Software Development Manager

Software Development Manager – Chesterfield – New (REF
50)

A established, market-leading software provider is looking to appoint a Software Development Manager to lead passionate development teams and make a meaningful impact on the product from day one. This is a delivery-focused leadership role where you’ll own the full Software Development Lifecycle, drive best practice, and help shape the future of their engineering function.

You’ll champion continuous improvement, modernise processes, and work closely with both technical and senior business stakeholders to align technology, delivery, and product direction. The organisation is also continuing its adoption of Azure Dev Ops, giving you the chance to influence tooling, workflows, and CI / CD standards across the department.

• Manage the full Software Development Lifecycle to support strategic objectives and maintain excellent software delivery standards.
• Lead software development teams and provide strategic leadership across related functions such as QA and Product.
• Drive continuous improvement across development processes, engineering practices, and automation.
• Define, track, and monitor KPIs for delivery performance and team productivity.
• Guide and support the organisation’s ongoing migration to Azure Dev Ops, including governance, training, planning, and CI / CD pipeline optimisation.
• Mentor, coach, and develop team members to support both their technical growth and personal progression.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders to align technology direction with business and product priorities.
• Ensure consistency and optimisation across CI / CD pipelines, version control, and project management workflows.
• Attend customer site visits, conferences, and user groups to deepen product understanding and gather requirements.

• 5+ years’ industry experience in software development.
• Proven experience managing end-to-end SDLC in complex environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-disciplinary teams (Engineering, QA, Product).
• Strong background collaborating with senior stakeholders to shape technology and product strategy.
• Hands‑on experience driving continuous improvement across engineering practices.
• Ability to define, track, and report on performance indicators for delivery and team effectiveness.

• Familiarity with Azure Dev Ops, Jira, and Confluence.
• Exposure to architectural decision‑making for scalable, secure systems.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies and Dev Ops principles.
• Experience leading organisational or technology change programmes.
• Knowledge of Azure services beyond Dev Ops (e.g., hosting, monitoring, security).
• Practical experience supporting a migration to Azure Dev Ops, including CI / CD governance.

• Competitive holiday allowance including bank holidays, with additional leave increasing with service.
• Annual team event for employees and their families.
• Private medical insurance.
• Company pension scheme.
• Death-in-service benefit.
• Access to a range of wellbeing and lifestyle benefits.
• On‑site facilities to support health and fitness.
• Cycle‑to‑Work scheme.