Application Development and Support Manager (Temp)

Position

Application Development and Support Manager

Group

London 

Reports to

Chief Technology Officer

Direct reports

4 (and temporary/contract resource)

Internal relationships

• Business colleagues
• Technology Teams
• Information Security Office 
• Risk

External relationships

• 3rd party vendors
• Internal and External Auditors
• NBK Kuwait IT Teams

 Number of full-time equivalent employees: 1

Grade: 

   Team Lead

Job purpose

The Application Development & Support Manager is responsible for leading the design, development, implementation, integration, and ongoing support of the bank’s applications. This role ensures secure, reliable, and compliant technology solutions that support core banking operations, digital channels and internal business functions.

In a small bank environment, this is a hands-on management role that combines delivery planning, vendor management, application development and day-to-day operational support.

Key responsibilities 

Core Banking Platform

• Direct oversight of Finastra Equation environments, including patch management, end-of-day (EOD) processing support and environment refreshes.
• Providing fix on fail support for Equation and IBM Power platform
• Collaborating with infrastructure teams on Power Systems performance tuning, LPAR management, and backup/recovery (BRMS) performance.
• Develop or manage delivery (internally or externally sourced) of changes and projects

Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of developers and application support analysts 
• Foster a collaborative and high-performance work environment that encourages innovation and continuous improvement.
• Conduct regular performance evaluations and provide guidance on professional development.

Change and Project Delivery

• Lead the planning, design, and implementation of new software applications and enhancements.
• Transition new applications from project into BAU standardised support models.
• Manage the delivery of small change and BAU enhancements
• Define delivery timelines and resource requirements, and manage development activities to meet deadlines.
• Work with the project team to manage team capacity, demand and change/project delivery.

Application  Support and Maintenance

• Ensure prompt and efficient support for applications, addressing any bugs, performance issues, or feature enhancements.
• Provide application support for supported business applications. 
• Establish and monitor SLAs for application support and resolve any escalated issues with a focus on root cause analysis.
• Implement and oversee application monitoring, performance tuning, and optimisation strategies.
• Onboard support for existing and new applications to deliver a single and holistic application support model.
• Ensure all applications and services remain in support with 3rd party vendors
• Ensure resolution of identified application security vulnerabilities and assurance configuration/testing observations
• Coordinate upgrades, patches, and system maintenance with minimal operational disruption.
• Maintain application documentation, system configurations, and support procedures.

Quality Assurance and Compliance

• Establish best practices for software development and testing, including code reviews, automated testing, and deployment processes.
• Ensure compliance with internal and external regulations, audit, security standards, and data protection requirements.
• Maintain business continuity and disaster recovery procedures for all supported applications.

Collaboration and Communication

• Serve as a liaison between technical teams, business units, and external vendors to ensure clear communication and alignment of priorities.
• Provide regular status updates, reports, and presentations to IT Change Management and PMO on project progress and support metrics.

Budget and Resource Management

• Manage the budget for small change, BAU enhancements and support activities, ensuring cost-effective use of resources.
• Make staffing and resourcing recommendations to meet project and support needs.
• Contribute to the annual budget cycle, ensuring applications are invested in and maintained.
• Recommend new tools, technologies, and methodologies to enhance the development process and improve operational efficiency.

Committee membership/involvement

None.

Qualification & Experience

• Proficiency in various programming languages and development frameworks
• Experience in application and development lifestyle management
• Experience in analysis and design, testing and documentation of software
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. 
• 3+ years of experience in software development, with at least 1 year in a managerial role.
• Strong understanding of application lifecycle management, agile methodologies, and DevOps practices.
• Proven experience with application support and incident management in complex technical environments.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to handle complex technical issues.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience with cloud platforms (Microsoft Azure)
• Familiarity with ITIL or other service management frameworks.
• Certifications such as PMP, Scrum Master, or relevant technical certifications.
• Experience in AS/400, RPG and COBOL
• SDLC implementation and/or operation

Essential Competencies

• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, managing multiple projects simultaneously.