Overview

Head of Development

Our Head of Development is a leadership role accountable for delivery and quality of software development projects at Oak Furnitureland.

The role of Head of Development is to lead and manage a team of Software Developers, supporting them in building unique products using robust architectural practices and innovative software solutions that are fit for purpose. You will be responsible for leading a team of permanent development teams to meet the company’s goals and objectives.

Responsible for the quality and technical approach taken by team members, ensuring it is in-line with the company strategy and that projects are delivered on time and within budget. This is a hands-on role where you will be expected to code and to hold the overall technical knowledge around company solutions and platforms.

You will be accountable for the creation and delivery of the strategic software development strategy and oversee all aspects of internal development and play a key role in structuring the development team.

The ideal candidate will be a commercially astute Lead who understands the practicalities of resourcing and delivering a broad range of software project to a high standard.

Responsibilities

• Champion Oak Furnitureland culture and values
• Take ownership in ensuring that all initiatives that are put in place are agreed with key stakeholders and are defined against clear goals and objectives
• Design and deliver wide-ranging solutions that are in line with identified needs and business requirements
• Review and discuss feedback with key stakeholders to ensure that all outcomes are appropriately captured, and any technical or process recommendations are made
• Attend relevant key stakeholder meetings providing specialist expertise and guidance
• Develop and deliver a strategic technological vision and direction for Oak Furnitureland
• Lead and manage the QA, Development, DevOps, and IT support teams to deliver software and infrastructure that meets the needs of users and that are cost effective
• Work effectively with team managers to ensure delivery against agreed priorities
• Implement mechanisms to monitor, manage and provide progress on all software development activities
• Be accountable for the quality of delivery software development projects and uptime of our systems
• Create, implement, and maintain a continuous improvement plan for software development and infrastructure
• Keep up to date with the latest technologies and where appropriate identify and recommend if there could be a benefit
• Collaborate with the users to evaluate and identify technology platforms for delivering the company’s products and internal services
• Ensure that technology standards and best practices are maintained across the company
• Be responsible for planning work for themselves and others against objectives set in agreement with the Head of Technology

• Report to and meet with the Head of Technology regularly
• Communicate and ensure engagement of Oak Furnitureland technology strategies internally and within the user community
• Ensure effective internal communications both within the IT teams and across the organisation

Skills and Experience

• Strong financial, commercial, and business acumen
• Experience in a senior leadership role and ability to motivate a team
• Strong agile practises
• Experience managing cloud-based technologies
• A high level of SQL skills to support in-depth data analysis and problem solving - ideally in a MySQL environment
• A solid understanding of web applications including security implications, session management, caching, and best practice development approaches
• Experience defining and building robust software development architecture
• Experience with modern frontend and backend web technologies
• Experience with cloud technologies including AWS
• Experience with modern operating systems
• Experience with relational databases
• Experience designing software solutions that meet user needs and solve business problems
• Experience leading development teams
• Ability to articulate and gain engagement for ideas
• Ability to motivate in a team-orientated, collaborative environment

Benefits

• Employee discount: amazing discounts available on all Oak Furnitureland products after successful completion of probation
• Life assurance: free cover of a minimum of two times your annual salary up to the age of 65
• 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays
• Birthday: an additional day off for you to celebrate your birthday
• Hybrid working
• Pension: 4% employee contribution matched by the company
• Employee Assistance Programme: gives all employees access to both telephone and face-to-face counselling services
• My Rewards Programme: offers discounts on everything from restaurants and supermarkets, to entertainment and holidays
• Free on-site parking