Development Manager - Digital Platform & API

Role in a nutshell

The Development Manager – Digital Platform and API is accountable for the product ownership, strategy (in conjunction with BTS management), delivery and life‑cycle management of Toyota Financial Services UK’s Digital Platform and API (Integration Layer). The role ensures digital applications and APIs/integrations are designed, governed, delivered and evolved to support business capabilities, enable digital transformation, and align with enterprise architecture, security and regulatory standards.

The role operates as a Product Owner across both API capabilities and Digital Platform; managing priorities, roadmaps, delivery outcomes, costs/budgets and stakeholder relationships. It will manage a team of two Solutions Architects and external development partners, and has line‑management responsibility for the API and Digital Platform team, oversight of platform capability growth, and management of vendor relationships.

• Own the product vision, roadmap and delivery priorities for APIs, integrations and the Digital platform.
• Treat APIs, integrations and platform capabilities as products with defined consumers, value outcomes and lifecycle management.
• Prioritise the product backlog based on business value, risk, technical health and strategic alignment.

• Lead the development, adoption and governance of the Digital platform.
• Oversee delivery of applications and enhancements, ensuring alignment to business needs, architecture principles, security guidelines and quality standards.
• Shape the evolution of Digital Platform as a strategic digital delivery platform.

• Define and maintain API standards in collaboration with architects and vendors.
• Support the evolution towards event‑driven and platform‑based integration models.
• Submit/Present to the ARB and TDA (UK and Regional).
• Agile Delivery & Ways of Working.
• Establish and run agile ceremonies including planning, refinement, reviews, and retrospectives.

• Own end‑to‑end delivery from discovery through design, build, release.
• Project manage delivery of small works.
• Service Design, Transition and Operational support.
• Establish agile delivery practices including planning, refinement, reviews and retrospectives.
• Own and prioritise the API/Digital Platform backlog based on business value, risk, and technical health.
• Coordinate dependencies across teams, vendors and business stakeholders.
• Ensure operational readiness, including support and incident management processes.

• Own and operate API/Digital Platform governance aligned to enterprise IT governance structures.
• Ensure APIs/Digital Platforms comply with security, GDPR, GISG, ISO
  27001 and regulatory expectations.
• Partner with Architecture, Information Security, Compliance and business stakeholders.
• Manage remediation activities and governance through CAB, ARB and relevant technical forums.
• Partner with Information Security, Legal, Compliance, and the Data Protection Officer.
• Align with TFS project frameworks.
• Balance agile delivery with existing enterprise governance and controls.
• Scale API/Digital Platform governance without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

• Manage vendor relationships to ensure capability, delivery quality and value for money.
• Align with internal TFS vendor management processes.

• Build strong relationships with business stakeholders, IT teams, and Group colleagues.
• Manage Digital Platform and API vendor relationships and vendor assessment processes.
• Represent the API function at governance and design forums.

• Provide line management and professional oversight for the Solutions Architects.
• Potential increase in team size (over time) subject to the adoption of Digital Platform.

• Align with BTS finance team to manage cost control.
• Manage Procurement (Purchase Orders and Invoices).
• Budgeting across API/Digital Platform.

• Experience working as a ‘Product Manager / Product Owner’ in an IT or digital environment.
• Experience managing application…