[Urgent] Head of Development

Head of Development

Employment Type: Full time, Permanent

Job location: Cambridge, UK (under hybrid working model)

We are looking for an experienced development manager to guide our high performing UK and Ireland development team. You will lead their deliveries and provide direction on all aspects of the Company’s software development, test, UX and delivery processes. You will be an ambitious individual with experience in managing different development teams and coordinating with other departments and customers at the strategic level and via hands‑on problem solving.

1Spatial delivers world‑class SaaS and on‑premise enterprise solutions to Government, Utilities, Transport, and Infrastructure organisations around the world. Your role is to ensure that these products remain responsive, reliable, secure, supportable, innovative, and can meet our growth aspirations.

As the Head of Development, you will ensure that the development, test and UX teams are correctly supported, empowered, inspired and able to meet anticipated needs, and you will lead a collaborative, dynamic planning process, ensuring all projects are built to an appropriate level of quality.

You will also work with many of our exceptional international customers and with varied teams from our Technical, Product, Sales, Marketing, Management, Projects, Finance, and HR departments.

Responsibilities

- Implementing the Company’s technical strategy for technology platforms, supporting customers, partners and external relationships and ensuring the right skills are available when needed

- Championing best practices in code quality, testing, AI tools, CI/CD and contributing to architecture, design, and implementation decisions

- Contributing to and communicating the UK and Ireland development, test and UX team and ensuring departmental goals are aligned accordingly

- Ensuring the technical teams are structured to work effectively, are aligned with the priorities of the business, and leading any recruitment

- Managing and coaching departmental line managers and their teams (30‑40 people across 8 teams)

- Working with the teams to identify and implement relevant technology standards and best practices

- Identifying process, tooling, and security inefficiencies within technical delivery projects and putting in place plans to resolve them

As well as leading and managing the development teams in the UK and Ireland you will be asked to contribute to appropriate cross‑working practices with our other offices in the USA, France, and Belgium and are expected to attend the office located in Waterbeach, Cambridge weekly.

Qualifications and experience

- Proven experience in coaching, mentoring and leading development teams, both internal and working in partnership

- Proven experience in best practice software development including CI/CD, test strategy, backlog management, estimation, security, release, and artefact management

- Experience in collaborative problem solving and troubleshooting

- Experience in collaborative technical analysis, architecture and design, both SaaS and on‑premise

- Strong understanding of full software lifecycle pre‑to post‑sales

- Experience of agile and lean development and ideally experience with Jira for task management

- Able and willing to regularly attend the office in Waterbeach near Cambridge

- Due to the nature of the projects at 1Spatial, having (or agreeing to achieve) UK security clearances such as Security Check (SC) would be a benefit

We are a global leader in geospatial data management and software solutions. We pride ourselves on our expertise, market‑leading software, and trusted reputation of delivering excellence to customers on critical national infrastructure projects across multiple sectors from utilities, to transport, to the environment, to defence. We genuinely believe we make a difference in the world by helping organisations harness the power of location‑based insights to drive smarter decision‑making.

We consistently strive to create an inclusive and collaborative work environment and we will always look for opportunities to improve as we owe this to our team. By joining us, you will have the opportunity to work on great projects with cutting‑edge geospatial technology that make a difference, and help shape the future of sectors as diverse as transport, defence, infrastructure, environment, and utilities.

What we offer

- A genuinely flexible working environment that supports your work‑life balance

- Opportunities for professional growth and advancement

- A chance to be part of an innovative and forward‑thinking company that has received a mention in The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025 list for medium‑sized organisations

- 25 days annual leave, plus a gifted day off to celebrate your birthday

- Free gym classes at our Cambridge office

- Option to buy or sell annual leave

- Pension scheme (employer and employee contributions)

- Group income protection scheme and Life Assurance

- Private Health Insurance and Health Cash Plan

- Access to Mental Health First Aiders and Mental Health Advocates

- Inclusive Fertility and Pregnancy Loss Leave (also accessible to partners)

- Cycle to Work Scheme

- Enhanced Maternity Pay, 5 Maternal Wellbeing Days (in addition to annual leave during pregnancy) and Enhanced Paternity Pay and Leave (6 weeks)

- Annual Personal Development Allowance

- Long service awards

Our People team will be reviewing applications, and if your experience and skills seem like a great fit, we’ll be sure to connect

You can expect a call from the hiring manager to chat about the role, your background, and how you could contribute to our team. Then there will be an interview where you’ll also have the chance to:

- Get a glimpse of our office (even if you are going to be a remote worker)

- Meet some future colleagues

- Ask any questions you have

- If we’re not quite the right match, we’ll let you know why, so you can continue your job search with valuable feedback

Please note that we require that all candidates are able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK.

We are an equal opportunity employer that celebrates diversity to create a culture of inclusivity, belonging, and 1Team spirit. We do this with respect, care and kindness for each other.

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