Role: Development Manager
Location: South Africa
An opportunity to lead engineering at scale — and shape the future of software development.
Our client is an established South African technology-enabled services organisation undergoing an exciting phase of digital transformation. With a growing portfolio of proprietary software products supporting businesses across HR, employment management and related services, the organisation is investing in the next generation of its technology platforms.
As the development function continues to expand, they are looking for an experienced Development Manager to take ownership of engineering execution, lead multiple development teams and help establish a more scalable, consistent and AI-enabled approach to software delivery.
This is not a traditional project management role, nor is it a position focused purely on strategy.
We are looking for someone who understands software engineering at a technical level, has successfully led other engineering leaders and knows how to build high-performing development teams without losing touch with the technology.
You will work directly with the CTO, lead five Development Leads overseeing 15 multidisciplinary squads, and play a central role in shaping the organisation's engineering standards, delivery practices and long-term technology direction.
Importantly, this position also offers a potential succession pathway into the CTO role over the next four to five years, making it particularly attractive to an established engineering leader looking for their next long-term career move.
What you'll be responsible for
Engineering Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, mentor and develop five Development Leads, ensuring consistency, accountability and technical excellence across 15 development squads.
- Establish clear engineering standards, performance expectations and development practices across teams.
- Build leadership capability within the development function, creating a culture of ownership, collaboration and continuous improvement.
- Work closely with the CTO, architecture, data and product teams to align engineering execution with business objectives.
Software Delivery & Engineering Excellence
- Improve delivery predictability through realistic sprint planning, accurate estimations and effective capacity management.
- Establish consistent development frameworks, reusable components and engineering practices across squads.
- Drive the adoption of CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, code quality standards and reliable release processes.
- Reduce technical debt, recurring production issues and unnecessary duplication across the technology environment.
- Balance delivery timelines with software quality, maintainability, security and long-term scalability.
Technical Leadership & Architecture
- Remain technically involved, supporting development teams with complex engineering challenges, code reviews and technical decision-making when required.
- Collaborate with architects to shape modular, API-first and event-driven software architectures.
- Help establish a unified internal engineering platform with common development tools, frameworks, templates and reusable services.
- Support the modernisation of existing applications and the development of scalable cloud-based products.
- Promote engineering best practices across Java-based development environments.
AI-Enabled Software Engineering
- Help drive the adoption of AI-assisted development tools and practices across engineering teams.
- Identify opportunities to improve developer productivity through AI-assisted coding, testing, documentation and code reviews.
- Establish appropriate governance and quality controls around AI-generated code.
- Coach Development Leads and developers in adopting AI tools effectively while maintaining strong engineering standards.
- Work with the wider technology leadership team to build an increasingly AI-native engineering environment.
What we're looking for
We are particularly interested in experienced Development Managers, Software Engineering Managers, Heads of Engineering or senior technical leaders who have successfully managed multiple software development teams.
Technical & Engineering Experience
- Ideally 10+ years of progressive software engineering experience, including significant engineering leadership responsibility.
- Strong software development background, preferably within Java-based environments.
- Experience with Java frameworks such as Quarkus, and frontend technologies such as Angular, would be highly beneficial.
- Experience developing and supporting cloud-based applications, preferably on Microsoft Azure.
- Strong understanding of modern software architecture, microservices, APIs, CI/CD, automated testing and secure development practices.
- Experience establishing common engineering standards, reusable frameworks and development pipelines across multiple teams.
- Ability to engage confidently with developers on technical challenges and contribute hands-on when necessary.
Leadership & Delivery Experience
- Proven experience leading multiple engineering teams, ideally through Development Leads or Engineering Managers.
- Strong understanding of Agile development, sprint planning, resource allocation and delivery management.
- Demonstrated ability to improve engineering efficiency, delivery predictability and software quality.
- Experience mentoring technical leaders and building high-performing engineering teams.
- Comfortable engaging with CTOs, senior executives, architects and product stakeholders.
AI & Product Development
- Exposure to AI-assisted software development tools and their practical application within engineering teams.
- Experience introducing or improving AI-enabled development workflows would be a significant advantage.
- Background in building and scaling proprietary software products, SaaS platforms or enterprise applications.
- Experience within HR technology, workforce management, payroll or service-oriented software would be particularly relevant.
A relevant tertiary qualification would be advantageous; however, strong practical engineering experience and demonstrated leadership capability will be important considerations.
