diff --git a/backend/controller/controller.go b/backend/controller/controller.go
index d646391a43..30edfe1fe6 100644
--- a/backend/controller/controller.go
+++ b/backend/controller/controller.go
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/TBD54566975/ftl/backend/controller/dal"
 	"github.com/TBD54566975/ftl/backend/controller/ingress"
 	"github.com/TBD54566975/ftl/backend/controller/scaling"
+	"github.com/TBD54566975/ftl/backend/controller/scaling/localscaling"
 	"github.com/TBD54566975/ftl/backend/controller/scheduledtask"
 	ftlv1 "github.com/TBD54566975/ftl/backend/protos/xyz/block/ftl/v1"
 	"github.com/TBD54566975/ftl/backend/protos/xyz/block/ftl/v1/console/pbconsoleconnect"
@@ -166,6 +167,26 @@ type Service struct {
 	increaseReplicaFailures map[string]int
 }
 
+type jobConfig struct {
+	job          scheduledtask.Job
+	backoff      backoff.Backoff
+	develBackoff optional.Option[backoff.Backoff]
+}
+
+func (j jobConfig) getBackoff(devel bool) backoff.Backoff {
+	var bo backoff.Backoff
+	if devel {
+		var ok bool
+		if bo, ok = j.develBackoff.Get(); !ok {
+			// if in devel and develBackoff is empty, use 1s for min/max
+			bo = backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second}
+		}
+	} else {
+		bo = j.backoff
+	}
+	return bo
+}
+
 func New(ctx context.Context, db *dal.DAL, config Config, runnerScaling scaling.RunnerScaling) (*Service, error) {
 	key := config.Key
 	if config.Key.IsZero() {
@@ -188,17 +209,30 @@ func New(ctx context.Context, db *dal.DAL, config Config, runnerScaling scaling.
 	svc.cronJobs = cronSvc
 	svc.controllerListListeners = append(svc.controllerListListeners, svc.tasks, cronSvc)
 
-	svc.tasks.Parallel(backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 5}, svc.syncRoutes)
-	svc.tasks.Parallel(backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second * 3, Max: time.Second * 3}, svc.heartbeatController)
-	svc.tasks.Parallel(backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second * 5, Max: time.Second * 5}, svc.updateControllersList)
-	svc.tasks.Singleton(backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 10}, svc.reapStaleRunners)
-	svc.tasks.Singleton(backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 20}, svc.releaseExpiredReservations)
-	svc.tasks.Singleton(backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 5}, svc.reconcileDeployments)
-	svc.tasks.Singleton(backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 5}, svc.reconcileRunners)
-	// This should only run on one controller, but because dead controllers
-	// might be selected by the hash ring, we have to run it on all controllers.
-	// We should use a DB lock at some point.
-	svc.tasks.Parallel(backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 20}, svc.reapStaleControllers)
+	parallelJobs := []jobConfig{
+		{svc.syncRoutes, backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 5}, optional.None[backoff.Backoff]()},
+		{svc.heartbeatController, backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second * 3, Max: time.Second * 3}, optional.Some[backoff.Backoff](backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second * 2, Max: time.Second * 2})},
+		{svc.updateControllersList, backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second * 5, Max: time.Second * 5}, optional.None[backoff.Backoff]()},
+		// This should only run on one controller, but because dead controllers
+		// might be selected by the hash ring, we have to run it on all controllers.
+		// We should use a DB lock at some point.
+		{svc.reapStaleControllers, backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second * 20, Max: time.Second * 20}, optional.None[backoff.Backoff]()},
+	}
+
+	singletonJobs := []jobConfig{
+		{svc.reapStaleRunners, backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 10}, optional.None[backoff.Backoff]()},
+		{svc.releaseExpiredReservations, backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 20}, optional.None[backoff.Backoff]()},
+		{svc.reconcileDeployments, backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 5}, optional.None[backoff.Backoff]()},
+		{svc.reconcileRunners, backoff.Backoff{Min: time.Second, Max: time.Second * 5}, optional.None[backoff.Backoff]()},
+	}
+
+	_, devel := runnerScaling.(*localscaling.LocalScaling)
+	for _, j := range parallelJobs {
+		svc.tasks.Parallel(j.getBackoff(devel), j.job)
+	}
+	for _, j := range singletonJobs {
+		svc.tasks.Singleton(j.getBackoff(devel), j.job)
+	}
 	return svc, nil
 }