IT Development Manager (.NET)

IT Development Manager (.NET)

Permanent – Full-time

We are Chester Zoo, and for over 80 years we’ve been a leading conservation and education charity, and an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction.

We’re also a team of passionate, talented, enthusiastic and expert people, doing everything we can to keep the zoo going, from feeding the animals to discovering new conservation ideas, and giving our 1.9 million visitors an inspirational day out.

We work hard because we love animals, we care about nature, we love Chester Zoo and we want to be the best zoo in the world!

If you think you can help us to achieve that, then we’d love to hear from you.

We currently have an exciting vacancy for an IT Development Manager to join our IT team, to maintain and develop mission-critical systems used by up to 400 users and 1.9 million customers.

The Role:

• Lead and develop the in-house IT Development team covering in-house commercial applications, web developments, systems integration, MI/BI and data warehousing.
• Ensure all systems are robust and future-proofed through being documented, secure, fully supported, scalable, compliant, and in line with systems architecture best practice.
• Effective estimating, planning, and the communication of project plans on a timely basis.
• Liaise with the IT Business Analyst to understand user requirements across functionality and timescales, and ensuring Quality Criteria applied through the development lifecycle.
• Liaise with 3rd party off-the-shelf systems representatives to ensure seamless integration with our in-house systems and an efficient transfer of data.
• Manage Systems Architecture across in-house and 3rd party solutions, capitalising on opportunities to utilise new technologies when appropriate.
• Contribute to overall IT Strategy by advising on the most appropriate balance of in-house development and commercial off the shelf systems.
• Deputise for the Head of IT in their absence.

The successful candidate will have:

• Experience leading, managing and prioritising the workload of an IT Development team.
• Experience of in-house and 3^rd party systems integration and technology transformation.
• Knowledge of modern IT Systems Architecture and IT Development best practice.
• Solid Microsoft development experience across a range of technologies including:
  • Core .NET technologies and Web Development including C#, ASP.NET, MVC
  • SQL-server based database development including SPs, SSIS, and SSRS
  • MI/BI systems development and data warehousing
  • Legacy Access/VBA application development and support
  • An IT degree or a similar qualification, or have equivalent experience in the IT industry.
  • Expertise in source control, version control, and multi-stage development environments.
  • Experience working in Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid environments.
  • Excellent communications skills as cross-departmental communications is key.

In addition, it would be beneficial to have:

• Any visitor attraction systems experience including event management, ticketing, retail and catering POS systems, CRM/marketing, financial management systems eg NAV.
• Any accredited Microsoft and/or Systems Development certifications.
• Project Management experience and/or qualifications.

Hours of work are 40 hours per week, worked Monday to Friday.

The salary for this role is £40,944.57 per annum and on addition we offer a range of amazing benefits which can be found on the Chester Zoo careers page.

To apply for this position please click the ‘apply’ button on this page where you’ll be redirected to the vacancy on the Chester Zoo website, You will then be required to provide your current CV and covering letter stating why you believe you should be considered for our IT Development Manager role.

Closing date for applications is 19^th April 2017.

This IT Development Manager vacancy is advertised by JVP Jobs on behalf of the employer Chester Zoo. Please note that JVP is an advertising company NOT a recruitment agency, therefore all applications will be reviewed directly by the employer Chester Zoo, and should they wish to progress your application further, they will be in contact with you.