Head of Development - Dynamics 365 (F&O and CE)
YAVICA · Centurion, ZA ·
- Work mode
- Hybrid
- Seniority
- C level
- Category
- Solutions engineering
- Experience
- 5+ years
YAVICA · Centurion, ZA ·
About us
At YAVICA, people are at the heart of everything we do. Founded in 2017 by a group of industry experts and tech enthusiasts, we have grown into a diverse and talented team from across the globe.
Spanning Asia, Europe, and North America, we combine our unique perspectives and skills with a shared mission: to provide the best end-to-end business solution for real estate visionaries. Our solutions are embedded in Microsoft Dynamics 365, leveraging its power to deliver innovative, scalable, and efficient tools for the real estate industry.
What makes YAVICA different? It’s our people. Here, every voice matters, and we support each other in achieving great things. We’re passionate about the real estate industry and the technology that fuels it, and we’re excited about the future as we continue to grow together.
Role Overview
We are looking for a Development Manager to lead and grow a team of software developers building custom and ISV solutions for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations and Customer Engagement (CE). This role blends people management, technical leadership, and forward-looking strategy. You'll ensure the team delivers high-quality, upgrade-safe extensions and integrations aligned with Microsoft best practices - while actively driving the adoption of AI and emerging technologies, helping shape our engineering strategy, and acting as a thought partner who challenges and strengthens the way we build. We're looking for someone who not only keeps the engine running but helps decide where it should go next.
Key Responsibilities
People & team leadership Recruit, onboard, and develop a high-performing team of Dynamics 365 developers (X++, .NET).
Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and career development planning, with a focus on growing our future technical leaders.
Foster a collaborative, inclusive culture centred on engineering excellence, curiosity, and continuous learning.
Collaborate with product and delivery leadership to align engineering capacity and priorities across product development and client delivery. Engineering excellence & delivery.
Drive measurable improvements in engineering outcomes (quality, predictability, productivity, technical debt), across both product and delivery contexts.
Define and evolve engineering standards, and drive their adoption across product and delivery teams, balancing consistency with the realities of client environments.
Ensure the security, performance, and maintainability of all customisations and integrations.
Promote adoption of automated testing and upgrade safe development practices to support maintainability and enable transition of client solutions into product.
Drive engineering improvement initiatives, building awareness and ownership within the team to enable consistent, high-quality releases.
Collaborate with architects on complex design challenges, refactoring, and technical decision-making. Innovation, AI & emerging technology.
Lead the transition towards AI-enabled software delivery, increased automation, improved engineering maturity and greater scalability.
Champion the adoption of AI across the engineering lifecycle - from AI-assisted development (e.g. GitHub Copilot) to embedding Microsoft Copilot, Copilot Studio, AI Builder, and Azure AI capabilities within our D365 solutions.
Continuously scan the Microsoft roadmap (Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Azure, Dataverse) and the wider technology landscape to spot opportunities that create competitive advantage for our products and customers.
Establish a culture of experimentation - running proofs of concept, evaluating emerging tools, and translating promising ideas into practical, production-ready capabilities.
Guide the responsible and secure use of AI, ensuring solutions meet data-protection, governance, and Responsible AI standards.
Upskill the team in AI and next-generation development practices, keeping our engineering capability ahead of the curve. Strategic leadership & influence.
As part of the product leadership team help balance customer value, technical sustainability, engineering capacity and strategic investment decisions.
Connect engineering decisions to business outcomes, contributing to the product and technology roadmap and helping shape where we invest.
Provide thought leadership on architecture, tooling, and ways of working - bringing an informed, outside-in perspective on industry trends and Microsoft's direction of travel.
Offer constructive challenge to peers and leadership: question assumptions, surface risks and trade-offs early, and advocate for the right technical and commercial decisions, even when they're difficult.
Communicate technical risks, dependencies, and delivery forecasts clearly to leadership, framing them in terms of business impact.
Take a strategic approach to technical debt, balancing innovation, delivery speed, and long-term product health.
Act as a trusted advisor and advocate for engineering - internally, and where appropriate externally with partners, the Microsoft ecosystem, and the wider community.
Key Requirements
10+ years of experience as a software developer, with at least 5+ years of those in a leadership or management role.
Strong experience with Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations development.
Experience with Dynamics 365 CE development.
Familiarity with Power Platform and Dataverse.
Understanding of performance tuning.
Understanding of upgrade-safe design in D365FO.
Solid knowledge of integration patterns (OData, REST).
Experience with Azure DevOps for ALM and CI/CD.
A genuine interest in AI and emerging technologies, with a track record of exploring and applying them in a development context.
A strategic mindset - able to see beyond the immediate backlog and connect technical choices to business value.
The confidence and credibility to provide constructive challenge and influence senior stakeholders.
Excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.
Bonus points for hands-on exposure to Copilot Studio, AI Builder, Azure OpenAI, or building AI-enabled features into Dynamics 365 or Power Platform solutions.
The kind of leader we're looking for: Someone who is as comfortable in a roadmap conversation as in a code review - a curious, credible technical leader who brings ideas to the table, challenges the status quo with respect and evidence, and helps move the business forward rather than simply keeping it running.
What we offer
At YAVICA, we care deeply about creating an environment where people thrive, both personally and professionally. Here’s what you can look forward to as part of our team:
Work-life harmony: We offer flexibility to help you balance your work and personal life in a way that works best for you.
Hybrid working: Whether you’re collaborating in the office or focusing from home, our hybrid work model empowers you to do your best work, wherever you are.
Collaborative culture: No micromanagement here. We trust our team members and value everyone’s input. Your ideas and contributions matter.
Growth opportunities: We’re invested in your development. Enjoy opportunities for training, skill-building, and career progression as YAVICA continues to grow.
The tools to succeed: You’ll receive all the equipment you need to excel - from hardware to software, we set you up for success.
Time to recharge: Paid time off isn’t just a perk; it’s essential. Take the time you need to rest, explore, and come back refreshed.
We celebrate individuality and diversity, committed to fostering a workplace where everyone is valued, regardless of background, identity, or ability. Join us in creating something extraordinary together.