Systems Development Manager

Gamma Communications plc; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Birthday day off

Volunteer day

Pension scheme

Private medical insurance

Life assurance 4x salary

Share save plans

Share incentive plans

Electric Vehicle scheme

Cycle to Work

Group income protection

Job summary

Gamma Communications plc in Manchester seeks a Systems Development Manager to lead the evolution of telecom support systems underpinning voice operations and engineering. You will guide the architecture, roadmaps, and multi‑year planning for diagnostics, testing, and automation.

You will provide technical leadership across PHP-based backend systems, manage a team of engineers, and collaborate with product, architecture, and operations to deliver reliable, scalable platforms in a hybrid work

Qualifications

• Led engineering teams delivering PHP-based backend systems and internal platforms for operational tooling.
• Provided technical leadership across PHP microservices and legacy systems, ensuring scalability and reliability.
• Proven experience leading software or engineering teams responsible for building and operating internal platforms or support systems.
• Strong background in backend or systems development with ability to guide technical direction without hands-on focus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the systems development function for telecoms support systems used by Voice Operations and Engineering.
• Provide technical and people leadership to Systems Developers, Test Automation Engineers, and Infrastructure/Automation Engineers.
• Act as the accountable technical authority for systems development within the voice domain and guide build vs buy decisions.
• Translate operational and product needs into a multiyear roadmap for voice troubleshooting, diagnostics, reporting, and automated testing.
• Ensure systems are scalable, secure, and aligned with carrier-grade telecom requirements.
• Oversee automated test frameworks and environments for functional, performance, and resilience testing.
• Set engineering standards for software quality, test automation, CI/CD, monitoring, and operational readiness.
• Collaborate with Voice Engineering, Operations, Architecture, and Product teams to prioritise requirements and deliver integrated solutions.
• Ensure production observability with metrics, logging, alerts, and documentation.
• Manage team capacity, delivery commitments, and technical risk to ensure predictable outcomes.

Skills

PHP backend

Team leadership

DevOps & CI/CD

Monitoring dashboards

Jira

Confluence

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

At Gamma, we’re more than just a leader in Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). We’re a fast-moving technology organisation delivering innovative voice, data, and mobile solutions across Europe.

Our product and service portfolio is at the heart of what we do — powering reliable, scalable communications for thousands of businesses. Behind the scenes, our engineering teams design, build, and maintain the software systems that generate real business impact.

We combine the agility of a start-up mindset with the stability of a leading European business. Collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement define how we work — and we’re always looking for people who want to build meaningful technology at scale.

Who are we looking for?

The Systems Development Manageris responsible forleading the development and ongoing evolution ofGamma’stelecom support systems that underpin voice network operations and engineering, including troubleshooting, diagnostics, reporting, and automated test capabilities.

What will you be doing day-to-day?

• Lead and manage the systems development function responsible for Telecoms support systems used by Voice Operations and Engineering.
• Provide technical and people leadership to Systems Developers of all levels, Test Automation Engineers, and Infrastructure and Automation Engineers within the team.
• Act as the accountable technical authority for systems development within the voice domain, making strategic build versus buy and investment decisions where appropriate.
• Translate operational, engineering, and product needs into a coherent multiyear roadmap for voice network troubleshooting, diagnostics, reporting, and automated testing.
• Ensure that support systems are designed to be scalable, resilient, secure, and aligned with the needs of a carrier grade telecom environment.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of automated test frameworks and environments supporting functional, performance, and resilience testing of voice platforms.
• Set clear engineering standards and practices covering software quality, test automation, CI/CD, monitoring, and operational readiness.
• Work closely with Voice Engineering, Operations, Architecture, and Product teams to prioritise requirements and deliver effective, integrated solutions.
• Ensure systems are observable and operable in production, with appropriate metrics, logging, alerting, and documentation in place.
• Manage team capacity, delivery commitments, and technical risk, ensuring predictable outcomes and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Need

• Led engineering teams delivering PHP-based backend systems and internal platforms, supporting operational tooling such as monitoring dashboards, reporting systems, and diagnostics services.
• Provided technical leadership across PHP microservices and legacy systems, ensuring scalability, maintainability, and alignment with broader architecture without being a primary hands‑on contributor.
• Proven experience leading software or engineering teams responsible for building and operating internal platforms or support systems.
• Strong technical background in backend or systems development, with the ability to provide effective technical leadership and oversight without being a primary hands‑on contributor.
• Experience delivering systems that support operational and engineering users, such as monitoring, diagnostics, reporting, or network support tooling.
• Demonstrable experience owning technical roadmaps and translating business and operational requirements into prioritised delivery plans.
• Experience working with distributed or microservice‑based systems in a production environment.
• Experience using tools such as Jira and Confluence for delivery management and documentation.
• Strong understanding of software quality practices, including testing strategies, CI/CD pipelines, and operational readiness.
• Experience working closely with infrastructure, automation, or DevOps engineers to deliver reliable and scalable platforms.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across engineering, operations, architecture, and product teams.
• Strong people management skills, including coaching, development, and performance management of engineers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear documentation and communicate technical topics to non-technical stakeholders

What do we offer you?

At Gamma, we believe in work–life balance, which is why we offer 25 days of annual leave, plus an extra day off for your birthday. We also provide a volunteer day, allowing you to support a cause that matters to you.

Family is important to us. With enhanced maternity and paternity pay, we support you at every stage of life. Our contributory pension scheme helps you plan for the future, with Gamma increasing contributions in line with yours.

Your wellbeing comes first. We offer group income protection, life assurance (four times your salary), and private medical insurance through Vitality, which extends to your immediate family.

We want you to share in our success, which is why we offer tax‑efficient share save and share incentive plans.

We’re also committed to sustainability, offering an Electric Vehicle scheme through Octopus and a Cycle to Work scheme, making greener travel easier.

A few things to note

Unfortunately, we can’t offer visa sponsorship or relocation support for this role.
This role is hybrid, with office and home working flexibility.

Gamma is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building inclusive, diverse teams where everyone can be their authentic selves. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on any protected characteristics.

Recruitment agencies: We work with a trusted group of recruitment partners and are not looking to expand this network at present. Please do not send speculative CVs.