Lead Software Developer

About the role

Thoughtworks seeks a Lead Software Developer in Ho Chi Minh City to serve as the primary guardian of solution design and client value delivery. You will own the end-to-end journey of translating ambiguous client needs into robust, released systems while maintaining a strong strategic lens. This role uniquely blends hands-on technical craftsmanship with high level negotiation and leadership within complex enterprise environments. You will champion engineering excellence by directly driving the adoption of TDD, clean code, and established design patterns across the team. Your daily work involves architecting pragmatic technology choices and guiding solutions from initial intake through to sustainable delivery and long term partnership. Mentoring is a core responsibility; you will foster an inclusive culture, resolve issues early, and monitor team progress to actively mitigate risks. You will translate client constraints and limitations into scalable, maintainable applications that withstand evolving business pressures. Embedded UX best practices will be part of your technical considerations to ensure solutions remain user-centric and effective.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Execute the full scope of work expected for the Lead Software Developer role at Thoughtworks in Vietnam.
• Act as the main client liaison, owning solution design, negotiation support, and clear communication of technical tradeoffs.
• Translate business concepts and client limitations into concrete, scalable applications that deliver measurable value.
• Architect solutions using pragmatic technology choices, balancing innovation with reliability and delivery speed.
• Champion engineering excellence by advocating for TDD, clean code, robust design patterns, and secure, high quality continuous delivery.
• Apply the Thoughtworks Technology Radar to evaluate, prototype, and adopt new tools and methodologies relevant to client contexts.
• Guide teams through event driven architecture and platform thinking to build systems that are adaptable and observable.
• Ensure all releases meet high standards of security, quality, and speed while remaining sustainable for long term maintenance.
• Collaborate closely with clients and stakeholders to construct prototypes and design concepts that secure and validate business value.
• Align technology roadmaps with overarching organizational goals to ensure technology decisions support strategic outcomes.
• Mentor peers and junior developers, fostering a culture of feedback, continuous learning, and inclusive teamwork.
• Drive the adoption of Agile, Lean, and Continuous Delivery practices to improve predictability and reduce risk.
• Maintain deep hands on expertise with multiple languages and tools to avoid detachment from the realities of implementation.
• Nurture team culture by coaching on growth, advocating for effective feedback loops, and helping individuals and teams thrive.

Requirements

• Be based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and able to work on client projects in a collaborative, delivery focused environment.
• Be proficient in at least one modern programming language such as Java 11 with Spring Boot.
• Demonstrate comfort with object oriented programming and a strong grasp of core software design principles.
• Bring hands on experience guiding Agile, Lean, and Continuous Delivery practices within real projects.
• Possess a firm understanding of engineering best practices including TDD, continuous integration, pairing, and infrastructure automation.
• Apply a learning mindset to emerging fields such as functional programming, event driven architecture, and platform engineering.
• Have practical experience with major cloud platforms, including familiarity with their services and container orchestration.
• Show familiarity with headless commerce platforms like commercetools as a distinct professional advantage.
• Commit to Thoughtworks values of collaboration, craftsmanship, learning, and inclusion in every engagement.
• Maintain the ability to work at a high level of professionalism while balancing autonomy with a strong cultivation culture.
• Demonstrate ownership of outcomes, using insights from the Technology Radar to make informed technology decisions.
• Remain technically hands on, ensuring that leadership in engineering does not create distance from the craft.
• Uphold standards of security, quality, and speed in every release while supporting sustainable development practices.

Nice to have

• Experience with modern front end practices and embedded UX considerations to enhance solution design.
• Prior involvement in large scale, enterprise grade systems that require careful coordination and stakeholder management.
• Familiarity with commerce ecosystems and domain driven design approaches in complex business domains.
• Exposure to data platforms and insights generation to support decision oriented product thinking.
• Comfort with remote and asynchronous collaboration tools and methodologies.
• Participation in or contribution to open source projects that demonstrate technical leadership.
• Fluency in additional programming languages that complement Java based ecosystems.

Practical notes

• This position is based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and requires presence in that location for client work.
• You will work within a collaborative product delivery setting with peers who share responsibility for solution outcomes.
• Compensation for this role ranges from 34,000 USD to 62,000 USD, reflecting the scope and impact of the position.
• Thoughtworks provides a defined learning and development structure to support your growth path.
• The company balances autonomy with a strong cultivation culture, encouraging you to direct your career development.
• You are expected to drive standards, embody mentorship, and apply continuous delivery and DevSecOps practices in daily work.
• Use of the Thoughtworks Technology Radar is an expected part of evaluating and adopting new tools and methodologies.
• Hands on application of modern tools and languages is essential to remain connected to the craft.
• Advocacy for inclusive teamwork and feedback driven collaboration is a core aspect of success in this role.
• Confirm all details on the official application page before proceeding with any submission or discussion.