Established over 40 years ago, Kentec Electronics Ltd. has evolved into one of the world’s leading independent fire control panel manufacturers.
Over the years the Kentec name has become synonymous with world-class products, great service, and excellent support. Based in Dartford, Kent, Kentec is a truly global supplier, exporting control equipment to over 90 countries worldwide, and in many different languages.
Role of the Job
An international market leader in the design and development of control and indicating fire equipment and sensory devices is looking for a Software Development Manager to join our growing R&D team in Rochester, Kent.
The individual should be self-motivated, creative, and proactive to work successfully in a fast-paced environment including multiple platforms and architectures, diverse technologies, and lab environment.
Responsibilities:
Oversee Software Development Activities:
* Collaborate with the Principal engineers to guide the architecture and design of embedded (both bare metal and small RTOS environments), Linux, desktop, web-based applications, and cloud services.
* Manage the technical realization from high-level design to efficient technical solutions.
* Make key decisions to ensure solutions are robust, scalable, efficient, resilient, and secure.
Manage Project Delivery:
* Work closely with the project management team to plan and prioritize software development projects, allocate resources, run sprints, manage risk and delays, and set clear timelines and milestones.
* Oversee the team’s delivery of new software products, features, bugs, and general maintenance.
* Update stakeholders on project progress and activities and ensure proper project governance.
* Conduct regular project reviews and provide status updates to key project stakeholders.
Ensure Quality and Compliance:
* Align technology development with our quality standards and product specifications, especially regarding regulatory compliance and cybersecurity.
* Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements specific to fire alarm and life safety devices (EN54, UL864, ISO27001, CE).
* Implement best practices in coding, testing, and documentation.
* Develop and refine measurable software development processes to enhance efficiency and quality.
* Collaborate with R&D team section managers to improve development workflows.
* Promote high-speed iterations and measurable improvements in code quality.
* Encourage continuous enhancement of coding practices.
* Foster a culture of continuous improvement within the team.
* Champion internal processes and modern software management tools to product development.
Stay Updated with Industry Trends:
* Keep abreast of the latest industry trends, technologies, and best practices in software engineering.
* Play a pivotal role in shaping technical product roadmaps.
* Act as a product specialist.
* Represent the business on regulatory boards where applicable.
Person Specification
We are looking for individuals with solid management experience of a mixed software programming language development team as well as practical software development and system design experience. In addition to this, you will possess the following:
Qualifications: Desirable: Degree in Engineering, preferably with a Software focus.
Experience: Essential: Considerable proven experience managing development teams of 10-15 engineers within an electronic product segment, ideally regulatory controlled.
Knowledge/Skills:
Management:
* Proven experience leading and managing software development teams of various sizes, with a track record as an exceptional people manager.
* Ability to mentor, coach, motivate, and develop team members to reach their full potential.
* Experience in performance management, including setting objectives, conducting evaluations, and clearly documenting and monitoring progress.
Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) Management:
* Proficiency in Waterfall as well as Agile practices, including Scrum and Kanban.
* Experience in Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD), setting up and managing CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or Azure DevOps.
* Expertise in version control systems, particularly Git, and collaborative development workflows.
Design:
* Familiarity with microcontroller architectures (e.g., ARM Cortex-M) and hardware interfaces.
* Knowledge of popular communication technologies such as SPI, I2C, TCP/IP, UDP, I2S, USB, RS232, and RS485/422.
Communication Skills:
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to produce detailed and informative reports that are clear and concise for both internal and external stakeholders.
Analytical Thinking:
* Demonstrated ability to provide a logical, in-depth analysis of problems or situations.
* Able to manage priorities and provide clear options or routes to maintain development schedules.
Documentation Expertise:
* Proficient in reviewing and creating clear product design documents that comprehensively describe the product design and functionality.
Certification:
* Experience in designing products for a regulatory controlled market and ensuring compliance with those standards including ISO9001 and ISO27001 / NIST or other relevant security frameworks.
Ready to Apply?
To apply for the role, or to find out more, please email vicky.damianovits@kentec.co.uk with a covering letter and a copy of your CV.
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