Gaz Franklin

Software Development Manager

Product-focused Development Manager who leads Agile teams to deliver high-value digital products with clear user and business impact.

I bring a pragmatic blend of technical credibility, product thinking, and empathetic leadership, working closely with Product, Design, and senior stakeholders to shape priorities, manage trade-offs, and balance short-term delivery with sustainable engineering practices.

Comfortable in complex environments, I help align cross-functional teams around outcomes, navigate competing priorities, and deliver real value at pace.

  • Agile Leadership - Leading through influence rather than authority, I aim to create clear goals, strong team ownership, and the conditions for teams to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes.
  • People-Centred Management - Building trust through transparency and psychological safety, I encourage individuals to perform at their best while aligning personal growth with product objectives.
  • Technical Fluency - Technically credible across modern software delivery, I bridge developers, designers and product stakeholders to improve decision making, reduce friction, and accelerate delivery.
  • Stakeholder Engagement - Confident communicator experienced in building alignment and buy-in across complex organisations, from senior leadership to customers and delivery teams.
  • Continuous Improvement - Championing data-informed iteration through shared retrospectives, feedback lops, and pragmatic process improvements that drive measurable gains in quality and flow.

Development ManagerEque2 Ltd
January 2023 → Present
  • Led and nurtured a high-performing, cross functional team of permanent and contract Developers and QA Engineers, with a strong focus on personal development and progression, resulting in multiple promotions.
  • Drove the introduction of Scrum and Agile delivery practices, supporting teams across the business and reframing success from project completion to customer and business outcomes.
  • Created an environment of psychological safety and ownership, enabling open challenge, continuous improvement, and zero voluntary attrition within the team.
  • Re-established trust and confidence between engineering and other departments, breaking down “us vs. them” barriers and fostering collaborative, positive working relationships.

Senior Developer → Deputy Development ManagerEque2 Ltd
September 2018 → August 2022 → January 2023
  • Solely responsible for the design, implementation, and maintenance of the company's five hybrid iOS and Android apps (built in Ionic Angular, with Cordova as a native bridge).
  • Product / Project Management., co-ordination of testing and QA, and release processes for all five products.
  • Implementation and maintenance of API endpoints in C# .NET, and Ruby on Rails.
  • Legacy maintenance of some VB.NET code.
  • Determining product and feature requirements with the Sales and Support teams.
  • Time / Project Management: Interdepartmental work with each of the individual Product teams; agreeing deadlines and scheduling product work.
  • Forked several Cordova plugins and wrote an in-house one (using Objective C, Java, JavaScript).
  • Release management and deployment of the products via Apple's App Store Connect, and Google's Play Developer Console.
Languages, Tools & Environents

TypeScript, Angular (versions 9 - current), Ionic Framework, Apache Cordova, Sass, SQLite, Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, In-House ORMs, SQL Server, Windows Server, macOS, Xcode, Android Studio, Python, Git, GitHub, Affinity Photo, Photoshop

Senior Developer → Deputy Development ManagerFurlong
June 2016 → March 2017 → September 2018
  • Part of a ten-person team originally hired to convert a legacy WinForms app into a .NET MVC solution.
  • Promoted to Deputy Development Manager in first year, essentially running the team after the Development Manager fell ill.
Languages, Tools & Environents

C#, TypeScript, JavaScript, jQuery, Polymer, KnockoutJS, Apache Cordova, UIkit, Semantic UI, Visual Studio, SQL Server, Windows Server, Xcode, Android Studio, Ninject

Website / CRM DevelopmentCommunity Matters Partnership
2016 | Freelance

The CMP approached me after seeing my work for the Sixth Form College Farnborough and contracted me to design and implement a new website / internal reporting system. Delivered a traditional .NET MVC solution with a Bootstrap / jQuery front end.

Software DeveloperThe Sixth Form College Farnborough
November 2013 → June 2016

Member of a small, self-managed team responsible for the production and maintenance of the college's suite of software applications - both Windows and web-based - and their databases.

Lead the project to replace the college's website, delivering a framework capable of listing course information, term dates, customisable departmental information with rich media support.

Outside of work I'm a keen guitarist, playing with a few different bands in various styles.

I'm also a bit of a petrolhead - currently in a 5.0 Mustang with one eye on what to get next...

When I'm not gigging or cleaning the car (or replacing whatever fell off it last), I'm spending time with my family (The Boy has just started his second year of nursery) or walking the dog (Chocolate Labradors are exactly as mad as you've heard!).

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