Applications Development Lead

Who we are in a nutshell.

At BES Group, we pride ourselves on being the leading end to end risk management solutions provider in the UK and Ireland. That means it s our job to help keep our customers assets legally compliant, operational and, above all else, safe. And we do this with a team of the very best people, simple.

Our technical environment is Microsoft centric and 100% cloud based. Our core data is stored on Azure SQL and Microsoft Dataverse, augmented by other local and external data sources. We also host third party software solutions within our Azure account for specialist areas of our business. We have implemented numerous Azure apps, services and APIs to support our business and are also looking for new ways to innovate to deliver new business value.

The role of Application Development Lead offers variety and the opportunity to build new skills whilst utilising your Microsoft platform development experience to solve interesting problems that bring value to our business. We re looking for the ability to combine technical excellence with stakeholder management skills, as well as a collaborative approach with colleagues in their work to support the full lifecycle delivery of high-quality technical solutions using Microsoft technologies.

We are a relatively small IS team tasked with significant responsibility for improving our business. To succeed, this role requires passion for your work and technology in general, and the ability to communicate with ease, both with the business users of our systems, as well as colleagues on the IS team.

What will you be doing?

Reporting to the Group Head of Architecture, the role will require skills across three dimensions. Firstly, we are seeking an experienced and accomplished senior software developer with a strong background in Microsoft platform development to join our team. In this role, you will be responsible for designing, building, and maintaining business applications and portals using Microsoft ASP.NET/Blazor/C# and/or Power Platform technologies. Secondly, you will have responsibility for the technical ownership and delivery of improvements to our strategic Planning System, controlling the scheduling of 500 field service inspection engineers. Thirdly, you will lead by example to ensure a high quality of delivery within our Microsoft Azure based DevOps environment. You will provide technical leadership to improve the DevOps practices used across our systems and development projects, with a particular focus on supporting processes relating to our strategic Microsoft Dynamics based solutions.

You will:

• Design and build new applications using Microsoft technologies and develop enhancements to existing applications to support business needs, leveraging your experience with ASP.NET/Blazor/C# or Power Platform technologies
• Have technical ownership and delivery of improvements to our Inspection Planning system.
• Use SQL and PowerShell skills to enhance and automate data flows between systems to deliver new business functionality and provide data insight to shape business strategy
• Work with third-party development partners and software providers, reviewing their solutions, and providing oversight to ensure successful project delivery
• Provide technical liaison with external partners and software providers to identify and resolve system issues, as well as to identify, specify, commission, and manage the delivery of application improvements
• Lead and facilitate the incorporation of new applications and technologies into our DevOps processes from a developer s perspective
• Identify and lead the implementation of improvements to our DevOps processes, particularly relating to our strategic Microsoft Dynamics based solutions
• Stay up to date with new technology trends, especially around Microsoft technology and AI, and identifying opportunities to deliver new solutions that add business value

As part of our team, you will get:

• A starting salary from £75,000, negotiable depending on experience
• A flexible working approach, the role will be based in our Manchester city centre office, with some home based working available (you must have suitable Wi-Fi, and provide your own office set-up for time spent working from home)
• Up to 10% pension contribution
• 2 x life cover
• Enhanced maternity / adoption leave
• Annual salary review
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• An additional day s holiday for your birthday every year
• Access to our buy and sell holiday scheme
• Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Discounts and savings via our employee benefits portal
• Health and wellbeing support via our Employee Assistance Programme
• Company-wide volunteering scheme
• Guaranteed fundraising support for your chosen charity

To join our team, you will need:

• Significant software design and full-life cycle delivery experience, not only development, in Microsoft technologies over multiple projects in large (>200 FTE) organizations
• Proven experience in leading and managing the configuration and management of development and test environments
• Comprehensive software development experience in Microsoft technologies (ASP.NET/Blazor/C# or Power Platform) deploying to Azure with SQL databases
• Strong T-SQL skills, with an ability to translate business questions regarding datasets into executable database queries
• Experience user of modern software development lifecycle tools including using Git for source control
• Experience working with DevOps practices and tools, especially using CI/CD pipelines
• Strong experience with Microsoft Azure cloud (with knowledge of cloud resource deployment principles or usage of specific cloud technologies)
• Experience in a role analysing and troubleshooting business-critical application and data issues
• Team leadership experience and of mentoring junior software developers
• Previous roles (or proven ability to work) as a key player within a small (
• Competent UX design and app UI creation skills
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including third-party development partners and software providers, and provide technical liaison to resolve system issues and deliver application improvements.
• The appetite for keeping track of new technology trends, especially around Microsoft technology, and identifying opportunities to deliver new solutions that add business value
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

We want you to be you

Our focus on diversity, equality and inclusion is here to stay.

Our team is made up of some of the most skilled and talented people and that s what matters to us. At BES Group, we want our people to know that they can be their true authentic selves at work, it really is that simple.

What s more, we re a Real Living Wage employer across our complete business and we are delighted to have pledged our commitment to the military community by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.

Go for it! Research suggests that some people tend to only apply for roles if they meet all requirements. If you don't meet every point above, but still feel like you could really help make a difference in this role, please apply, you might be exactly what we re looking for.

To apply for this role, simply click Apply . We ask for some basic contact information and a CV or your LinkedIn profile, it s that easy! Please note, successful candidates will be required to complete the relevant background checks as part of the recruitment process.

BES Group, where our people and our customers come before everything else.