IT Development Manager / Lead (Platform)

Holiday Gems Limited; Belfast; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company Pension Scheme

22 days holiday increasing per year

Enhanced Maternity & Paternity

Learning & Development Funding

Life Insurance

Life Insurance

Long Service Awards

Staff Travel Discounts

Company social events

Employee Discounts Platform

Eye Care eVouchers

Friendly working atmosphere

On-site parking

Casual dress code

Job summary

A leading online travel company in Northern Ireland seeks a Development Manager to lead the team in developing its in-house reservation system, Hermes. This role involves ensuring high-quality engineering and adherence to Agile practices while overseeing enhancements and integrations. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in .NET, API development, and team leadership, and will be focused on continuous improvement and effective collaboration across departments. Full-time position with attractive benefits.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Development Manager or Senior Engineer managing a team.
• Hands-on experience with .NET and API development.
• Strong track record in Agile software delivery.
• Experience inheriting and developing an established engineering team.
• Strong track record of delivering software using Agile methodologies.
• Experience establishing Agile practices within a team.
• Experience collaborating with Solution Architects or architecture functions.
• Demonstrated success improving engineering standards, delivery processes or team performance.
• Experience in travel, reservations, booking platforms, or high‑availability transactional systems.
• Exposure to cloud technologies (AWS, Azure), microservices or event‑driven architectures.
• Experience in integration-heavy environments or API/middleware ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Manage planning, delivery, and quality of development work on the platform.
• Lead and mentor a team of developers.
• Oversee Agile delivery processes including sprint planning and retrospectives.
• Oversee Agile delivery processes (Scrum/Kanban), including sprint planning, stand-ups, estimation, retrospectives, and demos.
• Ensure high-quality code, peer reviews, secure coding practices, and reliable CI/CD pipelines.
• Support stability, scalability and performance of Hermes, addressing technical debt with Product Owners, QA, Infrastructure and Integration teams.
• Manage workload distribution, track velocity, and ensure predictable delivery outcomes.
• Maintain documentation related to development processes, technical decisions and platform components.
• Ensure compliance with InfoSec, GDPR and internal governance standards.
• Promote continuous improvement in engineering practices, tooling, and ways of working.

Skills

Leadership

Agile methodologies

Communication

Problem-solving

Technical understanding of .NET

API development

Mentoring / staff development

Communication

Education

Degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering

Tools

.NET (C#, .NET Core)

SQL Server

Angular

Git

Microservices

Job description

The Development Manager (Platform) is responsible for leading the day-to-day development and delivery of SHG’s in-house reservation system, Hermes, built primarily in .NET. The role ensures highquality engineering, effective Agile ways of working, and the smooth delivery of enhancements, maintenance and integrations across the platform. The post-holder will manage and develop a team of software engineers, inherit and strengthen an established team culture, and work closely with the Solution Architect to ensure all development aligns with architectural standards and the wider technology strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the planning, delivery and quality of all development work on the Hermes platform.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of developers, supporting skills growth, performance and career development.
• Work in close partnership with the Solution Architect, translating architectural direction into actionable development tasks and ensuring adherence to technical standards.
• Oversee Agile delivery processes (Scrum/Kanban), including sprint planning, stand-ups, estimation, retrospectives, and demos.
• Ensure high-quality code, effective peer reviews, secure coding practices, and reliable CI/CD pipelines.
• Support the stability, scalability, and performance of Hermes, managing technical debt and addressingate with Product Owners, QA, Infrastructure and Integration teams to ensure clear requirements and successful end-to-end delivery.
• Manage workload distribution, track team velocity, and ensure predictable delivery outcomes.
• Maintain documentation related to development processes, technical decisions and platform components.
• Ensure compliance with InfoSec, GDPR and internal governance standards.
• Promote continuous improvement in engineering practices, tooling, and ways of working.

Key Performance Indicators:

• Delivery Predictability: Achievement of sprint commitments and roadmap milestones.
• Quality & Stability: Reduction in production incidents, defects, and rework.
• Engineering Improvement: Increased adoption of CI/CD, automation and coding standards.
• Team Performance & Engagement: Improved capability, retention, and feedback from the development team.

Experience:

• Proven experience as a Development Manager, Lead Developer or Senior Engineer managing a development team.
• Hands‑on experience with .NET (C#, .NET Core), Angular, API development and SQL Server.
• Experience inheriting and developing an established engineering team.
• Strong track record of delivering software using Agile methodologies.
• Experience of establishing Agile practices within a team.
• Experience collaborating with Solution Architects or architecture functions.
• Demonstrated success improving engineering standards, delivery processes or team performance.
• Experience in travel, reservations, booking platforms, or high‑availability transactional systems.
• Exposure to cloud technologies (AWS, Azure), microservices or event‑driven architectures.
• Experience in integration‑heavy environments or API/middleware ecosystems.

The Person

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following attributes:

• Supportive, empathetic leader who builds trust with established teams.
• Strong communicator able to explain technical issues clearly to varied audiences.
• Calm, pragmatic decision‑maker able to prioritise effectively under pressure.
• Passionate about continuous improvement and modern engineering practice.
• Collaborative, team‑focused mindset with a desire to deliver high‑quality outcomes.

Skills and Knowledge

• Strong technical understanding of the Microsoft development stack.
• Good knowledge of Agile SDLC frameworks and team delivery practices.
• Ability to convert architectural direction into detailed delivery tasks.
• Competence with CI/CD workflows, version control (Git), automated testing and DevOps principles.
• Strong problem‑solving and analytical thinking skills.
• Ability to coach and develop team members at varying skill levels.
• Understanding of secure coding, data protection and compliance requirements.

Qualifications (Desirable but not essential)

• Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related discipline.
• Microsoft development or cloud certifications (e.g., Azure Developer/Administrator).
• Leadership or management training certifications.

This is a Full‑Time position where you will be required to work 37.5 hours per week, Monday – Friday

In return for your hard work and commitment we will offer:

Core Benefits*

• Company Pension Scheme
• 22 days holiday rising 1 day per year (up to 25)
• Enhanced Pension
• Enhanced Maternity & Paternity
• Learning & Development Funding
• Life Insurance

Additional Benefits*

• Long Service Awards
• Staff Travel Discounts
• Company social events
• Employee Discounts Platform
• Eye Care eVouchers
• Friendly working atmosphere
• On‑site parking
• Casual dress code

Destination2 Ltd, HolidayGems Ltd, Citalia, Sovereign and American Holidays are part of the Travcorp Holdings Ltd group and are the most innovative and progressive Online Tour Operators in the UK selling holidays nationwide to a variety of long and short haul destinations.