Technical Development Manager

Pole Star; Guildford; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development

Meaningful projects

Work-life balance

Guildford office

25 days holiday

Pension

Flexible hours

Equipment provided

Job summary

Pole Star Group is seeking a Technical Development Manager in Guildford to lead a developers team while staying hands-on with core features and code reviews. You will shape architecture, enforce standards, and drive end-to-end delivery, balancing technical quality with business pace.

You will mentor staff, manage risks, and report to senior leadership. The role requires 5+ years as a software developer, 2+ years of direct management, and strong experience in agile methods, cloud/DevOps, and

Qualifications

• 5+ years as a professional software developer.
• 2+ years directly managing developers with ownership of performance and delivery.
• Experience with agile delivery methods (Scrum, Kanban, or similar).
• Experience in AI, IoT and SaaS products.
• Experience with graph databases or graph-based data models.
• Background scaling a team through growth or organisational change.
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure and DevOps practice.
• Development using JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Node.js.

Responsibilities

• Write and review code, staying active in the codebase on key features.
• Set and enforce engineering standards: code quality, testing, documentation, security.
• Shape technical architecture and weigh trade-offs with senior developers.
• Own technical risk and address debt, security, scalability issues.
• Own product delivery end-to-end: scope, timelines, outcomes.
• Manage a team of developers: workload, priorities, delivery.
• Conduct one-to-ones, set objectives, and lead reviews.

Skills

Hands-on coding

Team leadership

Communication

Agile delivery

Architectural thinking

Problem solving

AI for development

Scaling teams

Travel flexibility

Tools

JavaScript

TypeScript

React

Node.js

Cloud/AWS

DevOps

Graph databases

Job description

The Technical Development Manager sits at the intersection of engineering and leadership: hands‑on enough to review code, weigh in on architecture, and step into the codebase when it matters, while also owning the day‑to‑day management, growth and delivery of a team of developers., Hands‑on technical

• Write and review code, and stay active in the codebase on key features or when the team needs extra bandwidth
• Set and enforce engineering standards: code quality, testing, documentation, and secure coding practice
• Shape technical architecture and design decisions, weighing trade-offs with senior developers
• Own technical risk: identify debt, security issues, and scalability concerns before they become blockers
• Own the product and its delivery end-to-end - not just team execution, but outcomes, scope, and timelines
• Manage a team of developers day to day: workload, priorities, and delivery against sprint or project goals
• Conduct one-to-ones, set objectives, and lead performance reviews and career development conversations
• Report progress, risks, and resourcing needs to senior leadership
• Foster a healthy team culture: psychological safety, constructive code review, and sustainable pace
  5+ years as a professional software developer, including recent, regular hands‑on coding
• 2+ years directly managing developers, with real ownership of performance, hiring, and delivery
• Comfortable reading and contributing to the team's core codebase, not just reviewing pull requests from a distance
• Track record of delivering software projects on time, balancing technical quality with business pace
• Clear communicator who can translate between engineering detail and business priorities for non-technical stakeholders
• Experience with agile delivery methods (Scrum, Kanban, or similar)
• Experience in AI, IoT and SaaS products
• Experience with graph databases or graph-based data models
• Background scaling a team through growth or organisational change
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure and DevOps practice
• Development using a range of languages/frameworks/environments, including JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Node.js
• Experienced in understanding and championing the use of AI to enhance development practices, and for the wider business
• A level of travel will be required.

Pole Star Group is a leading Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solutions provider dedicated to enhancing safety, efficiency, and operational excellence across critical sectors such as Railways, Highways, and Healthcare. Our comprehensive suite of solutions, including Systems, Inspections, and Maintenance, empowers organisations to optimise asset performance and ensure the highest safety and reliability standards.

We care about doing things properly; for our people, our planet, and our clients. Our Integrated Management System (IMS) helps us meet high standards across quality (ISO 9001), environment (ISO 14001), health & safety (ISO 45001), and information security (ISO 27001). We all contribute to this, in big and small ways, by following processes, working safely, reducing waste, protecting information, and raising a hand when something doesn't look right. We don't need to be an expert - just thoughtful, responsible, and ready to support our ongoing improvement.

Our Values

• People 1st : We believe that our employees are our greatest asset. We foster a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive and contribute their best. By investing in our people, we ensure exceptional service and value for our customers.
• Customer Obsession : Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. We strive to exceed their expectations through innovative solutions, exceptional service, and a relentless focus on their needs and satisfaction.
• Disruptive Innovation : We embrace change and encourage creativity. We are not afraid to challenge the status quo and pursue bold ideas that drive progress and set us apart from the competition.
• Integrity : We conduct our business with the highest levels of honesty and transparency. We are committed to ethical practices and building trust with our employees, customers, and partners.
• Excellence : We aim for excellence in all our endeavours. We set high standards, continuously improve, and celebrate our successes while learning from our challenges.
• Have Fun : We believe that balancing hard work and fun is key to success. We foster a dynamic and enjoyable work environment where teamwork, enthusiasm, and a sense of adventure are encouraged.

Benefits & Perks

• Enjoy a supportive work environment with opportunities for professional development.
• Contribute to meaningful projects that enhance safety and efficiency in critical sectors.
• Participate in a culture that prioritises work-life balance and fun.
• Help shape our brand new Guildford development office.
• 25 Days Holiday (plus Christmas shutdown)
• Benefits Package and Pension
• Office based in our new Guildford office
• Flexible working hours
• Equipment provided (Laptop, Mobile devices (As required))