Lead Software Engineer | DeepTech Start Up

Hybrid | Competitive Salary + Equity + Excellent Benefits

Build technology that matters.

Join one of the UK's most exciting defence technology start-ups, a company bringing together world‑class engineers from organisations including Palantir, Microsoft, Tractable and other leading deep‑tech businesses to solve some of the most complex national security challenges.

Following significant growth and continued investment, they're looking for a Lead Software Engineer to take ownership of a multidisciplinary engineering team of around 20 engineers
, driving the development of cutting‑edge software systems deployed in demanding real‑world environments.

This is a rare opportunity to join an elite engineering culture where technical excellence, autonomy and mission impact are at the heart of everything they do.

• Leading, mentoring and growing a high‑performing team of approximately 20 software engineers.
• Driving technical direction and architecture across complex distributed systems.
• Working closely with systems, hardware and product engineers to deliver integrated solutions.
• Designing and building high‑performance, resilient software for mission‑critical applications.
• Shaping engineering best practice, code quality and delivery processes.
• Playing a key role in scaling both the technology and the engineering organisation.

You'll likely have experience in several of the following:

• Strong software engineering background using C++, Java, Python or similar languages.
• Experience leading engineering teams and delivering complex technical projects.
• Systems engineering or systems architecture experience.
• Networking, distributed systems or communications technologies.
• Hardware/software integration.
• Real‑time, embedded or high‑performance software environments.
• Cloud infrastructure, Linux or modern Dev Ops practices.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence technical direction.
• Work alongside some of the industry's best engineers from companies such as Palantir, Microsoft and Tractable
  .
• Tackle genuinely challenging engineering problems with real‑world impact.
• Join a fast‑growing, well‑funded start‑up where you'll have significant influence over both the product and engineering culture.
• Collaborative, engineering‑first environment with minimal bureaucracy.
• Competitive salary, equity options and comprehensive benefits.
• Hybrid working model with a modern, collaborative office.

If you're an experienced engineering leader who enjoys solving complex technical problems, leading exceptional teams and building technology at the cutting edge of defence and security, I'd love to tell you more.