Software Development Manager

Lead Forensics; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,100,000 - 1,700,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and benefits

One Team culture

Volunteer days and charity events

Job summary

Lead Forensics in Cape Town is seeking a Software Development Manager to lead our customer-facing engineering teams. You will drive performance, mentor developers, and shape a culture of innovation in a fast-paced SaaS environment.

The role requires strong technical leadership, a solid DevOps background, and the ability to scale complex distributed systems while promoting security best practices.

Qualifications

• Experience leading software development in SaaS environments.
• Proven ability to monitor and improve engineering performance.
• Hands-on background with mature DevOps practices.
• Knowledge of secure, maintainable system design.
• Strong collaboration and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and line manage a section of the engineering department.
• Champion performance management and coaching.
• Support recruitment, retention, and career development.
• Drive continuous improvement and adoption of best practices.
• Foster a high-trust, collaborative engineering culture.

Skills

SaaS development

Engineering performance monitoring

DevOps practices

Problem-solving

Interpersonal collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

NestJS/Node.js

Vue

Redis

SQL Server

Snowflake

Job description

About Lead Forensics

Lead Forensics is a rapidly growing SaaS company specializing in B2B sales and marketing solutions. We are seeking a skilled Software Development Manager to join our engineering department and lead the team responsible for our customer-facing products. In this role, you’ll drive performance, support personal development, and foster a culture of innovation within a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

Performance Management

• Set clear, measurable goals for developers, monitoring and evaluating their progress to meet productivity and quality targets.
• Oversee and maintain high standards for software assets, ensuring they support both immediate productivity and sustainable long-term engineering performance.
• Provide regular, constructive feedback and coaching to help developers overcome challenges and achieve their objectives.
• Implement and improve transparent performance management processes to encourage accountability across teams.

People Management

• Lead and line manage a section of the engineering department, focusing on both individual and team development.
• Mentor and guide developers, fostering a collaborative, supportive work environment.
• Hold regular one-on-ones and performance reviews to support career progression, skills growth, and job satisfaction.
• Identify training needs and coordinate access to learning opportunities, organizing or delivering effective training solutions as needed.

Recruitment & Retention

• Support recruitment efforts by identifying talent needs, participating in interviews, and selecting candidates aligned with the team’s culture and values.
• Drive initiatives to engage and retain high-performing team members, promoting employee satisfaction and reducing turnover.

Continuous Improvement

• Champion a culture of continuous improvement by empowering teams to share ideas and innovate processes.
• Introduce and implement best practices for team productivity and well-being, staying current with industry trends and new tools.
• Facilitate retrospectives and feedback sessions to reflect on team performance and identify areas for enhancement.

Culture & Engagement

• Actively promote a high-trust, high-collaboration engineering culture centered around excellent communication and teamwork.
• Champion and demonstrate company values, serving as a role model and helping to maintain a healthy, vibrant work culture.

Requirements

• Extensive experience in SaaS environments, driving rapid and efficient software development that emphasizes clean code, SOLID principles, and strong design patterns.
• Proven track record of monitoring and improving engineering performance.
• Strong programming background and problem-solving skills, with the ability to quickly learn and apply new tools and technologies.
• Hands-on software engineering experience with mature DevOps practices.
• In-depth knowledge of maintainable system design and operation.
• Experience with automated testing and quality assurance processes.
• Understanding of scalable system design and implementation.
• Enthusiasm for security best practices and building secure systems.
• Proven experience leading engineering teams delivering complex, distributed systems.
• Excellent interpersonal and collaboration skills.
• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Computer Science or a related field from a recognized university, preferably with strong academic performance.
• Proficiency in our tech stack: NestJS/Node.js, Vue, Redis, SQL Server, and Snowflake.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and benefits.
• A fantastic company culture founded on our Company DNA’s, “One Team” mindset, and a continual growth mentality.
• Opportunities to give back through volunteer days, fundraisers, and charity events.

Join Lead Forensics and lead a high-performing engineering team making a real difference in B2B sales and marketing software!