows, and engineering practices that help teams build, understand, modernize, and operate software more effectively.
Required Technical and Professional Expertise
Significant hands-on software development experience delivering production-quality applications
Experience leading a team of developers, including mentoring, code review, technical planning, delivery guidance, and issue resolution
Experience setting technical direction for software delivery projects, including architecture decisions, engineering standards, delivery patterns, and technical risk management
Experience with at least one modern programming language such as Java, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, C#, Go, or comparable technologies
Experience with either new application development, application modernization, or both
Practical experience using AI-assisted development tools to support coding, refactoring, testing, documentation, debugging, code comprehension, and architecture exploration
Experience reviewing and validating AI-generated code for correctness, security, maintainability, performance, testability, and alignment with architecture and requirements
Familiarity with agentic development concepts and experience building or prototyping fit-for-purpose agents using LangGraph, A2A, MCP-enabled tools, or similar frameworks
Strong understanding of software architecture and engineering fundamentals, including APIs, data models, integration patterns, automated testing, version control, CI/CD, secure coding, observability, and operational support
Ability to analyze existing codebases, identify modernization opportunities, define target-state architecture, and create pragmatic incremental transformation plans
Ability to communicate technical direction clearly to developers, architects, stakeholders, and client teams
Growth mindset and enthusiasm for how AI will reshape the software development profession
Preferred Technical and Professional Experience
Experience modernizing legacy applications, including mainframe, Fortran, J2EE, ASP, monolithic, or other enterprise application estates
Experience architecting cloud-native applications, APIs, microservices, event-driven systems, or modern front-end experiences
Hands-on experience with LangGraph, A2A, MCP, OpenAI or Anthropic APIs, Semantic Kernel, CrewAI, or comparable agent and orchestration frameworks
Experience designing agents that interact with enterprise tools, repositories, documentation, tickets, CI/CD pipelines, runtime telemetry, or application data
Experience defining architecture guardrails, reference implementations, coding standards, reusable components, or engineering playbooks for delivery teams
Familiarity with DevSecOps practices, automated quality gates, observability, containerization, infrastructure as code, and secure software delivery pipelines
Experience with retrieval-augmented generation, vector databases, tool calling, evaluation harnesses, prompt engineering, LLM application testing, or agent observability
Experience working in Agile delivery environments with product owners, architects, business stakeholders, client executives, and distributed engineering teams
Ability to mentor and influence other developers in practical, responsible, and effective use of AI-assisted software development practices
The compensation range for the position in the U.S. is -
$143,640to$273,000based on a full-time schedule.
Your actual compensation may vary depending on your geography, job-related skills and experience. For part time roles, the compensation will be adjusted appropriately. The pay or salary range will not be below any applicable state, city or local minimum wage requirement.
There is a different applicable compensation range for the following work locations:
California (San Francisco Bay Area):$172,440to$327,600
California (All Other):$158,040to$300,360
Colorado: $143,640to$273,000
Massachusetts$143,640to$300,360
New York City: $172,440to$327,600
Washington: $158,040to$300,360
Washington DC:$158,040to$300,360
This position will be eligible for Kyndryl’s discretionary annual bonus program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Kyndryl’s applicable plans. You may also receive a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical and dental coverage, disability, retirement benefits, paid leave, and paid time off. Note: If this is a sales commission eligible role, you will be eligible to participate in a sales commission plan in lieu of the annual discretionary bonus program.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran
Being You
Diversity is a whole lot more than what we look like or where we come from, it’s how we think and who we are. We welcome people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. But we’re not doing it single-handily: Our Kyndryl Inclusion Networks are only one of many ways we create a workplace where all Kyndryls can find and provide support and advice. This dedication to welcoming everyone into our company means that Kyndryl gives you – and everyone next to you – the ability to bring your whole self to work, individually and collectively, and support the activation of our equitable culture. That’s the Kyndryl Way.
What You Can Expect
With state-of-the-art resources and Fortune 100 clients, every day is an opportunity to innovate, build new capabilities, new relationships, new processes, and new value. Kyndryl cares about your well-being and prides itself on offering benefits that give you choice, reflect the diversity of our employees and support you and your family through the moments that matter – wherever you are in your life journey. Our employee learning programs give you access to the best learning in the industry to receive certifications, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Skillsoft, and many more. Through our company-wide volunteering and giving platform, you can donate, start fundraisers, volunteer, and search over 2 million non-profit organizations. At Kyndryl, we invest heavily in you, we want you to succeed so that together, we will all succeed.
Get Referred!
If you know someone that works at Kyndryl, when asked ‘How Did You Hear About Us’ during the application process, select ‘Employee Referral’ and enter your contact's Kyndryl email address.