Come shape the future of education with us.

At Compass, we’re on a mission to transform the school day for everyone - from staff and students to families and administrators. We build smart, seamless technology that empowers schools to focus on what really matters: learning, growing and thriving.

Our platform supports thousands of schools across multiple countries and the technology we build is relied upon every day by educators, administrators and families.

We’re looking for a Development Manager to lead one of our engineering teams in Sydney, helping shape the systems that power schools around the world.

About the Role & Team

Reporting to our Chief Product & Technology Officer, this role sits at the intersection of technical leadership, people leadership and product delivery.

You’ll lead a team of talented engineers responsible for designing and maintaining scalable software. Your focus will be building a strong engineering culture, supporting your team’s growth and ensuring high-quality software is delivered consistently.

This is a role for someone who enjoys growing teams, raising engineering standards and building software that genuinely matters.

What you'll do:

Lead and grow a high-performing engineering team

• Lead a of team that designs, develops and maintains secure, scalable software.
• Provide coaching, mentoring and regular feedback to help engineers grow their careers.
• Foster an open, inclusive team culture where collaboration and continuous improvement are the norm.
• Build strong relationships within the team and create an environment where people feel supported and motivated.

Drive engineering quality and best practices

• Champion modern engineering practices such as clean code, testing and collaborative development.
• Encourage ongoing learning and technical growth within the team.
• Help establish and evolve development standards and processes that support scalable, high-quality software.
• Promote engineering practices that support reliability, maintainability and performance.

Deliver meaningful product outcomes

• Work closely with Product Managers and the CPTO to align engineering delivery with product goals.
• Manage team capacity and delivery velocity to ensure work is achievable and sustainable.
• Ensure the software your team builds delivers a reliable and positive experience for customers.

Collaborate across the business

• Partner with Product, QA, Technology and other development teams to deliver shared outcomes.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders across the business to ensure alignment and transparency.
• Support recruitment and team growth as the engineering organisation continues to scale.

Requirements

About You

You’re a thoughtful technical leader who enjoys building strong teams, improving systems and solving meaningful problems.

You bring:

• 4+ years’ experience leading software engineering teams, ideally within a SaaS environment.
• Strong understanding of Agile development and modern engineering practices.
• Experience working with modern web technologies such as PHP, React and front-end frameworks like Bootstrap or Tailwind, with the ability to support engineers working across this stack.
• Excellent communication skills and experience working cross-functionally with Product Managers and other business functions.
• The ability to lead by example, modelling Compass' values while balancing strong people leadership and technical credibility.
• A customer-first mindset, with the ability to understand real user needs and translate them into meaningful product outcomes.

Benefits

What’s in it for you?

You’ll join a purpose-driven company at a genuinely exciting stage of growth, with the opportunity to make a real impact on education at scale.

What we offer:

• A hybrid working environment, with teams working a hybrid structure in our Sydney office.
• Learning and development opportunities, including a dedicated PD budget.
• 24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), including face-to-face, phone and live chat support.
• A parental leave program for both primary and secondary carers.
• A supportive, inclusive culture where your voice is valued and heard.
• The chance to grow alongside a fast-moving, ambitious organisation.

Compass is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We embrace and celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Prior to commencing employment, you’ll need:

• A valid Employee Working With Children Check
• A satisfactory National Police Check
• Verification of unrestricted work rights in Australia (e.g. citizenship, passport or birth certificate)

Ready to make a difference?

If you’re excited by the opportunity to lead talented engineers, build high-quality software and help shape technology that supports schools every day, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now and help us build the foundations that empower schools to focus on what matters most: teaching and learning.

Find out more about Compass on our website - https://www.compass.education/.