Development Manager / Lead (Platform)

Who we are looking for:

The Development Manager (Platform) is responsible for leading the day-to-day development and delivery of SHG’s in-house reservation system, Hermes, built primarily in .NET. The role ensures highquality engineering, effective Agile ways of working, and the smooth delivery of enhancements, maintenance and integrations across the platform. The post-holder will manage and develop a team of software engineers, inherit and strengthen an established team culture, and work closely with the Solution Architect to ensure all development aligns with architectural standards and the wider technology strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

Manage the planning, delivery and quality of all development work on the Hermes platform.
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of developers, supporting skills growth, performance and career development.
Work in close partnership with the Solution Architect, translating architectural direction into actionable development tasks and ensuring adherence to technical standards.
Oversee Agile delivery processes (Scrum/Kanban), including sprint planning, stand-ups, estimation, retrospectives, and demos.
Ensure high-quality code, effective peer reviews, secure coding practices, and reliable CI/CD pipelines.
Support the stability, scalability, and performance of Hermes, managing technical debt and addressing platform risks.
Collaborate with Product Owners, QA, Infrastructure and Integration teams to ensure clear requirements and successful end-to-end delivery.
Manage workload distribution, track team velocity, and ensure predictable delivery outcomes.
Maintain documentation related to development processes, technical decisions and platform components.
Ensure compliance with InfoSec, GDPR and internal governance standards.
Promote continuous improvement in engineering practices, tooling, and ways of working.

Key Performance Indicators:

Delivery Predictability: Achievement of sprint commitments and roadmap milestones.
Quality & Stability: Reduction in production incidents, defects, and rework.
Engineering Improvement: Increased adoption of CI/CD, automation and coding standards.
Team Performance & Engagement: Improved capability, retention, and feedback from the development team.

Experience:

Essential

Proven experience as a Development Manager, Lead Developer or Senior Engineer managing a development team.
Hands-on experience with .NET (C#, .NET Core), Angular, API development and SQL Server.
Experience inheriting and developing an established engineering team.
Strong track record of delivering software using Agile methodologies.
Experience of establishing Agile practices within a team.
Experience collaborating with Solution Architects or architecture functions.
Demonstrated success improving engineering standards, delivery processes or team performance.

Desirable

Experience in travel, reservations, booking platforms, or high-availability transactional systems.
Exposure to cloud technologies (AWS, Azure), microservices or event-driven architectures.
Experience in integration-heavy environments or API/middleware ecosystems.

The Person

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following attributes:

Supportive, empathetic leader who builds trust with established teams.
Strong communicator able to explain technical issues clearly to varied audiences.
Calm, pragmatic decision-maker able to prioritise effectively under pressure.
Passionate about continuous improvement and modern engineering practice.
Collaborative, team-focused mindset with a desire to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Skills and Knowledge

Strong technical understanding of the Microsoft development stack.
Good knowledge of Agile SDLC frameworks and team delivery practices.
Ability to convert architectural direction into detailed delivery tasks.
Competence with CI/CD workflows, version control (Git), automated testing and DevOps principles.
Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking skills.
Ability to coach and develop team members at varying skill levels.
Understanding of secure coding, data protection and compliance requirements.

Qualifications (Desirable but not essential)

Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related discipline.
Certifications in Agile delivery (Scrum Master, AgilePM, etc.).
Microsoft development or cloud certifications (e.g., Azure Developer/Administrator).
Leadership or management training certifications.

This is a Full-Time position where you will be required to work 37.5 hours per week, Monday – Friday

In return for your hard work and commitment we will offer:

Core Benefits*

Competitive salary
Company Pension Scheme
22 days holiday rising 1 day per year (up to 25)
Enhanced Pension
Enhanced Maternity & Paternity
Learning & Development Funding
Life Insurance

Additional Benefits*

Health & Wellbeing Hub (including EAP)
Long Service Awards
Staff Travel Discounts
Company social events
Employee Discounts Platform
Eye Care eVouchers
Friendly working atmosphere
On-site parking
Casual dress code

Destination2 Ltd, HolidayGems Ltd, Citalia, Sovereign and American Holidays are part of the Travcorp Holdings Ltd group and are the most innovative and progressive Online Tour Operators in the UK selling holidays nationwide to a variety of long and short haul destinations.