Development Manager​/Lead; Platform

The Development Manager (Platform) is responsible for leading the day-to-day development and delivery of SHG’s in-house reservation system, Hermes, built primarily in .NET. The role ensures high quality engineering, effective Agile ways of working, and the smooth delivery of enhancements, maintenance and integrations across the platform. The post-holder will manage and develop a team of software engineers, inherit and strengthen an established team culture, and work closely with the Solution Architect to ensure all development aligns with architectural standards and the wider technology strategy.

• Manage the planning, delivery and quality of all development work on the Hermes platform.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of developers, supporting skills growth, performance and career development.
• Work in close partnership with the Solution Architect, translating architectural direction into actionable development tasks and ensuring adherence to technical standards.
• Oversee Agile delivery processes (Scrum/Kanban), including sprint planning, stand-ups, estimation, retrospectives, and demos.
• Ensure high-quality code, effective peer reviews, secure coding practices, and reliable CI/CD pipelines.
• Support the stability, scalability, and performance of Hermes, managing technical debt and addressing ate with Product Owners, QA, Infrastructure and Integration teams to ensure clear requirements and successful end-to-end delivery.
• Manage workload distribution, track team velocity, and ensure predictable delivery outcomes.
• Maintain documentation related to development processes, technical decisions and platform components.
• Ensure compliance with Info Sec, GDPR and internal governance standards.
• Promote continuous improvement in engineering practices, tooling, and ways of working.

• Delivery Predictability:
  Achievement of sprint commitments and roadmap milestones.
• Quality & Stability:
  Reduction in production incidents, defects, and rework.
• Engineering Improvement:
  Increased adoption of CI/CD, automation and coding standards.
• Team Performance & Engagement:
  Improved capability, retention, and feedback from the development team.

• Proven experience as a Development Manager, Lead Developer or Senior Engineer managing a development team.
• Hands‑on experience with .NET (C#, .NET Core), Angular, API development and SQL Server.
• Experience inheriting and developing an established engineering team.
• Strong track record of delivering software using Agile methodologies.
• Experience of establishing Agile practices within a team.
• Experience collaborating with Solution Architects or architecture functions.
• Demonstrated success improving engineering standards, delivery processes or team performance.
• Experience in travel, reservations, booking platforms, or high‑availability transactional systems.
• Exposure to cloud technologies (AWS, Azure), microservices or event‑driven architectures.
• Experience in integration‑heavy environments or API/middleware ecosystems.

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following attributes:

• Supportive, empathetic leader who builds trust with established teams.
• Strong communicator able to explain technical issues clearly to varied audiences.
• Calm, pragmatic decision‑maker able to prioritise effectively under pressure.
• Passionate about continuous improvement and modern engineering practice.
• Collaborative, team‑focused mindset with a desire to deliver high‑quality outcomes.

• Strong technical understanding of the Microsoft development stack.
• Good knowledge of Agile SDLC frameworks and team delivery practices.
• Ability to convert architectural direction into detailed delivery tasks.
• Competence with CI/CD workflows, version control (Git), automated testing and Dev Ops principles.
• Strong problem‑solving and analytical thinking skills.
• Ability to coach and develop team members at varying skill levels.
• Understanding of secure coding, data protection and compliance requirements.

• Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related discipline.
• Microsoft development or cloud certifications (e.g.,…