Software Development Manager
About this role
Your Role As the Software Development Manager, you will be a "people-first" leader dedicated to coaching and empowering a multidisciplinary team of developers and testers in our Manchester office. Reporting to the Head of Software, you will act as a facilitator and technical guide, endorsing an autonomous, self-organising culture that balances high-quality delivery with continuous professional growth. You will bridge the gap between strategic business goals and day-to-day engineering, serving as a hands-on technical mentor who removes delivery blockers, manages day-to-day office operations, and ensures our desktop, AI, and Azure solutions remain at the cutting edge of the industry. What You’ll Be Doing Leading and empowering a multidisciplinary team through regular 1:1s, goal setting, and active support for career progression, training, and recruitment. Remaining technically hands-on to review system architectures, participate in code and unit test reviews, and evaluate security and data risks across our desktop, AI, and Azure solutions. Acting proactively as a Scrum Master to drive engineering throughput, manage project timelines, and remove blockers to ensure high-quality, on-time delivery. Researching and rolling out advanced CI/CD tooling, modern technologies, and improved engineering practices to keep the team operating at the cutting edge. Overseeing day-to-day operations and administrative upkeep for the Manchester office. What You’ll Need A "people-first" leadership style with a track record of building trust, facilitating growth, and maintaining high team morale. Deep technical expertise in the Microsoft Azure ecosystem, cloud-first environments, and C#. Hands-on experience with AI/ML integration, robust manual/automated testing, and modern CI/CD pipelines using Git, JIRA, and Azure DevOps. Strong mastery of the Agile software development lifecycle (SDLC) with the ability to balance competing project priorities, technical debt, and business value. Excellent interpersonal skills to effectively influence engineering staff, resolve conflicts, and negotiate with wider business stakeholders. What's in it for you? At Pico Technology, we’re not just about creating world-class test & measurement tools, we are about creating an inspiring workplace where every team member can thrive. If you’re looking to escape the ordinary and take on a varied, rewarding role, this is your chance to join a company where your skills will make a real impact. Enjoy flexible holidays, a chance to relax at one of our three holiday homes, and be part of our annual Profit Related Pay (PRP) bonus! Embrace sustainability with our Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme and come along to our vibrant Summer and Christmas parties to name just a few! At Pico, every voice is heard, and you will be valued as an essential part of our team. Join us on this exciting journey where appreciation and opportunity await you. Please note, face to face interviews will be carried out on the 13th and 14th of October. Are you ready to apply? If you are as excited as we are, hit the apply button below and let us get your next chapter started. For any queries, reach out to Toni Jones toni.jones@picotech.com We cannot wait to welcome you on board!
What this role is, and what else it is called
Employers in Manchester advertise this kind of work as ECM Engineering Manager, Meet our IT Director, Della Butler and Head of IT too, so it is worth searching more than one wording. It is a lead or principal IT Leadership & Management role in Manchester, advertised without a stated working pattern, which is worth asking about.
How this role compares to the market
81 live UK roles list Azure right now, across 68 source domains. 42% of 36 roles with a known arrangement are remote. Browse Azure roles.
Manchester has 138 live IT vacancies across 78 source domains, with a median annual salary midpoint of £48,750. Browse Manchester roles.
Lead and principal roles make up 1,018 of the live UK IT market and have a median annual salary midpoint of £50,641.
Market figures are today's snapshot of reportable live UK roles on public careers and vacancy pages; see hiring trends.
Technologies mentioned
Detected on Picotech's careers page. ProdReady Recruitment lists this vacancy as an aggregator and is not the employer; applications go to the employer's own site. More IT jobs in North West.