Lead Software Engineer

Opportunity

Leonardo UK is seeking experienced Lead Software Engineers to take on pivotal Technical Authority roles within our Integrated Sensors & Protection line of business, working on a range of defence projects. This role combines technical leadership with strategic influence, offering significant autonomy and responsibility for critical software components or entire projects.

We want to develop a new generation of features and capabilities using innovative software solutions and we need you to create them. You will be a key part in a community of world‑class software engineers who will continuously improve, collaborate and innovate with other engineers to create market‑leading products within the defence industry.

• Several years of C++ software engineering experience in aerospace, defence, or other mission/safety‑critical domains.
• Development of new applications to meet user expectations and within formal constraints.
• Familiarity with the tools and approaches to embedded development.
• Experience with developing Windows and Linux applications.
• Experience of using iterative development life cycles (for example tailored Agile).
• Experience using tools associated with iterative development life cycles (Jira / Dev Ops).
• Familiarity with development to design and coding standards.
• Ability to set technical direction, defining software architecture and design strategies aligned with platform and system goals.
• Experience ensuring compliance standards and adherence to internal governance processes.
• Strong skills in technical risk identification and mitigation across software components.
• Hands‑on delivery with lifecycle experience from requirements through to certification.
• A background in technical leadership, including architectural design, risk mitigation, or technical governance.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor and coach engineers, uplifting capability and promoting software engineering excellence.
• Familiarity with legacy systems, export controls, interoperability, and long‑term product evolution.
• Ability to collaborate across disciplines, working closely with systems, hardware, and firmware teams to ensure coherent integration.
• Commitment to championing design integrity, acting as the accountable technical lead during audits and reviews.
• Good attitude and willingness to learn.

This role is subject to pre‑employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). Additional personnel security controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply; this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit

• Generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi‑days each year.
• Award‑winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee‑led networks championing inclusion and diversity.
• Eligibility for a bonus scheme for employees at management level and below.
• Free access to over 4,000 online courses via Coursera and Linked In Learning.
• Referral programme – receive a financial reward for referrals.
• Flexible benefits worth up to £500 annually including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech and lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible hours with hybrid working options.

• Primary
  
  Location:
  
  Basildon, GB.
• Contract:
  
  Permanent.
• Working arrangement:
  Hybrid.