Development Manager (Technology)

Purpose

The role of the Development Manager is to lead a team of technologists working across legacy technologies and SaaS platforms. The Development Manager will be responsible for leading a multidisciplinary team, which could include DevOps professionals and low-code administrators. The role will also work with external partners to ensure the seamless and efficient delivery of work. The role will also work closely with the Product Owners within their specific domains to deliver defined business outcomes. The role includes project management as well as people management across a mix of technology skills and products. The role will also focus on managing the development of the solution in line with customer requirements and our architectural practices.

Passion

We are passionate about using our technical skills to provide the CAP family with generous IT support and excellent solutions. Through this, we enable our staff and partner churches to serve our clients better and help deliver CAP's vision for transformed lives, thriving churches and an end to UK poverty.

Personality

We are an adaptable team with big dreams.  We operate in an environment that can be fast-changing and we aspire to deliver the technology needed to help people do their jobs. We are dedicated and hardworking, fuelled by cake, biscuits and cups of tea. 

Responsibilities

Accountabilities: 

Leadership:

• Ensure that all work aligns with business objectives.

• Oversee the maintenance and development of legacy and new technologies, ensuring data integrity, core functionality and business continuity. 

• Work with Product Owners and Business Analysts to understand stakeholder requirements and priorities, translating them into actionable project plans.

• Prioritise and drive project work to ensure organisational and user requirements and deadlines are met. 

• Lead and guide the team, fostering a collaborative environment and clear communication channels.

• Support the Head of Technology to manage vendor relationships, contract negotiation and contract management for outsourced software development suppliers and extended teams.

• Generate regular reports on project status, milestones, and potential roadblocks for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Identify and mitigate risks, proactively resolving issues to ensure project milestones are met.

Team Management:

• Manage and mentor a cross-functional team, and integrate with the resources provided by external partners.

• Manage the allocation of tasks and ensure delivery dates are met.

• Make sure that the different functions of the team are working together to provide the best solutions to the business and to align with our technology strategy. Lead the DevOps team to ensure smooth deployment, monitoring, and maintenance across all technologies in your section.

• Streamline CI/CD processes, automate deployments, and optimise infrastructure for scalability and reliability.

• Ensure documentation is in place for all products within their domain.

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and project metrics to track the progress and success of the implementation.

• Act as incident manager when required, ensuring excellent communication with affected staff and stakeholders until the incident is resolved and mitigating measures are actioned and reviewed. 

• Stay up to date with best practice and developments in the technology industry. 

• Manager is proactive in creating a culture of personal development in the team, including but not limited to conducting Annual Appraisals and Development Reviews (AADs), and coaching style catch ups for every direct report

• Manager is a secure and honest leader, able to acknowledge mistakes, lead with vulnerability and build a high trust team

• Manager has excellent written and verbal communication skills and can tailor these to the audience and situation as needed

• Consistently and professionally articulates the needs of the team to wider stakeholders, whether as part of specific projects or business-as-usual tasks

• Manager is able to balance team workloads, boundaries and health using appropriate and effective strategic methods such as LEAN, problem definition and ideation tools

Measurable outputs: 

• Successful delivery of new projects and maintenance to all systems, ensuring data accuracy and minimal disruptions.

• On-time delivery of project milestones and objectives, meeting or exceeding stakeholder expectations.

• Improved operational efficiency and user satisfaction through the seamless implementation of new solutions.

• High team engagement and productivity, demonstrated through employee feedback and project performance.

• Effective management of project risks, with proactive identification and resolution of issues.

Culture

• Clearly live out and embrace the cultural values of CAP.

• Clearly demonstrate a heart and passion for the charity.

• Sincere acceptance, understanding and practice of the Christian ethos and purpose of the charity.

Other responsibilities include:

• Being willing to pray with staff and fully engaged with our Christ-centered  culture.

• Encouraging friends, family and other contacts to support the charity through the Life Changer program, and other fundraising initiatives.

• Attendance at annual CAP staff conferences.

• Completing all compulsory CAP training within given timescales.

• This role falls within the scope of the FCA’s conduct rules, and you will be provided with training as to how these apply to the role.  It is your responsibility to ensure that you follow these conduct rules.

The above job profile is a guide to the work you may be required to undertake but does not form part of your contract of employment. It may change from time to time to reflect changing circumstances.

Skills required

• Excellent problem-solving, analytical and evaluation skills.

• Excellent, clear communication at all levels, including complex and technical information.

• Ability to work accurately and pay attention to detail.

• Good/excellent organisational skills.

• Ability to inspire and win people over across the organisation and at all levels.

• Technically minded. 

• Ability to solve problems, make quick decisions and to work in a proactive manner 

• Ability to develop relationships with other teams and managers 

• Excellent stakeholder management skills

• Ability to remain calm and professional in challenging situations 

• Ability to challenge poor performance 

Christian commitment:

• The candidate must be able to give both verbal assent to and practical demonstration of Christians Against Poverty’s Statement of Faith and Core Values 

• Must be able to actively participate in prayer and worship, whether individual, small group or corporately, as an expression of own personal faith and in line with CAP’s Statement of Faith. 

Educational requirements

● Degree level or equivalent vocational training 

Experience: 

Essential 

• Proven experience in managing software projects.

• Strong background in Agile and project management methodologies

• Prior experience leading and motivating cross-functional teams, including DevOps, Business Analysts, and external partners.

• Experience managing supplier relationships to deliver business value..

Desirable 

• Working knowledge of the Salesforce environment

• Project management certification

• Salesforce trailhead certifications