Head : Application Development

Edge Executive Search Group; Centurion; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 500 000; Full time

Job summary

A respected national financial institution in South Africa is seeking a Head of Application Development to lead enterprise application strategy and delivery, optimizing software development processes for enhanced business performance. The ideal candidate should possess a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, ITIL certification, and extensive experience in managing application development teams. This role requires a strong technical background and strategic vision to drive innovation and maintain operational resilience, tailored for the agricultural sector.

Qualifications

• 6–8 years’ experience managing teams responsible for application development.
• Experience with Business Intelligence environments.
• Strong grounding in IT governance and continuity planning.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the application development strategy.
• Oversee planning for all enterprise applications.
• Drive continuous improvement across business processes.

Skills

Application development leadership

Business Intelligence management

IT governance

Systems analysis

Project management

Compliance and cyber security

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems or related field

ITIL Foundation Certification

COBIT certifications

Tools

SAP

Job description

Head: Application Development | Centurion, Gauteng | Permanent

Drive the strategic evolution of enterprise applications at a critical national institution. This is a role for a seasoned technology leader who can elevate systems capability, enable business performance, and shape the future of a complex, multi-platform application environment.

As the Head of Application Development, you will lead the delivery, enhancement and optimisation of business-critical software systems, including SAP and bespoke applications. You will own the full application development lifecycle, set the strategic direction for application capability, and guide a team of onshore and offshore engineering specialists. Your work will directly support the organisation’s ability to continuously improve, remain operationally resilient, and deliver modern, data-driven services across the business.

Our client is a respected national financial institution within the agricultural sector, playing a long-standing role in enabling sustainable growth and supporting emerging and commercial farmers across South Africa. The organisation is modernising rapidly, with a strong focus on systems optimisation, process improvement and data-driven decision making.

What You’ll Do

• Develop and execute the application development and delivery strategy.
• Oversee planning across people, process and technology for all enterprise applications.
• Advance software quality by strengthening development practices, skills and tooling.
• Collaborate with Infrastructure and Architecture teams to ensure appropriate hosting and system readiness.
• Lead testing and deployment services, including data migration, release management and compatibility assurance.
• Analyse business requirements to design testing strategies that reduce risk and minimise system defects.
• Manage and mature the organisation’s Business Intelligence environment, ensuring data availability for authorised users.
• Drive continuous improvement across business processes and ensure alignment with SAP and other core systems.
• Maintain comprehensive technical documentation including blueprints, specifications and test packs.
• Establish and monitor application maintenance strategies, including patching, cataloguing and rationalisation.
• Ensure ICT quality management processes support performance, compliance and customer satisfaction.
• Lead and develop the application team, ensuring strong performance, capacity planning and knowledge transfer.
• Manage budgets, financial planning and governance across application delivery and change initiatives.

What You Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Technology or related field (postgraduate advantageous).
• ITIL Foundation Certification essential; COBIT certifications advantageous.
• 6–8 years’ experience managing teams responsible for application development and support.
• 6–8 years’ experience managing a Business Intelligence environment.
• Strong experience in systems analysis, solution design, database principles and data management.
• Proven track record in managing IT projects and delivering large-scale application change.
• Strong grounding in IT governance, compliance, cyber security, continuity planning and financial management.
• Experience with SAP environments and enterprise business applications.

What Success Looks Like

• A strengthened application landscape aligned to architectural standards and business needs.
• Reliable, well-governed BI capability delivering accurate, timely insights.
• High-performing engineering teams with robust development, testing and deployment practices.
• Reduced defects, outages and operational risk across core systems.
• Effective planning, budgeting and resource allocation to enable ongoing delivery.
• Improved business processes supported by stable, well-documented technical solutions.