Head of Development

Who are OnBuy? 

OnBuy are an online marketplace who are on a mission of being the best choice for every customer, everywhere.  

We have recently been named one of the UK's fastest-growing tech companies in Deloitte's Technology Fast 50 for the third year in a row (as well as 'Fastest-Growing Tech Business in the South West'). 

All achievements we are very proud of, but we don't let that go to our head. We are all laser focused on our mission and understand the huge joint effort ahead of us needed to succeed. 

Working at OnBuy: 

We are a team of driven and motivated people who thrive when working at pace. To succeed at OnBuy you need to take charge and fully own your responsibilities, rolling your sleeves up when needed to 'get it done'. Working at OnBuy you are surrounded by so much opportunity, but you must possess the ability to stay focused and prioritise ruthlessly. Most importantly, you will thrive in an ever-changing environment as we are constantly evolving. 

At OnBuy, you're not just a number or another cog in a machine. We are creating something really special, and you have the opportunity to affect meaningful change and have your voice heard.  

We are a close team, who have the opportunity to learn and grow as OnBuy evolves. We work in a flexible way, meaning we can prioritise our health and relationships, but when we are working, we graft. 

Job overview:

As the Head of Development, your primary responsibility will be to ensure that OnBuy achieves our growth objectives by delivering high-quality, maintainable and scalable solutions  

You will be responsible for overseeing the development team, maintaining a focus on people, processes, and execution. 

Key Responsibilities:  

People Leadership 

• Team Management: Lead, mentor, and grow a team of Team Leads, ensuring alignment with OnBuy’s mission and fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. 

• Talent Development: Identify skills gaps, provide coaching, and create development plans to support individual career growth and elevate team performance. 

• Recruitment and Retention: Attract, hire, and retain top technical talent. 

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Product, UX, DevOps and business teams to align development efforts with strategic objectives, facilitating communication and understanding across functions. 

Process Optimisation 

• Define and Implement Processes: Establish and refine development processes to improve efficiency, predictability, and quality of deliverables. 

• Resource Management: Allocate and manage resources effectively to ensure project timelines are met and adjustments are made to accommodate evolving business needs. 

• Continuous Improvement: Identify and implement improvements in development practices, incorporating industry best practices and feedback loops for continuous process refinement. 

• Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks in development, including technical debt, scalability, and performance issues. 

Execution and Delivery 

• Product Development Roadmap: Deliver the product roadmap, translating strategic goals into executable plans.  

• Quality Assurance: Ensure high standards in coding, testing, and deployment practices to deliver a stable, reliable platform that meets user expectations. 

• Performance Metrics: Establish performance metrics, track progress, and course-correct to ensure all development initiatives meet scope, timeline, and quality expectations. 

• Scalability and Security: Ensure the platform is robust, secure, and scalable to support growth, proactively addressing issues to maintain stability. 

Experience and Skills:  

Essential  

• 10+ years of experience in software development, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing engineering teams. 

• Strong background in building and scaling online marketplaces or similar platforms. 

• Proven experience with agile methodologies and implementing process improvements. 

• Demonstrated ability to lead teams through periods of change and growth 

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments. 

• Strong technical foundation, with knowledge of modern tech stacks and experience with scalable, high-availability systems. 

Preferred 

• Experience with cloud-based infrastructure, microservices, and DevOps practices. 

• Background in e-commerce or marketplace environments. 

• A passion for innovation and the ability to inspire a technical team to achieve ambitious goals. 

The salary on offer for this role is £80,000 to £90,000 per annum, depending on experience.

In return for helping us to grow, we’ll offer you company equity, meaning you own a piece of this business we are all working so hard to build.