As a member of the IT Solution Delivery leadership team, the Manager, Development plays an important role in helping to define the direction for the team and enabling the technology demands of the business. In alignment with Choice’s vision and strategy, manages a team of software developers to act as their software development coach. The Manager, Development is focused on talent development and training of individual team members as associates within Choice’s broader culture, to ensure that they understand and deepen their sense of craftsmanship of software and that their professional career goals can be understood and attained.
- Promotes and ensures a high level of technical excellence in our Solution Delivery staff that is in keeping with a high-performing organization.
- Ensures that standards are defined for technical excellence, including relevant certifications. Defines and promotes best practices and guidelines to ensure continuous improvement in resilience, quality and performance within the development staff. Helps ensure that the developers have the training and tools they need to perform optimally in Build teams.
- Plans events and training to deepen the relevant technical skills across the development staff, including security, resilience, programming languages, certifications, performance, software design, documentation, etc. Organizes cross-functional internal conferences, lunch-and-learns, and other events to promote craftsmanship among the development staff.
- Aligns technical training opportunities with project roadmap and architectural and compliance needs.
- Manages the department’s human resource planning and allocation to Build teams, with a focus on providing secure, stable and scalable services according to needs.
- Works with the IT Planning organization to understand upcoming project needs within the release planning life cycle in order to appropriately staff development resources from external staffing firms to create an “elastic capacity” of Build teams.
Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with Choice’s cultural values and performance principles, Company policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include:
- Actively participating in the interviewing and hiring processes and ensuring successful functional on-boarding of new associates;
- Planning, assigning and directing work for direct reports;
- Setting reasonable stretch performance goals, providing constructive, balanced, regular performance feedback, and conducting semi-annual performance appraisals;
- Recognizing and rewarding performance excellence;
- Communicating and enforcing company policies and programs;
- Applying corrective discipline, addresses complaints and resolving problems in a timely fashion, involving and collaborating with leadership and Human Resources as appropriate.
In collaboration with leadership and Human Resources, develops and executes a plan for retaining and developing talent to meet current and future business objectives to include:
- Engaging in talent discussions with direct manager;
- Collaborating with direct reports on their professional development and growth; and,
- Assisting with development of leadership succession plans for the department.
- Managing contractors and ongoing contractual arrangements with staffing vendors to ensure “elastic” staffing needs can be met to quickly ramp up and ramp down projects in a Just-In-Time fashion.
Understands the role of the department in the overall corporate strategy and sets objectives that are aligned with this role. Assists in determining overall strategic direction and business contribution of the department. Monitors direction and growth of the business to ensure application of appropriate technologies and support resources. Assesses strengths and weaknesses in the department. Continuously keeps up on industry trends, direction, opportunities, and applicability as it pertains to Choice. Ensures compliance with audit or other applicable compliance guidelines.