About Clicky Media

Clicky Media is a Manchester-based digital agency delivering core digital marketing and development services for clients in the Home and Property sectors. We build and maintain websites, platforms, and digital experiences that help our clients grow their businesses and serve their customers better.

The Role

We are looking for a Development Lead to take ownership of our development function. This is a leadership role first and foremost — you will be responsible for managing our development resources, building and refining our delivery processes, driving efficiency through smarter ways of working (including the adoption of AI tools and workflows), and acting as the primary point of contact for clients on all development work.

You will need a solid development background to credibly lead the team, scope work, perform quality assurance, and make sound technical decisions. However, day-to-day coding will be a minor part of the role. The focus is on leadership, process, client relationships, and ensuring our development output is delivered on time, on brief, and to a high standard.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Resource Management

• Take full ownership of the development function, including resourcing, capacity planning, and prioritisation across client projects.

• Lead and manage the development team, setting clear expectations, assigning work, and ensuring accountability for delivery.

• Build a high-performing team culture focused on quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

• Report on development capacity, progress, and performance to the Head of Technology and wider leadership team.

Process, Efficiency & AI Adoption

• Spearhead the development and continuous improvement of delivery processes, workflows, and standards across the team.

• Identify and implement efficiencies in how work is scoped, estimated, assigned, and delivered.

• Champion the adoption of AI tools and technologies to enhance productivity, code quality, and delivery speed across the development function.

• Evaluate and introduce tools, frameworks, and methodologies that improve team output and reduce waste.

• Establish and maintain quality assurance processes, including code review standards and testing procedures.

Client Relationship Management

• Act as the primary development contact for clients, building strong, trusted relationships and providing clear, confident communication on progress, timelines, and technical decisions.

• Join client calls and meetings to discuss development work, present solutions, manage expectations, and handle scope discussions.

• Work closely with the Head of Client Services, Head of Strategy, and Account Managers to ensure development delivery aligns with broader client strategies and goals.

• Translate client requirements into actionable technical briefs, ensuring the development team has everything they need to deliver.

Technical Oversight & Contribution

• Provide technical direction and decision-making on architecture, approach, and feasibility for client projects.

• Perform quality assurance and code review to ensure all output meets standards before it reaches clients.

• Contribute to development tasks on an occasional basis, particularly for complex, high-priority, or time-sensitive work.

• Maintain sufficient technical knowledge across our core stack to credibly lead, review, and support the team.

Requirements

Essential

• A solid background in web development, with working knowledge of WordPress (including custom themes, plugins, and ACF) and PHP.

• Proven experience in a leadership or management role within a development team — this could be as a team lead, development manager, or senior developer who has stepped into managing others.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills — you will be client-facing and need to explain technical concepts clearly to non-technical audiences.

• Experience managing development resources, including task allocation, capacity planning, and delivery tracking.

• A process-driven mindset with a track record of improving workflows, delivery standards, or team efficiency.

• Demonstrable interest in and experience with AI tools for development (e.g., AI-assisted coding, automated testing, content generation, or workflow automation).

• Ability to scope technical work, write clear briefs, and estimate effort accurately.

• Experience with the Laravel framework, particularly using the TALL stack (Tailwind CSS, Alpine.js, Laravel, Livewire).

• Familiarity with version control workflows (Git) and deployment pipelines.

Desirable

• Experience working in a digital agency environment, particularly with clients in the Home and Property sectors.

• Understanding of SEO best practices and how they relate to development decisions.

• Experience with project management tools such as Jira, Asana, Monday.com, or similar.

• Experience introducing AI tools or processes into a development team's workflow.

What We Offer

• A hybrid working arrangement – 1 day per week in our Manchester office with the flexibility to work remotely the rest of the week. We are open to fully remote arrangements for the right candidate.

• The opportunity to shape and lead the development function within a growing specialist agency.

• The freedom to define and improve processes, introduce new tools, and drive real change in how the team works.

• Direct involvement in client relationships and strategic decisions — not just execution.

• A collaborative, supportive team environment across marketing, strategy, and technology.