AKQA is an independent and pioneering creative agency. Last year it was the first to be named Agency of the Year on both sides of the Atlantic - by Revolution (UK) and AdAge (USA). With offices in London, San Francisco, New York, Washington DC, Shanghai and Amsterdam, we currently employ around 700 people worldwide and approximately 350 are based in London. Implementing highly innovative digital solutions is what we do. We always want to be first and so do our clients.
The Development Manager in AKQA are hands-on and you must be able (only when needed) to get stuck into code through to configuring builds. Primariliy you will manage a team of highly skilled technologists and have responsibility for the design, development, deployment and maintenance of innovative solutions using the latest tools and technologies.
You must have the AKQA DNA. Passionate about everything that you do. You will love technology and develop/prototype with widgets, applications, gadgets and experiment with the latest technology at home in your own time. You will love to work in a team of highly skilled technologists each with strong opinions about various technologies, frameworks and approaches seeking to deliver the best possible solution. You will love to work on something new and will thrive when faced with a new challenge on a regular basis. You will always focus on the quality of your own, your peers and the project’s overall deliverable, not resting until it’s perfect and not letting it be somebody else’s problem.
Responsibilities:
• Ensure that quality is never sacrificed at any point in the project life-cycle. Brief the QA team at the earliest possible opportunity and ensure their ongoing involvement.
• Relentlessly review the output of the development team, measuring quality and identifying solutions to process deficiencies
• Applies significant knowledge of technologies and innovations to the continued development of the client relationship
• Creates and executes plans, revising these as necessary to meet the demands of the project
• Acts as a liaison between other disciplines and the technology team members
• Evangelizes agile methodologies, including continuous integration and test-driven development
• Lead by example, applying hands-on technical experience in application and database design
• Understand the technical complexities of multi-tiered and web solutions and ensure the appropriate development patterns are applied at all times
• Interface directly with the Client when required. Act as 2nd point of contact from Project Management.
• Actively encourage developers to Identify reusable code and communicate the value to the business
• Encourage team members to attain personal goals
• Conduct regular performance evaluations of the team both formally and informally
• Effectively communicates issues, risks and dependencies with project stakeholders, escalating where appropriate
• Motivates the team to share knowledge and responsibilities, growing confidence in their own abilities
• Enforces good development practices
Knowledge, Skills and Experience required:
• Proven experience in a developer management role
• Proficient in development tools and technologies based on your background, either Java or .NET
• Ideally (but not essentially) proficient in technologies for Content Management, E-commerce, Internationalization and Systems Integration
• Knowledge and understanding of Object Oriented software design
• Solid experience with version control software, ideally Subversion
• Experience and understanding in developing complex web-based applications
• Knowledge and experience of design patterns and agile software development practices such as unit testing, continuous integration and refactoring
• Excellent Communication Skills
Interested? londonjobs@akqa.com