Software Development Manager

At Poka, we’re transforming how frontline teams operate, learn, and solve problems.

Our connected worker platform is purpose-built for manufacturing, empowering frontline workers to share knowledge, collaborate in real-time, and drive continuous improvement. Think of it as the missing digital link, bringing the human interface into the stack of the Smart Factory, generating the right data and insights that drive entirely new scales of process improvements.

We’re proud to support global leaders like Nestlé, Bosch, Mars, and Danone in their digital transformation journeys and as part of the IFS family, our reach and impact continue to grow globally.

Software Development Manager

As Software Development Manager
, you are responsible for the performance, health, and delivery predictability of one or more development teams. You do not own technical architecture or day-to-day technical decisions. Instead, you create the conditions that allow teams to deliver high-quality software reliably, sustainably, and at scale.

• Developer growth and engagement
• Quarterly delivery predictability
• Quality of collaboration with Product and Design
• Continuous improvement of the engineering delivery system
• Effective adoption of levers such as AI

You work closely with Tech Leads
, who are accountable for technical direction;
Product Managers
, who own scope and outcomes; and Designers
, who are responsible for user experience and interaction design.

• Coach, mentor, and support developers through regular 1:1s, feedback, and performance reviews
• Support career development, growth plans, and promotion readiness
• Foster a healthy, inclusive, and high-performing team culture
• Recruit, onboard, and retain software development talent

• Own quarterly delivery commitments for your teams
• Plan work realistically based on capacity and constraints
• Identify delivery risks early and adjust scope or elevate when needed
• Manage intra- and cross-team dependencies
• Protect teams from overload and unsustainable practices

• Continuously improve planning, execution, and feedback processes
• Identify systemic bottlenecks impacting delivery, quality, or morale
• Lead improvement initiatives and experimentation
• Strengthen clarity around roles, ownership, and ways of working

• Partner closely with Product Managers to align priorities, scope, and trade-offs
• Work with Tech Leads to surface technical risks and constraints early
• Enable smooth collaboration with Design, QA, and other stakeholders
• Communicate delivery status, risks, and confidence clearly to leadership

• Drive the responsible and effective adoption of AI tools and practices within your team to improve productivity, quality, and developer experience
• Encourage experimentation with AI-assisted workflows (e.g. coding, testing, documentation, analysis), in partnership with Tech Leads
• Ensure AI usage aligns with company policies, security, and ethical guidelines
• Track and communicate AI adoption, usage, and impact across teams
• Share learnings, best practices, and successful experiments with other software development managers

• Act as a multiplier of strong leadership practices in software development
• Coach and support Tech Leads in their role (without owning technical decisions)
• Contribute to organizational alignment on delivery standards
• Represent software delivery considerations in planning and alignment discussions

• 5+ years of experience in software development
• 5+ years of experience in a leadership or people management role
• Strong people management, coaching, and feedback skills
• Experience owning delivery outcomes for development teams
• Ability to manage ambiguity, risk, and competing priorities
• Strong collaboration and communication skills
• Systems‑thinking mindset with a continuous improvement approach
• Experience with AI‑assisted development tools or workflows is a strong asset
• Ability to evaluate the impact of AI on team productivity and ways of working