Manager, Software Development

Dealer-FX Group•Markham, ON

About The Position

Dealer‑FX is redefining how dealership service lanes operate, now powered by the scale, data, and industry leadership of Snap‑on Incorporated. At Dealer‑FX, we are fueled by innovation and a strong “ONE Team” mentality. We’ve built a people‑first culture that values performance, collaboration, and a healthy work/life balance. Every day is different, and that’s exactly how we like it. As part of Snap‑on, the most trusted name in automotive service, Dealer‑FX combines modern SaaS innovation with decades of repair, parts, and diagnostic expertise. Together, we’re transforming how dealerships and customers engage throughout the service experience. We’re growing fast and looking to add highly motivated, driven individuals to our Development team. Our products are awesome and disrupting the automotive tech space, changing the way dealerships interact with their customers. And, we’re just getting started. At Dealer-FX, we put our users first. The automotive landscape is constantly evolving, and we are seeking a highly driven Development Manager to lead and scale our engineering team. In this role, you will provide strategic leadership and technical oversight for a development team, managing a Team Lead and a group of Software Developers. You will partner closely with Product Management and Architecture to execute our technical roadmap, focusing on building a high-performing unit and optimizing the SDLC. As a strategic thinker, you will ensure the reliable delivery of scalable, secure, and cloud-native applications that impact thousands of users daily.

Requirements

Post-secondary degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related field.
7+ years of progressive software engineering experience.
3+ years of direct engineering management experience, with a proven track record of managing performance, hiring, and building successful teams.
Strong architectural understanding of our core technology stack: .NET Framework, .NET Core, ASP.NET Core, Node, and modern Web Frameworks (Angular, Vue.js, or React).
Experience managing teams that build and scale cloud-native applications using AWS technologies (e.g., Lambda, EC2, S3, DynamoDB, API Gateway).
Deep understanding of Microservices, service-oriented architecture (SOA), RESTful APIs, and event-driven messaging technologies (RabbitMQ).
Expertise in modern software development practices, including Agile/Scrum, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code (e.g., Terraform).
Proven track record of defining and enforcing strict unit testing practices (e.g., xUnit, NUnit, Jest) to maintain high code coverage.
Experience with application performance monitoring (APM) and logging tools (e.g., New Relic, Datadog, Splunk) for deep-dive production investigations.
Familiarity with secure coding principles (e.g., OWASP Top 10) and experience integrating security tooling and best practices into the SDLC.
Strong understanding of MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and complex database design.
Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience collaborating with Software Development Engineers in Test (SDETs) to integrate broader automated testing strategies into the delivery pipeline.
Experience with, or a strong operational interest in, leveraging AI tools to accelerate software development, testing, and code review processes.

Responsibilities

Manage, mentor, and grow the team: Oversee a Team Lead and Software Developers, acting as a "coach to the coaches" to develop the leadership skills of your Team Lead.
Standardize Feedback & Coaching: Establish a consistent coaching cadence, align on frequency, and implement a standardized process for capturing progress and delivering continuous feedback.
Performance Management: Drive formal performance review cycles, defining clear thresholds and processes for both promotions and managing underperformance.
Talent Acquisition & Retention: Own the hiring, onboarding, and retention strategies to build and maintain a world-class engineering organization.
Culture Building: Foster a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and accountability.
Own the end-to-end delivery of software projects, ensuring features are delivered on time, within scope, and at the highest quality.
Partner with Product Management to align technical execution with business roadmaps and prioritize technical debt alongside feature development.
Champion Code Quality: Enforce rigorous unit testing standards to ensure reliability at the source, preventing regressions before code reaches higher-level environments.
Lead the integration of AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot) and AI-driven code reviews into the engineering workflow to maximize team productivity and output quality.
Define, track, and improve key engineering metrics (e.g., velocity, deployment frequency, bug rates).
Optimize Agile/Scrum methodologies and partner closely with the DevOps team to ensure smooth CI/CD workflows and efficient software delivery.
Collaborate closely with the Architecture team to ensure that implementations align with our target Microservices and cloud architecture.
Establish and enforce secure coding practices across the engineering organization, partnering with DevOps to champion a DevSecOps culture that proactively identifies and mitigates vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle.
Evaluate technical risks, develop mitigation strategies, and communicate timelines effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Oversee resource allocation and capacity planning across various product lines.
Lead Production Investigations: Assist DevOps and support teams with high-priority production escalations, utilizing observability and APM tools (e.g., New Relic) to troubleshoot, investigate, and resolve complex performance issues.