IT Application Development Manager

Position Concept:

Reporting to the Director, Digital Solutions & Innovation, the Manager, IT Application Development is responsible for leading all web, mobile, and hub development initiatives across the organization. This position oversees a team of Full Stack Developers and Software Engineers working on .NET MAUI, Blazor, and Angular-based solutions.

The role functions as both a hands-on technical leader and a development coach, ensuring the team delivers high-quality, scalable, and secure applications that align with business and product objectives. This position collaborates closely with the Cloud & DevOps, Quality Engineering, and Product & Business Analysis teams.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead and mentor development teams across multiple technology stacks (web, mobile, and hub).
• Run daily standups and sprint ceremonies for the Application Development team.
• Maintain sprint boards and ensure all work items are tracked in Jira (stories, bugs, sub-tasks).
• Ensure all tasks have appropriate effort estimates and up-to-date status.
• Conduct code reviews and enforce adherence to coding standards and architectural patterns.
• Coach developers in modern design practices and performance optimization.
• Collaborate with the Director, DSI, on staffing, workload balance, and training plans.

Agile Delivery & Sprint Operations

• Manage sprint planning, backlog refinement, and capacity planning.
• Drive the story estimation process and ensure clear task breakdowns.
• Partner with Product Managers and BAs to align deliverables with business goals.
• Coordinate with the UI/UX and QA teams to ensure designs and functionality meet requirements.
• Track team velocity and forecast delivery timelines.
• Identify risks and proactively communicate potential delivery issues.

Release & Feature Planning

• Partner with Product Management to define feature scope and release roadmaps.
• Contribute to estimating and planning annual feature releases based on velocity and capacity.
• Prioritize backlog items and ensure sprint commitments align with release objectives.
• Oversee preparation of release notes and stakeholder communication for each release.

Design & Architecture

• Ensure all new features adhere to architectural principles and established design patterns.
• Collaborate with Cloud & DevOps and Integration Services teams on scalable solutions.
• Define and review database schemas, API endpoints, and service interfaces.
• Promote an API-first, modular architecture approach across all applications.

Development & Technical Excellence

• Contribute hands-on to development tasks as needed ("player-coach" model).
• Ensure consistent use of CI/CD pipelines and automated testing.
• Enforce version control best practices (GIT branching, pull requests, merge reviews).
• Maintain technical documentation for architecture, design decisions, and code standards.
• Foster continuous improvement through adoption of new frameworks and tooling.

Collaboration & Cross-Team Coordination

• Work closely with:
• Cloud & DevOps (pipeline reliability, deployments, infrastructure support)
• Quality Engineering (test coverage, regression validation)
• Product & Business Analysis (requirements and acceptance criteria)
• Integration Services (API design and inter-system dependencies)
• Participate in inter-departmental planning and delivery review sessions.

Developer Onboarding & Growth

• Lead the technical onboarding process for new developers.
• Participate in technical interviews and hiring recommendations.
• Assign mentors and facilitate knowledge transfer sessions.
• Define and track individual development plans for each team member.
• Encourage professional development through certifications, workshops, and learning paths.

Technical Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience designing and building enterprise software solutions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft development tools: Visual Studio 2022, .NET 6/8, C#, Blazor, MAUI, Angular 16, TypeScript, and T-SQL.
• Strong understanding of Azure services including App Services, Functions, SQL Database, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience leading Agile development teams using Jira or Azure DevOps.
• Deep understanding of design patterns, architecture principles, and best coding practices.
• Proficiency in GIT for version control and modern branching strategies.
• Proven track record of delivering scalable applications under tight deadlines.

Soft Skills

• Strong communication and leadership abilities.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to mentor, motivate, and manage technical teams.
• Collaborative mindset, with the ability to work across functions (DevOps, QA, Product).
• Results-driven, with focus on quality, delivery, and innovation.

Position Summary

The Manager, IT Application Development serves as a key leader within the Digital Solutions & Innovation Division, driving technical excellence and delivery performance across the development organization. This position ensures the alignment of technology solutions with strategic goals, helping AIM deliver best-in-class digital products for internal and external stakeholders.