Manager, Development

Overview

THE ROLE:

Build, enable, and scale high-performing innovation engineering teams that turn ambiguous ideas into validated, scalable digital products. This role exists to build the conditions for innovation to thrive—by balancing technical excellence, people development, and well‑adapted transition from exploration to execution. You will lead engineers not just to deliver software, but to reduce uncertainty, validate ideas early, and scale what works—without burning teams out or prematurely locking decisions.

This is not a traditional “delivery‑first” development management role. You will:

• Lead teams working in high ambiguity
• Optimize for learning velocity before delivery velocity
• Protect experimentation while enforcing technical difficulty
• Own the handoff from innovation teams to Core IT / scale teams

• Lead, mentor, and develop engineers passionate about crafting new solutions across mobile and web platforms
• Build a culture that rewards curiosity, experimentation, learning, and evidence‑based decisions
• Coach engineers to operate effectively in exploration mode without sacrificing craft
• Establish psychological safety so teams surface risks, failures, and insights early

• Set technical direction that supports rapid experimentation and long‑term scalability
• Guide architectural decisions that enable prototypes, pilots, and eventual platformization
• Balance short‑term innovation needs with long‑term maintainability and reuse
• Decide when code should remain experimental vs. harden into production assets

• Define clear criteria for transitioning work from innovation to delivery
• Partner with Innovation PMs and Architects to redesign governance, standards, and resourcing as initiatives mature
• Ensure clean handoffs to Core IT or delivery teams without loss of intent or knowledge
• Prevent premature optimization—or endless experimentation

• Establish lightweight standards appropriate to innovation stages
• Ensure security, accessibility, and performance are considered early, not bolted on later
• Oversee CI/CD, testing strategies, and Dev Ops practices that support experimentation safely
• Manage technical debt intentionally—knowing when to accept it and when to retire it

• Hire, onboard, and retain engineers with strong innovation behavior
• Run performance management focused on learning, impact, and judgment—not just output
• Create growth paths for engineers across innovation and delivery tracks
• Develop future technical leaders capable of operating across ambiguity and scale

• Partner closely with UX Innovation Designers, Innovation BAs, and Innovation PMs
• Translate business intent into technical exploration strategies
• Influence executive collaborators on technology investment timing and risk
• Communicate clearly about what is known, unknown, and learned

• Manage innovation engineering budgets and external partners
• Make build vs. buy and technology investment recommendations
• Present innovation progress using learning achievements, not just roadmaps
• Ensure compliance with security, accessibility, and regulatory requirements

SKILLS AND BACKGROUND REQUIRED TO BE SUCCESSFUL:

• 7+ years of progressive software development experience
• At least 5+ years in engineering management or technical leadership roles; demonstrated success building and leading high‑performing development teams
• Demonstrated success leading teams across both innovation and scaled delivery
• Engineering leadership and people management
• Architecture and systems thinking
• Software development team leadership and people management
• Mobile and web application development expertise (iOS, Android, web technologies)
• Agile, lean, and research‑focused development practices
• Technical architecture and system design
• Performance management and talent development
• Comfort leading teams without fixed scope or roadmap
• Excellent judgment on when to explore vs. when to complete
• Ability to protect experimentation while maintaining quality
• Bias…