Software Development Manager

This Isn’t Just Another Coder Role – It’s About Developing a Team and a Vision. It’s the Chance to Build Software the Right Way.

You’re a senior or lead developer. You’ve owned complex software end to end. You’ve guided other developers, reviewed their work, set standards, and often found yourself acting as the go-to person for decisions, sometimes without the title or authority to do it properly.

Lately, you may be asking yourself: Is this really how good teams are supposed to work?

At OLS Ltd, we’re offering something different.

We’re a family run business with an international reputation, a stable product roadmap, and a strong inbound project pipeline. No venture capital chaos. No endless layers of approval. No politics masquerading as process. Just a clear vision, real customers, and the opportunity to build high quality software that genuinely makes a difference.

This role is a hands-on, junior to mid-level management opportunity ideal for a senior or lead developer ready to step into people leadership, or someone already managing a small team who wants greater ownership and influence.

Here, your experience matters. Your judgement is trusted. Your ideas don’t disappear into a backlog graveyard. We empower leaders rather than manage them and operate a genuine no blame culture focused on learning and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Be Doing

As our Software Development Manager, you’ll be responsible for both people and delivery, acting as the bridge between strong engineering practices and real business outcomes. You will:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a small but growing software development team

• Remain technically hands-on, setting standards and guiding architectural decisions
• Own delivery across multiple projects, ensuring quality, scalability, and reliability
• Set clear technical direction while remaining pragmatic and delivery focused
• Work closely with operations and leadership to align technical priorities
• Improve development processes and standards without unnecessary bureaucracy
• Champion best practices in architecture, testing, security, and documentation
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear, simple language across the business
• You’ll have the autonomy to build and shape the software function your way, with real support from leadership who understand the value of good engineering.

Why You’ll Thrive at OLS Ltd

• Autonomy Without Chaos – We trust experienced developers stepping into leadership to make good decisions. No micromanagement. No performative processes.
• A No Blame Engineering Culture – Problems are solved, not politicised. Learning beats finger pointing every time.
• Stable, Meaningful Work – Real customers. Real products. Real outcomes, not endless proof of concepts.
• Genuine Collaboration – This is an in-office role because we believe great software is built through real conversations and strong working relationships.
• Work Life Balance That’s Respected – We value productivity, not presenteeism. Evenings and weekends are yours.
• Long Term Career Growth – This isn’t a ceiling role. It’s an opportunity to grow into senior technical leadership as the business expands.

Benefits You’ll Love

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Christmas shutdown*
• Birthday off*
• Pension scheme
• Private healthcare via Westfield
• Ongoing career development, training, and structured PDRs
• Clearly mapped progression into senior leadership roles

If you’re a software leader who wants less noise, more impact, and a team you can genuinely be proud of, we’d love to talk.