Development Project Manager

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE JOB

To fully manage all aspects of Agile software development projects through the full project lifecycle to deliver new and enhanced versions of the Company’s products in line with the business vision for both internal and external customer delivery. To manage, motivate, and develop software development teams through effective coaching and line management. To contribute to the strategic development of the department through the Software Development management team. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage, lead, motivate and develop development team(s), which comprise of cross functional teams including Developers, QA, Business Analysts (BAs) and Technical Architects

•  Plan development and all related deliverables using a combination of Agile/Scrum methodology and traditional project management techniques, where necessary. This will include;

-Daily SCRUM meetings

-Facilitating Sprint Planning and Review meetings

-Facilitating Sprint Retrospective meetings

-Managing the ProductRelease and the Sprint backlog

-Tracking and communicating team velocity through the use of burn down charts and sprint/release progress updates

• Manage all aspects of project development including development of project plans, resource plans, project governance, day to day management of the development team and control of releases to ensure delivery of projects on time, to budget and to customer expectation and satisfaction.

• Identify and remove impediments for the team and ensure they are focused on delivery

• Establish and manage expectations, both internally and externally

• Control financial aspects of the project including estimates, quotations, orders, invoicing and cost control to ensure profitability against departmental targets

• Work closely with product management team to ensure that customer projects are aligned where possible with the Company’s product development roadmap

• Work with customers and where necessary internal stakeholders to manage project scope, set customer expectations, manage scope changes, and set milestones and delivery timescales

• Where appropriate, work with internal teams during the handover and support phases of the project, and ensure all necessary maintenance is completed in an appropriate timeframe

• Establish a creative and productive environment through effective team coaching and line management

• Work as part of a development management team to define the software development process, evolving it as needs change to meet the demands of our products and markets, and to support departmental changes and growth

• Work closely with the BAs, Strategic Project Managers and Product Owners to create a product roadmap to include all tracks of work, not just technical development

• Report on project status to customer and internal management

• Contribute to the overall operational management of the Company which includes the full participation in a number of operational and strategic teams

• Work with the release manager to ensure deployment notes/changes are added to the release and knowledge is passed from the project stream to release team

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE 

ESSENTIALS:

• 5+ years of managing a software development project team(s) with strong line management background

• Previous experience of coaching and mentoring junior team members

• Demonstrable experience of managing software development projects through Scrum or a similar Agile process

• In depth working knowledge of Agile software development approaches

• Experience of managing teams and clients through the full software development lifecycle from elaboration of requirements through to transition to customer business as usual

• Experience of delivering software products and/or applications to external customers, with strong customer relationship management skills and ability to operate at senior management levels

• Ability to maintain an appropriate balance between customer care and company commercial interests

• Experience of object-oriented development methods and object-oriented languages, preferably Java

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with proven ability to communicate enthusiastically, clearly and concisely to groups and individuals;

• Must be highly motivated and able to work on own initiative

• Knowledge of continuous integration and TDD process

• Certified Scrum Master or other Agile Project Management related certification

DESIREABLE:

• Working knowledge of JIRA (or equivalent) Agile Lifecycle Management tools

• Managing a development office

• Kanban Practitioner

• Hands-on technical background in software development or similar

• Knowledge of retail business or supply chain understanding

• Formal project management training and/or qualifications

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

• Teamwor

•  Sensitivity

• Customer Focus

• Energy

• Accountability

• Integrity

• Managing Oneself

• Achieving Results

• Team Management

• Interacting with Others

• Communicating Information

• Taking Strategic Perspectives and Decisions

• Analysing, Understanding and Using Information