Software Development Manager

Software Development Manager required for a manufacturer of life saving electronic solutions products. Part of a global group, this company offers rewarding careers, great benefits, and plenty of opportunities to grow in a supportive, energetic workplace. Hybrid working options (6 out of 10 days in the Rochester office).

Benefits include - Bonus, Pension, Life Assurance, Eye care, Employee assistance programme, cycle2work scheme.

We are seeking a Software Development Manager with strong people management, process leadership, and delivery governance skills.

In this role, you will:

·      Lead and develop the software team through a period of process evolution.

·      Maintain our proven Waterfall framework while incorporating Agile-inspired practices for improved planning, reporting, and visibility.

·      Drive process improvements and maximise our use of Atlassian tools for work breakdown structures, progress tracking, and actionable reporting.

·      Develop and manage CI/CD pipelines to enhance build, integration, testing, and deployment workflows — ensuring faster delivery of high-quality, compliant software.

·      Collaborate closely with the Project Management Office and other R&D managers to integrate software development into the wider product delivery process.

·      Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and open communication.

Who you’ll report to: Director of Research and Development Responsibilities

Project & Delivery Management

·      Plan and prioritise software projects in collaboration with the Project Management Office.

·      Allocate resources, manage risks, and set clear milestones and timelines.

·      Oversee delivery of new products, features, bug fixes, and maintenance.

·      Introduce Agile-inspired practices (Scrum, Kanban) within the Waterfall framework.

·      Ensure Jira boards, sprint reports, and dashboards are accurate, up to date, and central to project governance.

Quality & Compliance

·      Design and maintain CI/CD pipelines in collaboration with the Software Quality team.

·      Align software development with regulatory, quality, and cybersecurity standards.

·      Promote best practices in documentation and traceability from requirements through testing.

·      Collaborate with other R&D managers to improve development workflows.

Team Leadership

·      Build and develop a high-performing software team.

·      Set clear objectives, conduct performance reviews, and ensure accountability.

·      Promote a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Process Improvement

·      Encourage retrospectives and turn lessons learned into actionable improvements.

·      Trial workflow, automation, and tool enhancements that benefit software and wider R&D.

·      Stay current with emerging practices in regulated software development and hybrid Agile/Waterfall delivery models.

Stakeholder Communication

·      Provide regular progress updates to stakeholders.

·      Facilitate planning sessions, reviews, and retrospectives that deliver actionable outcomes.

·      Contribute to long-term product and technology roadmaps with structured, realistic delivery plans.

Qualifications·      Degree in Engineering (preferably with a Software focus) – desirable.Essential Experience 

·      Proven experience managing software development teams (10–15 engineers) delivering embedded (preferable), IoT, and cloud-enabled products.

·      Demonstrated success introducing process improvements and CI/CD pipelines that improved performance while maintaining compliance and timelines.

·      Experience leading cross-functional collaboration between software, hardware, and testing teams.

·      Background in adapting Agile methods (Scrum, Kanban) within Waterfall structures.

·      Practical experience using Atlassian tools (Jira, Bitbucket) for project tracking and reporting.

Knowledge/Skills 

Leadership & People Management

·      Strong track record as a people manager, including setting objectives, conducting reviews, and ensuring accountability.

·      Skilled in conflict resolution and building a collaborative team culture.

Process & Delivery

·      Expertise in SDLC management across both Waterfall and Agile-inspired practices.

·      Skilled in structuring Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) for design traceability.

·      Capable of driving reporting, forecasting, and transparency using Jira dashboards and metrics.

Communication

·      Excellent communication skills, able to convey technical and project information clearly to diverse stakeholders.

·      Experienced in facilitating planning sessions, reviews, and retrospectives.

·      Skilled at influencing change and promoting continuous improvement.

Quality & Compliance

·      Solid understanding of regulated software development practices (e.g., ISO9001, ISO27001, NIST).

·      Experience embedding secure development lifecycle practices and ensuring audit-readiness.