Software Development Manager

Clickatell is a world-class Chat Commerce company, ambitious to stay ahead of its competitors. We build our own culture in which we dream big and stay busy doing the right things.  We need champions who understand the bigger picture, believe in making a difference and are able to connect the dots to achieve success.  In our agile and demanding environment, you will be required to collaborate, ask the right questions and take the smart risk.

We call ourselves Champions. Why Champions? Because it's not only about what we have done, but what we are doing and going to do.  The way we do things, matter and influences how we drive our organisation forward and deliver solutions to our customers.  Watch this space as we blaze a new path while expanding across the globe.

We are looking for a transformative change agent to lead one of our core Software Development teams. The team is a large team comprising of back-end and front-end developers and multiple stakeholders across the organization. The chosen candidate will utilise their knowledge and extensive experience of software development management in a fast-paced multi-disciplinary delivery team. This position will be reporting to the VP of Software Development and will be the technical owner of the selected platforms.

Responsibilities of the Role

We are moving towards defining clear goals and objectives for our teams and working to achieve those goals.  This is a senior position, and you are expected to manage one or more teams and inspire others to achieve the department and team goals. Our goals will be:

• Meeting and delivering on our business partners' priorities
• Working with the team to increase the velocity of the deliverables by continuedly identifying issues and blockers and working to remove them
• Quality of deliverables. Working continually to deliver high quality solutions which meet and exceed our operational thresholds.
• Constantly ensure the team innovates and transforms themselves. Focuses on agility and responsiveness and has a can do and engaged stand towards all stakeholders. 
• Constantly working with other development managers to align on end-to-end deliverables and meeting our goals and objectives.
• Perpetuating a learning culture and a high-performance culture within the software development organization.
• A change leader with strong emotional intelligence — able to influence and modernize ways of working without disrupting team cohesion.
• Technically credible and curious — respected by senior developers, comfortable challenging assumptions, and eager to apply new tools and AI.
• Execution-focused — skilled at prioritizing, removing blockers, and turning strategy into results.
• A collaborative communicator — able to manage across geographies (Canada, South Africa, Nigeria) and build alignment across teams. Business-minded — connects engineering work to measurable customer and company outcomes.

Related degree or equivalent diploma or equivalent work experience (essential)

Work experience:

• 5+ years' experience as a software development manager
• Technical ability to be respected by the development team
• Agile and iterative software dev methodologies
• Managing one or more teams of 10+ resources
• Proven experience in the technologies we use such as containerisation, service orientated architecture, AWS (Services, Storage).

Knowledge and Abilities:

• Excellent communication skills
• Sound technical understanding
• Demonstratable proficiency in handling complex projects across multiple platforms and intricate dependencies
• Deep knowledge of troubleshooting, software development processes and ability to understand and implement client requirements.
• Ability to analyse requirements and identify scope and nature of deliverables, guide your and other teams, and key stakeholders.

Perks of the Role

o  Medical Aid contribution

o  Pension fund contribution

o  Quarterly performance incentive bonus

o  Risk benefit company contributions

o  Reimbursable communications allowance for internet and mobile phone bills

o  Half-day off on your birthday

o  5 personal days leave a year, over and above your annual leave

o  Hybrid working with access to office hubs as required.

o  Home office set-up with laptop, monitor and other related items.

Behavioral competency requirements of a Pacesetter:

• Cultivating Talent: Actively drives the development of skills and strengths within the team and recognizes achievements. Coaches the team on procedures, technical issues, and priorities. Leads and contributes to a positive team environment with open communication and clear goals. Listens to team members' feedback and resolves any issues or conflicts.
• Managing Resources: Manages resources optimally by making the right decisions that impacts how resources are used and for what benefit. Accurately estimates, forecast, projects, and monitors available levels of relevant resources and makes the right calls.
• Expert Exchanges: Seeks and communicates insights. Acts as access point for information within their team and throughout the organization and ensures sharing of key learnings. Prepares and presents reports, and updates advising on performance and capacity.
• Risk Mitigation: Resolves problems that are complex and drives decision-making processes. Systematically processes key factors when resolving conflict, managing risk, ensuring compliance, and addressing quality concerns.
• Foster Teamwork: Builds relationships and influentially engages across teams to elevate performance. Facilitates brainstorming that delivers the best solutions. Encourages an inclusive culture where voices are heard and being open-minded is valued.
• Emotions and Performance: Puts effort into managing the link between emotions and performance that helps others do their best work by increasing self-awareness and reducing blind spots. Fosters a safe environment where others feel comfortable to take smart risks and build relationships.
• Drive Execution: Develops tactical plans that support the strategy and plans the detail of theprojects, activities, and resources to deliver the goal.
• Coordinating Activity: Develops and manages processes conceptually and technically. Plans, monitors work, and accurately reads situations to course correct and ensure expectations are met.
• Navigating Change: Delivers change by bringing the team together, aligning their work and navigating them through the process. Stays on track by being optimistic and focusing on what is in their control. Executes by getting the right things done by the right people to deliver results.
• Driving Performance: Relentlessly reviews dashboards, systems, KPIs, procedures, and processes, and drives the team's performance to incrementally improve results. Ensures processes are effective while aligning to best practice and increasing value.

Clickatell is unequivocally committed to Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging.  We believe that we are stronger together and that sameness limits our thinking and our opportunities. You are welcome at Clickatell for who you are, no matter where you come from or what you choose to believe. Our platform is for everyone, and so is our workplace. But it isn't just about a whole lot of different people working together all having their say – it is about us creating a place where we all feel that we belong. It's in our differences that we will find the power to keep revolutionizing the way the world uses chat technology.