Software Development Manager

IDEXX; Westbrook (ME); On-site; USD 117,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health / Dental / Vision Benefits Day‑

5% matching 401k

Employee stock program

Pet insurance

Foundation donation matching

Job summary

IDEXX is seeking a Software Development Manager to lead a small agile engineering team for Neo, our cloud-based Veterinary Practice Management Software. You will translate product strategy into delivery plans, drive architecture choices, and ensure high-quality software across the web stack.

You will hire and coach engineers, participate in code reviews, collaborate with Product Owners, and improve CI/CD with Jenkins and GitHub Actions while embracing AI-powered tooling to boost productivity and

Qualifications

• People leadership experience managing engineers and growing talent.
• Drive, ownership, and a strong results orientation.
• Excellent analytical, verbal, and written communication.
• Strong product partnership instincts and cross-functional collaboration.
• Hands-on technical background in software engineering and design reviews.
• Full stack web application knowledge from database to presentation layer.
• Experience with PHP, Node.js, REST APIs, and data modeling.
• Familiarity with AI-powered coding assistants and modern tooling.
• Knowledge of SDLC, agile methods, and CI/CD (Jenkins, GitHub Actions).
• Hiring experience and ability to attract/retain top engineers.
• Ability to balance priorities and make pragmatic trade-offs.
• Business acumen linking engineering work to customer outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead a small agile engineering team delivering on commitments.
• Manage and develop engineers via regular 1:1s and performance reviews.
• Hire, onboard, and retain top engineering talent.
• Translate product strategy into actionable delivery plans with milestones.
• Collaborate with Product Owners to prioritize work and tradeoffs.
• Remain hands-on for architecture discussions, code reviews, and prototyping.
• Lead technical decision-making and set engineering standards.
• Plan, document, and communicate initiative status, risks, and decisions.
• Collaborate with DevOps to build, release, and operate high-quality software with CI/CD.
• Leverage AI-powered tools to boost productivity and quality.
• Own the operational health of services and resolve production issues.
• Foster innovation, psychological safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Skills

People leadership

Results orientation

Communication skills

Product partnership

Hands-on software engineering

Full stack web knowledge

CI/CD practices

Hiring experience

Architectural thinking

Business outcomes focus

Agile methodologies

Tools

Jenkins

GitHub Actions

AWS Platform

Job description

We are seeking a Software Development Manager. This position focuses on software solutions, we are dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of pets, people, and livestock around the world. Through the power of the cloud, our solutions simplify the flow of information across any practice and link vets to what they need when they need it. Patient data. Client communications. Business insights. All at their fingertips.

Why this role matters

You will be working with Neo, a cloud-based Veterinary Practice Management Software, and one of IDEXX’s wider veterinary offerings. Running a veterinary practice is complicated. The software shouldn’t be. Neo is a brilliantly simple practice management software with the flexibility of the cloud. Pets and tech, it’s a winning combo! Within IDEXX we are part of the IDEXX Veterinary Software portfolio.

In this Role

• You lead a small, high-performing agile engineering team (typically 3 to 5 developers), owning team delivery, software quality, and overall team effectiveness.
• You manage and develop engineers through regular 1:1s, clear performance expectations, candid feedback, career coaching, and performance reviews.
• You hire, onboard, and retain top engineering talent while fostering an inclusive culture built on high standards, continuous learning, and collaboration.
• You drive results by translating product strategy into actionable delivery plans, defining milestones, removing obstacles, and ensuring successful execution against commitments.
• You partner closely with Product Owners and Product Managers to prioritize work, evaluate tradeoffs, and deliver solutions that balance customer value, technical excellence, and delivery speed.
• You remain hands‑on technically, contributing to architecture discussions, code reviews, prototyping, and complex problem‑solving across the web application stack.
• You lead technical decision‑making, influencing architecture, system design, engineering standards, and technical direction across teams.
• You plan, document, and communicate technical initiatives, project status, risks, and key decisions to engineering, product, and leadership stakeholders.
• You collaborate with DevOps and cross‑functional engineering teams to build, release, and operate high‑quality software while continuously improving CI/CD processes using tools such as Jenkins and GitHub Actions.
• You leverage AI‑powered development tools and coding assistants to improve engineering productivity, code quality, and solution design while promoting responsible and effective adoption across the team.
• You own the operational health of your team's applications and services, leading efforts to resolve production incidents, deployment issues, build failures, and pipeline disruptions.
• You foster a culture of innovation, psychological safety, accountability, inclusion, and continuous improvement where engineers can do their best work.

What You Need To Succeed

• People leadership experience — you have managed or led engineers (as a formal manager, team lead, or equivalent) and genuinely enjoy growing the people on your team.
• Drive, ownership, and a strong results orientation — you set clear goals, sequence work, and deliver on commitments without sacrificing quality.
• Excellent analytical, verbal, and written communication skills, including the ability to translate technical subject matter for non‑technical audiences and to listen carefully across functions.
• Strong product partnership instincts — you collaborate closely with product owners, ask the right questions, and help shape outcomes rather than just executing on tickets.
• Solid hands‑on technical background as a software engineer, with the ability to remain credible in design and code reviews and to contribute directly when needed.
• Strong full web application stack knowledge and a solid understanding of technologies from the database to the presentation tier.
• Experience with PHP, Node.js, and/or other object‑oriented and procedural programming languages, AWS Platform, REST APIs, and data modeling.
• Experience designing system architectures and coordinating teams to design, code, test, and document significant system changes.
• Knowledge of relational databases and Structured Query Language (SQL), and experience with Object‑Relational Mapping (ORM) frameworks.
• Familiarity with AI‑powered coding assistants and agents (e.g., Cursor or similar) and a clear understanding of their strengths, limitations, and failure modes.
• Strong knowledge of the software development lifecycle, agile methodologies, and modern CI/CD practices using tools such as Jenkins and GitHub Actions.
• Hiring experience and a high bar for engineering talent — you can identify, attract, and develop strong engineers.
• Ability to balance competing priorities across people, delivery, and technical health, and to make pragmatic trade‑offs in ambiguous situations.
• Strong general business and company knowledge, with the ability to connect engineering work back to customer and business outcomes.

What You Can Expect From Us

• Base salary range starting at $130,000 based on experience
• Opportunity for annual cash bonus
• Health / Dental / Vision Benefits Day‑One
• 5% matching 401k
• Additional benefits including but not limited to financial support, pet insurance, mental health resources, volunteer paid days off, employee stock program, foundation donation matching, and much more

Why IDEXX

We're proud of the work we do, because our work matters. An innovation leader in every industry we serve, our team members help pet owners worldwide keep their companion animals healthy and happy, ensure safe drinking water for billions, and help farmers protect livestock and poultry from disease.

Within IDEXX Veterinary Software, we are transforming how veterinary teams manage workflows, connect with clients, and deliver care. Our solutions help practices operate more efficiently while strengthening engagement with pet owners and improving patient outcomes.

We have customers in over 175 countries and a global workforce of more than 10,000 team members. Our culture embraces challenges, encourages learning and discovery, and supports employees with competitive compensation, benefits, and meaningful work that drives improvement.

If meaningful work and a sense of purpose are at the top of your list, you'll find it here.

Let's Pursue What Matters Together.

IDEXX values a diverse workforce and workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign‑born residents, and veterans to apply.

IDEXX is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any protected category prohibited by local, state, or federal laws.