Key responsibilities
Team Leadership & Growth
Zagreb, Croatia
Development Manager
IPS (Intelligent Power Solutions) is a leading software vendor serving the energy and utility sectors with cutting-edge solutions in asset management, grid operations, and protection systems. With a strong international client base and a growing portfolio of enterprise-grade products, IPS is entering a pivotal growth phase. As we scale our cloud-native capabilities and expand our international footprint, we are looking to hire a Development Manager to lead and grow our engineering presence across Zagreb and Ljubljana.
Position Summary
This is a high-impact leadership role for a technically accomplished and people-focused engineering leader. You will be responsible for managing and expanding a cross-functional software development team (target size: circa 30 engineers), with most team members based in Zagreb and a smaller group in Ljubljana. The Development Manager will report directly to the Chief Product Officer.
This role requires hands-on understanding of enterprise software development, especially in Azure-based SaaS environments, and experience transitioning from legacy desktop systems to modern cloud architectures. You will grow the team, coach and mentor developers, drive performance, and be instrumental in shaping a collaborative and high-performing engineering culture.
- Lead, coach, and scale a distributed engineering team in Zagreb (primary) and Ljubljana (secondary).
- Build a performance-driven culture that values mentorship, continuous learning, attention to quality and cross-functional collaboration.
- Act as the key bridge between engineering, product, and executive leadership.
Technical Oversight
- Guide the team through a major platform transition from a Windows-based legacy codebase to a modern SaaS architecture on Microsoft Azure.
- Provide code-level insight when needed (especially during reviews and architectural discussions), though this is not a day-to-day coding role.
- Ensure the adoption of best practices in software development, architecture, and quality assurance.
Strategic Execution
- Work closely with the CTO and Product Management to align development work with product strategy and business goals.
- Support product initiatives in Grid Operations, Digital Twins, and Protection Equipment, gaining domain expertise over time.
Culture & Collaboration
- Foster a transparent, international, and team-oriented work environment.
- Champion collaboration between teams in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Germany and other geographies as the company continues to grow.
Key Qualifications
Culture & Collaboration
- 10+ years in software development, with at least 3-5 years in a leadership or management capacity.
- Proven track record growing and leading high-performing software teams, ideally across multiple locations.
- Significant experience in SaaS and Agile development environments.
- Prior experience working in a software vendor targeting industrial or asset-intensive industries (e.g., energy, utilities, infrastructure) is a strong advantage.
- Experience managing platform transitions from on-premises or legacy desktop systems to modern Azure-based SaaS architectures.
Technical Skills
Strong foundation in enterprise software development with deep knowledge of Microsoft Azure, including:
- SaaS on Azure with AKS, SQL Server, React frontend with C# backend on .Net Core
- Azure AI and Machine Learning, Azure IoT and large-scale data ingestion
- Ability to conduct technical evaluations and reviews, provide guidance on architecture and code quality, and troubleshoot complex issues.
- Familiarity with information security standards and practices is required.
Leadership & Soft Skills:
- Collaborative and inclusive leadership style.
- Ability to inspire, coach, and performance-manage a growing team.
- Strategic mindset, with the ability to connect technical execution with business outcomes
- Comfortable working in a multicultural, international environment.
Preferred Industry Background:
- While direct energy sector experience is not required, knowledge of power grid operations and maintenance and protection systems would be beneficial
Why Join IPS?
- Play a central role in scaling a next-generation platform for the power and utilities industry.
- Lead a team during a major architectural and cultural transformation.
- Join a company with a strong reputation and a collaborative, international culture.
- Be part of a leadership team shaping the future of mission-critical infrastructure software in Europe.
- Accelerated and efficient interview process – we aim to hire by the end of July.
If you’re a technical leader ready to drive transformation and scale high-performing teams, we’d love to hear from you.