Software Development Manager in Derby

Job Type: Permanent

Location: Remote, UK. Team gathering 1 day per month.

Salary: up to £70,000 per annum

About The Client:

Our client is a fast-growing technology company serving the retail sector, empowering major retailers with robust, scalable software and hardware integrations. They deliver large digital signs and banners to some of the world’s largest retail companies.

Overview:

Our client is seeking an experienced Hands-on Software Development Manager to head up their development efforts, mentor a small but highly capable team, and bridge the gap between technical execution and strategic goals. This isn’t necessarily a hands-on coding position, but instead guiding and leading the team, and taking ownership of technical delivery and the SDLC as a whole. You will translate high-level objectives into concrete technical plans, ensure smooth cross-departmental collaboration, and present clear, concise progress reports to the CEO in layperson’s terms. You’ll be expected to roll up your sleeves when critical incidents arise, coordinate responses, and keep projects on track, sometimes requiring occasional overtime.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and guide scalable, maintainable solutions across frontend (TypeScript/JavaScript), cloud (AWS), and backend systems.
• Be hands-on with solution architecture, to ensure the product will meet customer requirements.
• Translate business needs into technical tasks, plan sprints, and manage timely, high-quality releases.
• Lead code reviews, uphold coding standards, and promote quality and improvement.
• Mentor full-stack, Android, DevOps (ad hoc), and UI team members through regular feedback and support.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative team culture.
• Work closely with Operations and Product to align on goals, budgets, and timelines.
• Communicate technical progress and risks to the CEO in clear, non-technical terms.
• Stay current with tools, frameworks, and best practices to keep the stack modern and efficient.
• Flag and address risks early; keep stakeholders informed on progress and blockers.
• Support critical project delivery with occasional extra hours.
• Coordinate Priority 1 incidents. Manage response, liaise with retail partners, and escalate when needed.

Requirements/experience:

• 10+ years in software development, including 2+ in leadership, ideally in a start-up or scale-up.
• Strong technical background with full-stack experience:
• Backend: PHP (Laravel), Node.js
• Frontend: JavaScript/TypeScript (ReactJS preferred), Remix (desirable)
• Skilled in planning and executing legacy upgrade strategies.
• Database experience: MySQL
• Building REST APIs
• Microservices in the cloud using PHP and Node.
• AWS: EC2, S3
• DevOps tools: Terraform (preferred), Ansible (desirable)
• CI/CD via GitHub Actions.
• Message queues: RabbitMQ
• Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana.
• No current PHP or JS automated testing.
• Able to communicate technical updates to the C-suite.

Additional/Desirable experience:

• Proven experience in mobile development, particularly with Flutter and Android (bonus for Wear OS, Chrome OS, Fire OS knowledge).
• Experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and some Azure.
• Prior experience in a high-growth retail or digital signage environment (e.g., CMS for in-store displays, LED scheduling systems).
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and performance monitoring/security best practices.
• Background in implementing Agile/Scrum processes and tools.
• Authenticating APIs using OAuth (or Auth0 provider).
• ElasticSearch familiarity.
• Exposure to PostgreSQL and MongoDB.
• Exposure to AWS SQS.
• Exposure to AWS EKS or similar (GKE).

Travel & Work arrangement:

• UK Team Meetups: Once per month, you’ll convene with the other UK-based engineers to foster cohesion, and build relationships.
• Spain Office: Every 2nd month, or every quarter, a team meetup in south Spain for a few days, expenses paid for. You can bring a +1 if you wish.