Technical Lead at BCC-NIH
Bethesda, MD
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Jul 20, 2026
Bethesda, MD
Jul 22, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A technical lead role focused on architecting and driving the adoption of a Wagtail CMS platform for NCBI's public-facing web properties. Day-to-day work spans Django/Python backend development, GraphQL API design, headless CMS implementation, and multisite configuration, alongside defining content models, coding standards, and review processes. The role also involves mentoring developers and coordinating with frontend, UX, DevOps, and product teams. Suited to an experienced full-stack engineer with a strong CMS leadership background.
Senior level · 5+ years · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV · Bachelor's required · Full-time
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 390 people in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (software developers). range 210–510
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $158,337 (middle half $126,441–$180,105).
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (8)
The title 'Technical Lead' carries no explicit seniority level word, so the title states no level; however, the 5+ years of full-stack development requirement plus technical leadership and mentoring duties firmly support a Senior classification.
SOC confidence is Medium: the role is primarily a backend/full-stack software developer building CMS-driven web platforms (15-1252), but the heavy Wagtail CMS and headless CMS focus gives it a plausible 15-1254 (Web Developers) reading. The application-level architecture, GraphQL API development, and multisite implementation tipped the call to 15-1252.
The BS in Computer Science is listed under 'Qualifications' without an 'or equivalent experience' escape clause, so it is treated as a hard degree requirement.
PostgreSQL, Git, CI/CD, caching, security, and testing are all listed together in the Requirements section ('Experience with PostgreSQL, API design, caching, security, testing, Git, CI/CD, and deployment workflows'); they are marked required accordingly. Generic concepts (caching, security, API design) are omitted per instructions.
REST APIs appear only in the Qualifications block framed as 'consuming GraphQL or REST APIs' — an alternative to GraphQL rather than a standalone gate — and is captured as preferred.
Docker, Section 508, WCAG, U.S. Web Design System, cloud hosting, CDN, SEO, metadata, analytics, and search integrations all appear under the Qualifications block with 'Familiarity with' or 'Experience with' framing that reads as secondary/preferred relative to the Requirements block above it.
No compensation figures are provided; the posting states only 'competitive salary commensurate with experience and location.'
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): U.S. Web Design System.
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