Job Description
The RoleI am supporting in the search for a growing Newcastle business. The Development Manager is required to backfill interim leadership gaps and enable senior leaders to focus on wider transformation and squad redesign. While there may be a future opportunity for permanency, this cannot be guaranteed and candidates must be comfortable with a fixed-term engagement of 12 months. This will involve a minimum of 2 days per week onsite in Newcastle.Key Responsibilities
* Line management of developers (typically up to ~10 direct reports)
* Oversight of two development squads (matrix-managed)
* Agile / Scrum leadership, including:
o Flow of work and delivery cadence
o Velocity, cycle time and throughput metrics
o Removal of blockers and impediments
* Partnering closely with Product Owners to manage demand and prioritisation
* Resource planning, forecasting and reporting
* Performance management and raising the performance bar
* Governance responsibilities including:
o Risk and control self-assessments
Essential for the role
* Proven experience as a Development Manager, Engineering Manager, or equivalent leadership role
* Strong Agile / Scrum experience is essential
* Prior experience in a regulated or risk-aware environment is strongly preferred (e.g. financial services, public sector, regulated institutions)
* Technical depth is helpful but not critical – this is a leadership-first role