Development Manager

Aderant; Auckland; Hybrid; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary & bonus

KiwiSaver

Sick leave

Hybrid work

Overseas work policy

Wellness day

Income protection

Life insurance

Financial adviser

Volunteer days

Team events

Job summary

Aderant in Auckland seeks a Development Manager to lead an engineering team delivering innovative SaaS products for the legal sector. You will translate business goals into clear delivery plans, manage risks and dependencies, and ensure client-ready outcomes with high quality.

The role requires strong delivery leadership, technical depth for architecture decisions, and the ability to drive AI-assisted engineering practices while building and coaching a high-performing team.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership as Development/Engineering Manager.
• 2+ years delivering SaaS products in production.
• Strong technical background for architecture and design decisions.
• Experience with CI/CD, automated testing, cloud platforms and Agile delivery.
• Proven ability to manage delivery risk, dependencies and priorities.
• Ability to challenge scope, estimates and proposed solutions with product teams.

Responsibilities

• Own delivery outcomes across sprint and quarterly commitments.
• Lead planning, refine backlog, manage estimates and dependencies.
• Run team ceremonies focused on decisions and blockers.
• Identify risks and drive mitigation, trade-offs and escalation.
• Collaborate with Product, QA, Architects and other teams on delivery plans.
• Develop a high-performing team through coaching and feedback.
• Drive AI-assisted engineering adoption to improve velocity and quality.
• Take ownership of client-reported issues and drive resolution.

Skills

Delivery leadership

SaaS delivery

Technical architecture

CI/CD

Cloud platforms

Agile

Stakeholder collaboration

Job description

Aderant is a global industry leading software company providing comprehensive business management solutions for law firms and other professional services organizations with a mission to help them run a better business. We are motivated by a collective desire to drive the legal industry to the forefront of innovation. With over 2,500 clients around the world, including 95 of the top AmLaw 100 firms, we are changing the outside perception of the legal sphere; where there was once resistance to modernization, we are creating a culture that embraces new ideas and technology.

At Aderant, the “A” is more than just a letter. It is a representation of how we fulfill our foundational purpose, serving our clients. It embodies our core values and reminds us that to achieve success, every day must start with the “A”. We bring the “A” to life by fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and personal growth. We encourage our diverse teams to bring their whole selves to work – ideas, experience, and passion – to drive our mission forward.

Our people are our strength.

About The Role

We are seeking a proven, results-driven Development Manager to lead one of our software engineering teams.

This role is suited to a leader who takes ownership of outcomes, drives strong delivery discipline, develops high-performing teams, and actively looks for opportunities to improve how software is built and delivered.

You’ll lead a team of highly capable engineers delivering innovative SaaS products to clients in the legal sector. You will be responsible for translating business and product goals into clear, achievable plans, ensuring the team delivers high-quality, client-ready solutions while proactively managing risks, dependencies, and changing priorities.

The role requires a strong combination of delivery leadership, people management, technical understanding, and sound judgement.

What You’ll Do

• Own delivery outcomes across sprint and quarterly commitments through strong planning, prioritization, execution, and accountability.
• Lead sprint and quarterly planning, ensuring work is sufficiently refined, dependencies are understood, estimates and assumptions are challenged, and commitments are realistic.
• Lead team ceremonies with a clear focus on decisions, actions, delivery progress, and removing blockers rather than process for its own sake.
• Identify delivery risks early and actively drive mitigation options, including scope trade-offs, sequencing changes, alternative approaches, or timely escalation.
• Set clear expectations with the team and communicate progress, risks, decisions, and changes proactively to Product and Engineering leadership.
• Maintain sufficient technical depth to challenge estimates, understand architectural and design trade-offs, participate meaningfully in technical discussions, and help remove delivery blockers.
• Partner closely with Product Management, QA, Architects, and other Engineering teams to translate business priorities into practical delivery plans.
• Build and maintain a high-performing team through clear expectations, regular coaching and feedback, recognition of strong performance, and timely management of performance concerns.
• Develop team members and support measurable growth in technical capability, ownership, and leadership.
• Drive practical adoption of AI-assisted engineering practices to improve development velocity, quality, testing, and team effectiveness.
• Take visible ownership of client-reported issues, ensuring problems are understood, resolved effectively, and used to drive ongoing quality improvements.
• Continuously improve engineering practices, team effectiveness, and delivery predictability.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience as a Development Manager, Engineering Manager, Software Development Manager, or similar software engineering leadership role.
• 2+ years of experience delivering SaaS products in a commercial production environment.
• Strong technical background with the ability to engage meaningfully in architecture, design, engineering practices, and technical decision-making.
• Experience working in modern software engineering environments where CI/CD, automated testing, cloud platforms, and Agile delivery practices are the norm.
• Demonstrated success delivering complex software products and initiatives against agreed commitments.
• Strong experience in sprint planning, backlog refinement, estimation, dependency management, and delivery risk management.
• Demonstrated ability to challenge scope, estimates, assumptions, and proposed solutions constructively while working with Product and Engineering to find pragmatic paths to delivery.
• Strong people-management capability, including coaching, performance management, career development, and building effective engineering teams.
• A practical approach to Agile, with a focus on outcomes, predictability, and continuous improvement rather than process compliance.
• Strong problem-solving skills, sound judgement, and the ability to make decisions and maintain momentum when priorities or circumstances change.
• A strong sense of ownership and accountability for delivery, quality, and client outcomes.
• Experience working with clients or client-facing teams and ensuring software meets expected quality and business outcomes.
• An interest in AI-assisted software development and a willingness to actively explore how AI can improve engineering productivity and quality.

Why Join Us

You’ll lead a capable and committed engineering team in an environment where ownership, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement are valued.

You’ll have the opportunity to influence how we build and deliver SaaS products, develop talented engineers, work closely with Product and Architecture, and help shape how we adopt emerging technologies such as AI across our engineering organisation.

If you enjoy leading from the front, solving delivery challenges, developing people, and turning ambitious product goals into reliable outcomes, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Our Culture

With locations across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, our team is strengthened by a diversity of cultures and experiences.

We embrace our differences, knowing that the Aderant community benefits from a broader range of perspectives and ideas. We celebrate our successes through company-wide recognition and invest in initiatives that support inclusion, wellbeing, collaboration, and innovation.

Our Package

We offer

• competitive salary and bonus scheme
• a generous employer KiwiSaver contribution
• additional sick leave
• flexible and hybrid working options
• a working overseas policy of up to four weeks per year (conditions apply)
• a wellness day
• income protection
• life insurance
• access to a financial adviser
• volunteer days
• regular team social activities

You’ll also enjoy a collaborative work environment — and a few excellent bakers who regularly spoil the office.

Eligibility

At this stage, we can only consider candidates who already hold valid New Zealand working rights, including New Zealand citizens, residents, or holders of an appropriate open work visa.

Unfortunately, sponsorship is not available for this position.