At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and develop digital solutions that transform business operations.
- Company: Dynamic company in Birmingham City Centre focused on innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career growth, and a collaborative work environment.
- Other info: Hands-on role with opportunities for continuous improvement and team coaching.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping application development and support.
- Qualifications: Strong leadership experience in applications and agile delivery.
The predicted salary is between 59400 - 72600 £ per year.
Are you an experienced applications leader who still enjoys being close to the work? We’re looking for a Head of Application Services to take ownership of our application estate and lead the development of digital solutions that make a genuine difference to how our business operates. This is a hands-on player-manager role where you’ll combine leadership of a small application and product delivery team with direct involvement in discovery, roadmaps, agile delivery, releases, support and continuous improvement.
What you’ll be doing
- Own our applications end-to-end, from initial idea and development through to support, improvement and eventual replacement or retirement.
- Shape and maintain the application roadmap, priorities and delivery backlog.
- Work closely with teams across the business to identify friction, opportunities and practical digital improvements.
- Lead agile product development while remaining hands-on with requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria and delivery decisions.
- Coach and develop a small application and product team, creating a culture of ownership, collaboration and continuous improvement.
- Ensure applications are reliable, secure, maintainable and well supported.
- Use feedback, data and business outcomes to understand what’s working and determine what comes next.
- Manage relationships with technology partners and suppliers, holding them accountable for quality and results.
What we’re looking for
You’ll be someone who can balance strategy with delivery. You’ll be comfortable setting direction and influencing senior stakeholders, but equally happy getting involved in a backlog refinement session, challenging a requirement, reviewing a release or helping the team solve a problem. You’ll bring strong application or product leadership experience, a practical understanding of agile delivery and the ability to translate business challenges into useful, sustainable digital solutions. Above all, we’re looking for someone who is proactive, curious and commercially minded — someone who wants to understand how the business works and use technology to make it better.
If you want the opportunity to shape how applications are developed, supported and improved across the organisation, we’d love to hear from you.
Head of Applications in Birmingham employer: TeacherActive
At TeacherActive, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and collaborative work culture that values the contributions of every team member. Our commitment to professional development ensures that our nursery practitioners have ample opportunities for growth and advancement, all while working in the vibrant community of Lymm, where you can make a meaningful impact on the lives of young children in their formative years.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Applications in Birmingham
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at TeacherActive or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to TeacherActive.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like TeacherActive.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like TeacherActive that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Applications in Birmingham
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at TeacherActive.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at TeacherActive and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at TeacherActive
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If TeacherActive uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
