Due to expansion in our sister company D/Gauge, a new role has opened for a Software Delivery Manager.
D/Gauge is a pioneering engineering consultancy and software provider specialising in railway simulation. We ensure that trains fit safely and efficiently past infrastructure such as tunnels, bridges, and platforms - an area of expertise known as Gauging Clearance.
Our work saves the rail industry tens of millions of pounds annually by eliminating unnecessary engineering works, enabling the efficient transport of valuable freight, and ensuring the safety of thousands of passengers every day.
Role Responsibilities:
Efficient Software Delivery
* Transform requirements and specifications into high-quality, released software by efficiently coordinating a delivery team of 6 Developers and 2 QA Engineers.
* Oversee all aspects of software delivery, including refinement, estimation, project planning, task assignment, progress tracking, release planning, and user acceptance testing (UAT). Manage frequent context switching effectively.
Cross-Functional Collaboration with:
* Head of Software: Align on roadmap, vision, requirements, UI design, backlog priorities, and UAT feedback. Ensure strong mutual support and trust.
* QA Manager: Consider the impacts of acceptance criteria, bug management, rework, automation, test plans and release activities.
* Tech Lead: Accommodate technical solutions, developer best practices, tool selection, risk management, reducing technical debt, and fostering continuous improvement.
* Developers: Understand individual strengths, assign tasks effectively, and keep the team focused on top priorities. Be able to speak their language and challenge them when necessary to unearth critical paths and maintain quality.
* Technical Support: Incorporate user feedback, customer analytics, bug reports, and training material into delivery planning.
* External Stakeholders: Coordinate with consultancy, commercial and HR teams to meet cross-departmental requirements.
Project Planning and Execution:
* Create, maintain, and deliver detailed project plans using appropriate software lifecycles. Account for competing constraints, risks, contingencies, and resource availability. Provide high-level estimates to support roadmap and commercial strategy.
* Lead and chair team meetings, including daily standups, weekly progress meetings, bi-weekly KPI updates, and project-specific catchups. Always capture and share clear minutes and actions.
* Address delivery challenges proactively, reprioritise tasks when necessary, and balance quality, cost, and timelines. Adapt to shifting priorities, including handling critical bugs versus new feature development.
Strategic Delivery Planning:
* Develop and propose long-term strategies to enhance team productivity, promote automation, improve capacity, and ensure knowledge retention through documentation and skills-sharing initiatives.
* Lead the recruitment of new delivery team members when required with support from the Tech Lead and QA Manager. Ensure thorough onboarding and alignment with tools, processes, and team culture.
Skills & Experience:
Essential:
* 3-F years experience running a software team delivering cloud products (as a Lead Developer, Project Manager or Development Manager)
* Excellent knowledge of software development lifecycles and best practice, including Agile, DevOps and Cl/CD
* Excellent communication skills, able to steer a room of opinionated passionate developers, juggle multiple internal and external stakeholders and manage expectations professionally and confidently
* You should be organised, autonomous, self-motivated and a natural owner
* You must be a multitasker who is goal-oriented and thrives under pressure
* You are a quick-thinking problem solver who can pick up concepts easily and are comfortable with data analysis and rudimentary geometry
* Have worked on cloud products with a JS and .NET tech stack
Desirable:
* Formal project management or leadership qualifications.
* Expert knowledge of Microsoft Azure Tools
* SQL data analysis skills
* Knowledge of rail or engineering industry services.