Application Development Manager

FGH Business Centre 66-70 Vicar Ln, Bradford BD1 5AJ Hybrid flexibility: 2 office days per week

Are you an experienced Application Development Manager with a passion for leadership? Now is a fantastic time to join our Technology and Digital Team as we embark on an exciting and ambitious transformation programme to modernise our digital capabilities and optimise and enhance our customer journey. Innovation is key as we look for new ideas which will improve the customer experience and our business processes.

About The Role

Providing leadership and oversight of the application development and support function for fgh’s core business systems. These include legacy mainframe based applications as well as a portfolio of commercial off the shelf and SaaS based applications supporting the Buying and Merchandise, Warehouse & Logistics, Marketing, Financial Services and Finance and HR business functions. Ensuring reliable delivery and operational support of these core business applications, managing the full application lifecycle and aligning IT services to meet fgh’s current and emerging needs. Acting as part of the wider IT/Transformation leadership team responsible for leading and directing IT effort and as part of the wider FGH Senior Management Team to focus and direct resources and plans to achieve FGH company level targets and plans.

Team Leadership and Development: Leading, coaching and line management of the core applications delivery team responsible for legacy COBOL/ CICS, Datacom, Adabas based mainframe and distributed and cloud-integrated applications including Teradata, Pres, Powerbuilder, Oracle and integration with Welcom Financier, TransUnion and MS Dynamics SaaS.

Project Delivery: Co-ordinating multiple deliveries using various technologies whilst maintaining a stable code base.

Application Portfolio Management: Leading the planning, development and support of core business applications ensuring effective support and maintenance ensuring that each application is appropriately governed within its lifecycle.

Software Quality: Ensuring that all development activities meet defined quality standards and follow consistent, maintainable and secure coding practices.

Supporting Project Managers and Scrum Masters: Providing oversight and control of task management for all deliverables within the team.

Service Delivery: Overseeing core applications service performance and resolution of incidents within defined and agreed SLAs driving operational excellence through proactive incident and problem management. Implementing structured release management processes to ensure safe deployment of core application changes.

Estimating, Resource planning and Capacity management: Providing accurate and timely effort, cost and duration estimates and building and maintaining resource plans that align team capability and availability with the demand pipeline for BAU, projects and support activities.

Stakeholder and Relationship Management: Act as a principal point of contact for core application related issues and initiatives across fgh business functions.

Supplier and Contract Management: Manage 3 party third-party core application support providers and technology suppliers, ensuring quality and cost-effective service delivery.

Collaborating with Architecture teams and SMEs: Ensuring that proposed solutions are technically sound and fit for purpose and deliver against requirements with minimal risk and reviewing and approving before go-live.

About You

ABOUT US: FGH DIGITAL For over 100 years, Freemans has been at the forefront of home shopping, delivering quality products and exceptional service. We’ve accepted the challenge to transform our business into a modern, digital-first retailer. With a rich heritage and an eye on the future, we are a forward-thinking, tech-driven online retail business, making fabulous fashion and stylish homewares accessible and affordable for everyone. Based in West Yorkshire and part of the OTTO group one of the world’s largest online retail organisations, Freemans Grattan Holdings (FGH) is the home of familiar brands such as Freemans, Grattan, Kaleidoscope, and Curvissa.

What We Offer You

FLEXIBILITY We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working options to help you achieve a healthy work life balance. Our full time head office colleagues work a minimum of 2 days per week in the office, allowing the perfect balance between collaborative in-person team work and the flexibility to work from home.

TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT Turning your job into a career is a real passion for us and our development programmes will enable you to grow in role. We offer clear career pathways that will show you the way, outlining the skills, behaviours and knowledge needed to perform at the next step. We invest in our colleagues, giving them all the opportunity to progress. Our inspired leadership programme is aimed at equipping our future leaders to coach, develop, manage change and maintain situational awareness.

INCLUSIVITY As a business, we depend on a fusion of identities, characteristics, backgrounds, and cultures to fully appreciate our people and our customers. Freemans has a long-standing commitment to ensuring fairness and balance. Our company is an inclusive organisation where everybody can make the most of their talent and abilities. Our pay, reward, and progression approach is based solely on fairness and merit.

Benefits We firmly believe that we should reward our brilliant people with extensive benefits to help them stay healthy, relax and re-energise, have fun, manage the day-to-day and plan for the future. Here are just some of our great benefits: Competitive salaries and annual bonus scheme 37 days holiday including bank holidays Healthcare cash plan Competitive pension scheme Life assurance Paid paternity and maternity leave Incredible staff discounts Subsidised Canteen

Ready to apply? If you’re excited about this opportunity and want to join FGH, click apply now to send us your application.