About the Directorate
As IT&D, we help to create the University of the future by co-designing new ways of working, enhancing productivity, reducing complexity, supporting innovation, and providing the insights to drive continual improvement. Embracing a digital future in an evolving modern university, you will be working in partnership with our academic and Professional Services colleagues to deliver digital services that help the University achieve its strategic objectives in teaching and research, nationally & globally.
About the Department
The Software Engineering department sits within IT & Digital (IT&D) and plays a critical role in delivering Manchester Metropolitan University's digital transformation strategy. The department is responsible for the design, development, integration and support of a broad portfolio of business-critical applications and platforms that underpin the student, academic and professional services experience across the University. Drawing on modern engineering practices, agile delivery approaches and cloud technologies, the department develops innovative digital solutions that enable strategic priorities across student recruitment, student success, research, finance, HR and corporate services. We work in a hybrid manner and the team's ‘anchor day' on-site is on Thursdays each week.
About the Team
The Student Relationship Management (SRM) Development Team is a specialist, cross-functional software delivery team responsible for the University's CRM ecosystem and associated student engagement platforms. The team develops and supports solutions that help manage and enhance interactions with prospective students, applicants, current students, alumni and other key stakeholders throughout the student lifecycle.
Working primarily within the Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365 ecosystem, the team delivers complex digital services, integrations and automation capabilities that support recruitment, admissions, enquiry management, student engagement and wider institutional objectives. The team comprises developers, business analysts and test analysts who work closely with business stakeholders to design, build and continuously improve services that have a direct impact on the student experience and the University's strategic ambitions.
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Technical Lead to provide technical leadership and people leadership for our Student Relationship Management (SRM) Development Team.
Reporting to the Head of Application Development, you will lead a multidisciplinary delivery team of developers, business analysts and test analysts, while remaining actively involved in technical decision-making, solution design and architectural governance. You will play a pivotal role in shaping the roadmap for our SRM and service, ensuring the solution is secure, scalable, maintainable and aligned with both business needs and the University's wider digital strategy.
This is an excellent opportunity for a senior developer, principal developer or technical lead who enjoys balancing hands-on technical leadership with coaching, mentoring and developing high-performing teams. You will work closely with senior stakeholders across the University, helping to deliver innovative digital capabilities that support thousands of students and staff
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage a cross-functional delivery team comprising developers, business analysts and test analysts.
- Provide technical leadership across Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform and associated integration technologies.
- Own technical architecture decisions, ensuring solutions follow best practice for design, security, scalability and maintainability.
- Conduct code reviews, set engineering standards and drive continuous improvement across software development practices.
- Lead the design and delivery of CRM, automation and digital engagement solutions that support the student lifecycle.
- Shape technical roadmaps and ensure team priorities align with University strategy and business demand.
- Support agile delivery processes and provide leadership through project planning, prioritisation and execution.
- Recruit, coach, mentor and develop team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and engineering excellence.
- Collaborate with stakeholders, vendors and delivery partners to ensure solutions meet current and future business requirements.
- Contribute to governance activities including technical design reviews, change management processes and service improvement initiatives.
Key Skills & Experiences
- Degree or professional qualification in Computer Science, Software Engineering or a related STEM discipline.
- Significant experience as a Senior Developer, Principal Developer or Technical Lead within a software engineering environment.
- Proven experience leading and developing multidisciplinary technical teams, including developers, business analysts and testers.
- Strong expertise in Microsoft Power Platform, Dataverse and Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement solutions.
- Experience designing and delivering customer-facing solutions using Power Pages, including customisation with JavaScript, HTML, CSS and Liquid templates.
- Strong understanding of Power Automate, Azure Integration Services, APIs and enterprise integration patterns.
- Experience with source control, branching strategies and modern DevOps practices using Git, GitHub, Azure DevOps and/or GitHub Actions.
- Demonstrable experience producing technical roadmaps and managing delivery across multiple concurrent projects.
- Strong stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
- A collaborative leadership style with a passion for mentoring, coaching and building high-performing teams.
- Knowledge of secure-by-design development practices, data protection principles and continuous improvement methodologies
To learn more about this exciting opportunity and benefits we offer, please read the JD and Candidate Pack provided below.
Assessment Process:
- To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter detailing your suitability, on the application portal.
- For informal enquiries, about this vacancy, please contact Gareth Morgan on [email protected]
- Assessment will include two stages. Stage 1 will be an initial call lasting about 30 minutes and those completing this successfully, will be invited to a competency-based interview.
- Due to the volume of applications we receive, we sometimes close our vacancies early. It is therefore advisable to apply as early as possible if you would like to be considered for a role.
If you would like to join our people and share our ambition, we would love to hear from you!
Further Information:
Manchester Metropolitan University fosters an inclusive culture of belonging that promotes equity and celebrates diversity. We value a diverse workforce for the innovation and diversity of thought it brings and welcome applications from local and international communities, including those from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
We support a range of flexible working arrangements, including hybrid and tailored schedules, which can be discussed with your line manager. If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or in your role, please let us know so we can provide appropriate support.
Our commitment to inclusivity includes mentoring programmes, accessibility resources, and professional development opportunities to empower and support underrepresented groups.
Manchester Met is a Disability Confident Leader and, under this scheme, aims to offer an interview to disabled people who apply for the role and meet the essential criteria as listed in the attached Job Description for that vacancy. This vacancy is expected to attract a high volume of applications. Therefore, under the Disability Confident Scheme, only disabled people who apply under the scheme and best meet the essential criteria will be offered an interview.
Recruitment Agencies: The University has engaged an approved list of recruitment agencies to support the recruitment of its vacancies from time to time. The University does not accept speculative applications from recruitment agencies outside of this list.
