Technical Development Manager

Who are we & what we do 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: At Pole Star Group, we believe in a culture defined by our core 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.The Role 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. This role is based in our new Guildford office alongside the development team. Key Responsibilities Hands-on technical Write and review code, and stay active in the codebase on key features or when the team needs extra bandwidthSet and enforce engineering standards: code quality, testing, documentation, and secure coding practiceShape technical architecture and design decisions, weighing trade-offs with senior developersOwn technical risk: identify debt, security issues, and scalability concerns before they become blockersTeam leadership Own the product and its delivery end-to-end - not just team execution, but outcomes, scope, and timelinesManage a team of developers day to day: workload, priorities, and delivery against sprint or project goalsConduct one-to-ones, set objectives, and lead performance reviews and career development conversationsReport progress, risks, and resourcing needs to senior leadershipFoster a healthy team culture: psychological safety, constructive code review, and sustainable paceEssentials we are looking for… 5+ years as a professional software developer, including recent, regular hands-on coding2+ years directly managing developers, with real ownership of performance, hiring, and deliveryComfortable reading and contributing to the team's core codebase, not just reviewing pull requests from a distanceTrack record of delivering software projects on time, balancing technical quality with business paceClear communicator who can translate between engineering detail and business priorities for non-technical stakeholdersExperience with agile delivery methods (Scrum, Kanban, or similar)Stuff we’d love, but isn’t essential... Experience in AI, IoT and SaaS productsExperience with graph databases or graph-based data modelsBackground scaling a team through growth or organisational changeFamiliarity with cloud infrastructure and DevOps practiceDevelopment using a range of languages/frameworks/environments, including JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Node.jsExperienced in understanding and championing the use of AI to enhance development practices, and for the wider businessA level of travel will be required.Why Join us… Be part of a dynamic team that values innovation, collaboration, and personal growth.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.Benefits 25 Days Holiday (plus Christmas shutdown)Benefits Package and PensionOffice based in our new Guildford officeFlexible working hoursEquipment provided (Laptop, Mobile devices (As required))