Manager of Software Development

UKG; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Software Engineering Manager to lead a talented team of engineers in delivering high-impact projects. This role emphasizes technical leadership, team management, and execution excellence, ensuring alignment with business goals and industry best practices. You'll be hands-on with code while fostering a culture of ownership and collaboration. If you're passionate about driving innovation and enhancing team engagement in a hybrid work environment, this opportunity is perfect for you. Join a mission-driven organization where your contributions will inspire positive change in workplaces around the world.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software development experience with 3+ years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record of delivering large-scale software projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of engineers, driving technical excellence and project delivery.
• Oversee planning and execution of high-impact software projects.

Skills

Java

JavaScript

Problem-solving

Communication

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

CI/CD pipelines

Azure

AWS

GCP

Job description

With 80,000 customers across 150 countries, UKG is the largest U.S.-based private software company in the world. And we’re only getting started. Ready to bring your bold ideas and collaborative mindset to an organization that still has so much more to build and achieve? Read on.

At UKG, you get more than just a job. You get to work with purpose. Our team of U Krewers are on a mission to inspire every organization to become a great place to work through our award-winning HR technology built for all.

We are seeking a seasoned Software Engineering Manager to join our dynamic team. As a first-line manager, you will lead a team of talented engineers, driving technical excellence, fostering a culture of ownership, and ensuring the successful delivery of high-impact projects. You will be responsible for guiding technical decisions, managing team performance, and aligning engineering efforts with business goals.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership:

1. Provide technical leadership and direction for major projects, ensuring alignment with business goals and industry best practices.
2. Be hands-on with code, maintaining high technical standards and actively participating in design and architecture decisions, code reviews, and helping engineers optimize their code.
3. Ensure that high standards of performance, scalability, and reliability are maintained when architecting, designing, and developing complex software systems and applications.
4. Ensure accountability for the team’s technical decisions and enforce engineering best practices (e.g., documentation, automation, code management, security principles, leverage CoPilot).
5. Ensure the health and quality of services and incidents, proactively identifying and addressing issues. Utilize service health indicators and telemetry for action. Implement best practices for operational excellence.
6. Play a pivotal role in the R.I.D.E. (Recommend, Inform, Decide, Execute) framework.
7. Understand CI/CD pipelines from build, test, to deploy phases.

Team Management:

1. Lead and manage a team of software engineers, fostering a collaborative and high-performance environment. Conduct regular performance reviews, provide feedback, and support professional development.
2. Foster a culture of service ownership and enhance team engagement.
3. Drive succession planning and engineering efficiency, focusing on quality and developer experience through data-driven approaches.
4. Promote a growth mindset, understanding and driving organizational change.
5. Actively seek opportunities for team growth and cross-functional collaboration.
6. Work and guide the team on how to operate in a DevOps Model, taking ownership from working with product management on requirements to design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain the software in production.

Coaching and Development:

1. Grow and develop the team technically and with a quality mindset, providing strong and actionable feedback.
2. Provide technical mentorship and guidance to engineers at all levels, fostering a culture of learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
3. Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends, advocating for their adoption where appropriate to drive innovation and productivity within the team.

Execution Excellence:

1. Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of high-impact software projects, ensuring they are completed on time and within budget. Manage team workload and capacity, setting priorities and managing risks and tradeoffs.
2. Align team efforts with the strategic direction of the company, understanding the big picture and business needs.
3. Demonstrate engineering excellence and service ownership, including cost and quality management of services, and effective production management.
4. Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product management, design, and operations, to ensure alignment and successful delivery of projects. Communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
5. Make deployment decisions with appropriate risk mitigation.

Minimum Required Qualifications:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
2. 8+ years of experience in software development, with 3+ years in a technical leadership role and 2+ years in a people management role.
3. Proven track record of leading and delivering large-scale, complex software projects.
4. Deep expertise in one or more programming languages, with an emphasis on Java or JavaScript.
5. Extensive experience with software architecture and design patterns.
6. Strong understanding of cloud technologies and DevOps principles.
7. Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
8. Excellent communication and leadership skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence and drive change.

We value in-person collaboration and work in a hybrid model. 3 days in the Toronto office is a requirement.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
2. Experience with cloud platforms like Azure, AWS, or GCP.
3. Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and automation tools.
4. Knowledge of agile development methodologies.
5. Experience in a complex, matrixed organization.
6. Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives.
7. Familiarity with developing accessible technologies.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Ultimate Kronos Group is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive work environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, veteran status, and any other legally protected status under federal, state, or local anti-discrimination laws.