Senior Applications and Development Manager

Senior Applications and Development Manager

We are looking for a hands-on Senior Applications and Development Manager to drive the world‑class development of our business‑critical applications and software solutions. Leading a team of Developers, Analysts and application specialists, you will oversee the full lifecycle of all applications and software, ensuring security requirements, onboarding processes and technology standards are consistently met.

In this exciting role, you will manage development pipelines, oversee application lifecycles, and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to deliver innovation and efficiency across our Technology department. You will be entrusted to lead a team responsible for ensuring applications remain secure, scalable and fully aligned with evolving business needs.

This is an excellent opportunity to shape the maintenance, optimisation and ongoing improvement of technology across our club - combining effective leadership with exceptional application development to deliver world‑class software solutions.

Your Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Lead and empower your team - you’ll guide Developers, Analysts, and application specialists, supporting growth while consistently ensuring high‑quality delivery
• Set development standards - you will outline and maintain best practices and governance frameworks that support secure and efficient application development
• Maintain application performance - you will ensure systems remain secure, scalable, and up to date, managing upgrades and lifecycle activities
• Collaborate with stakeholders - you will work closely with cross-functional teams to align on requirements, communicate progress, and deliver solutions that meet expectations
• Manage external partners - you’ll oversee relationships with third‑party vendors, ensuring effective management of delivery and budget
• Ensure compliance and mitigate risk - you will uphold regulatory, security, and governance requirements across all application development activity

What We Are Looking For

• Application development experience - you have proven experience working in application development, ideally in football or sports environments
• Demonstrated leadership expertise - you’re highly skilled in managing Software Development teams, supporting direct reports and leading team projects
• Operational resilience and risk awareness - you can expertly analyse issues, assess risks, manage incidents and design effective security solutions
• Exceptional knowledge of programming languages - you’re confident in understanding and interpreting programming languages (eg. Java, .NET & Python)
• Cloud platform experience - you’re familiar with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS) and DevOps practices
• Excellent communication skills - you possess exceptional written and verbal communication capabilities, with the ability to make technical concepts accessible to non-technical audiences
• Software development methodology proficiency - you’re experienced in methodologies and frameworks such as SDLC, Agile and DevOps
• Organised, strategic and adaptable mindset - you excel in navigating ambiguity and fast-changing environments, delivering smart, compelling solutions while managing projects simultaneously

Why Choose Arsenal Football Club

At Arsenal, we want everyone to feel a sense of trust and belonging, so we are proud of both our club values and also what we offer to our employees. As one of our Gunners, you will receive:

• An exciting reward and recognition scheme
• Generous holiday allowance which increases with your length of service
• Great internal learning and development programmes
• A flexible hybrid working model
• Priority access to apply for match tickets
• A competitive health and wellbeing benefits package
• A leading Employee Assistance Programme
• Great discounts with some of our Partners
• An opportunity to play a vital role in delivering our ED&I strategy by joining one of our Employee Networks

Key Skills/Competency

• Application Development
• Team Leadership
• Software Solutions
• Development Standards
• Lifecycle Management
• Risk Mitigation
• Java, .NET, Python
• Cloud Platforms (Azure, AWS)
• DevOps
• Agile/SDLC