Development Manager

Salary: £52,143 up to £60,000 per annum dependent upon experience

Contract Type: Permanent – Full Time

Security Level: SC

Visa Restrictions: This position does not offer visa sponsorship

We are the UK’s aviation regulator, recognised worldwide for our expertise and commitment to the highest standards of safety and innovation. Our Software Engineering function is at the heart of our digital transformation, driving excellence in service delivery and championing modern engineering practices. As we modernise our technology landscape, we are seeking a Service Delivery Lead/Development Manager to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our digital services.

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Development Manager to lead a multi-disciplinary Agile team delivering and supporting nationally critical digital services. This role combines responsibility for service reliability with leadership of modern software development practices, ensuring high quality, secure, and user centred service delivery.

• Lead and manage a team of developers and Dev Ops engineers creating a high-performing and collaborative culture
• Act as a conduit between the business and the development team
• Oversee the delivery and support of digital services, ensuring operational performance meets product and delivery needs.
• Champion Agile methodologies and Dev Ops practices, embedding CI/CD, automation, and secure by design principles
• Plan and prioritise work using tools such as Azure Dev Ops, managing dependencies, risks, and delivery timelines
• Ensure compliance with departmental governance, security, and quality standards
• Act as a key liaison between the development team and senior stakeholders, aligning delivery with organisational strategy.
• Optimise team performance, assist capacity planning and improve development metrics.
• Drive continuous improvement through retrospectives, Agile metrics, and coaching.
• Manage third party supplier contributions and collaborate across internal teams to ensure successful outcomes.

• Proven experience managing Agile development teams in a public sector or regulated environment.
• Strong understanding of Agile, Dev Ops, and CI/CD practices.
• Experience in service delivery management, including KPI production, incident and problem resolution.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms, secure development practices, and automation tooling.
• Ability to lead teams through change and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Experience with ITIL or similar service management frameworks.
• Knowledge of public sector digital service standards and governance.

You are an experienced leader in application support and development, with a proven track record of delivering services to agreed SLAs and project requirements. You have hands on experience with Agile and Dev Ops in multiteam environments and are comfortable operating at scale with Azure Dev Ops for backlog management, CI/CD, and release automation. Your expertise includes change, release, and environment management, as well as stakeholder and vendor management up to senior manager level.

For many appointments within the CAA, these roles require access to operationally sensitive infrastructure and/or Nationally Protected information. For these roles the post holders must undergo National Security Vetting and achieve the appropriate level of clearance.

SC - To be vetted we will usually expect a reasonable period of residency in the UK so that meaningful checks can be undertaken.

For this role this will need to be 5 years.

If you do not meet these requirements, we may not be able to accept your application.

For more information on SC clearance please visit - Vetting explained -  ()

The CAA values high ethical standards and personal integrity among employees. If invited for interview you will be asked to complete a declaration of interest.

The CAA will be relocating from Aviation House (Our Gatwick Office) to new premises in a few years’ time. Our move is driven by strategic, operational and environmental considerations.

We…