Development Manager (m/f/d) - Hybrid - Sliedrecht in Sliedrecht, Nederland

About MANUS

For more than 30 years, MANUS has helped organizations plan, schedule and deploy their people. Our platform combines workforce planning, time registration, labor compliance, AI and payroll preparation in one cloud-native solution – helping customers save up to 10% on labor costs. Retailers, logistics service providers and leisure businesses rely on MANUS to publish and fill shifts, process worked hours in line with labor laws and collective agreements, and stay in control of their workforce.

As part of Valsoft, we combine deep Workforce Management expertise with the energy of a growing SaaS company. Our product is proven in the market, and we are ready for the next phase of growth. This is where you come in.

Your Role

As Development Manager, you own the development and full lifecycle of one or more of our products. Together with Engineering, Design, Sales and Customer Success, you shape the product vision and roadmap – and you make it happen: you lead a team of external developers and act as project manager, translating business needs into development projects and ensuring on-time, high-quality delivery. You make sure we deliver software that solves real workforce challenges for our customers and drives our business goals. You are also responsible for AI revenue – turning our AI capabilities into commercial success. With a technical and AI-savvy mindset, you act as the bridge between business and engineering, and you know what it takes to turn AI technology into features customers actually use.

Development Management & Project Delivery

• Lead and coordinate a team of external developers and manage the collaboration with development partners: plan capacity, agree on scope and deliverables, and keep the team focused on the right priorities.
• Translate the product roadmap and business needs into concrete development projects, requirements and user stories.
• Act as project manager: plan sprints and releases, track progress, manage risks and dependencies, and ensure on-time delivery within budget.
• Safeguard software quality through clear acceptance criteria, reviews and testing together with the development team.

Product Strategy & Vision

• Define and clearly communicate the product vision, strategy and roadmap.
• Evaluate market trends, customer feedback and competitors, and make product decisions based on these insights.
• Develop AI-focused product strategies for new AI capabilities in workforce planning.

Product Development

• Act as a sparring partner for Engineering on technical feasibility, architecture and AI implementation (e.g. model selection, data requirements, integration of AI services), using your technical understanding to make well-founded trade-offs.
• Own the product backlog and prioritize based on business goals, customer needs and technical feasibility.
• Translate complex requirements – such as labor laws, collective agreements and scheduling rules – into clear, usable product features.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Align with Sales, Marketing and Customer Success so launches succeed and products land well with customers.
• Communicate product goals, status and timelines transparently across all teams.

Market & Customer Insights

• Lead product discovery, including customer research, usability testing and regular feedback from customers and internal stakeholders.
• Track product performance and KPIs and adjust the strategy based on the results.
• Organize and lead regular Customer Advisory Board sessions to validate product direction and strengthen key customer relationships.

Product Launch & Lifecycle Management

• Own the go-to-market for new products and features, including pricing models for AI-based products, and align all teams for a successful launch.
• Take ownership of AI revenue: drive adoption and monetization of our AI capabilities and be accountable for AI revenue targets.
• Guide the product across its full lifecycle, from idea to retirement, and stay close to it after launch to resolve any issues.

What You Bring

• Proven experience with AI products – this is a must.
• Proven experience leading development teams and managing software projects, ideally including external or nearshore/offshore developers.
• Solid knowledge of agile methods (e.g. Scrum, Kanban) and project management practices.
• A solid background in software development or IT (e.g. as a developer, software engineer or technical consultant), ideally with hands-on experience building or integrating AI solutions (e.g. LLMs, machine learning models, AI APIs).
• Familiarity with cloud/SaaS architectures, data models, AI tooling and system integrations (e.g. HR, time registration or payroll interfaces) is a plus.
• Experience in the Workforce Management (WFM) industry is a plus.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills that make working across teams easy for you.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills: you think strategically and execute pragmatically.
• Experience with product and project management tools (e.g. Jira, Productboard, Aha!, Trello).
• You enjoy taking ownership and driving decisions, and you can manage several topics in parallel in a dynamic environment.
• English - fluent (written and spoken), Dutch - conversational
• Willingness to travel 20–30%: you enjoy visiting customers and being on site when needed.

What We Offer

• Clear career perspective: a defined development path with real room to grow.
• Direct line to leadership: short decision paths and flat hierarchies mean your ideas are heard and implemented.
• Modern tech stack: state-of-the-art AI tools are part of our daily work.
• Flexible working: hybrid, based in Sliedrecht, built around your life and not just your working hours.
• Attractive compensation: a competitive base salary plus performance-related components.
• An entrepreneurial culture with minimal bureaucracy, backed by the stability of the Valsoft group.

Ready to shape the future of Workforce Management?

If you want to build products that help organizations plan their people smarter and pay them correctly, we would love to hear from you.