Senior Software Engineer; C​/C++

Senior Software Engineer (C/C++) – UK Defence Programmes (SC / DV Required)

This is a senior, delivery-focused engineering role in a cleared UK defence environment—built for engineers who want to ship high-assurance software, not just talk about it.

We are hiring experienced software engineers to deliver mission-critical systems into UK defence programmes where engineering evidence matters
. You will work on long-running, complex products under security, safety, and operational constraints
—with the autonomy to make sound technical calls and the responsibility to stand behind them.

If you are looking for a role to “grow into seniority”, this position will feel too demanding and too exposed. We need people who can take ownership from day one in a cleared environment.

To join this programme, you’ll need to already hold active UK Security Clearance at SC or DV level
. Because of the nature of the work, we’re unfortunately not able to sponsor, initiate, or wait for new clearances
, so you’ll need to be able to start working in a cleared environment straight away
.

This role is intended for engineers who have already operated at senior level in high-assurance environments and can lead technical delivery end-to-end.

• Senior engineers (typically 10+ years) who have owned delivery of complex software through design, implementation, verification, and integration
• Exceptional engineers (typically 7+ years) already performing at senior / technical‑lead level in defence, aerospace, or other safety-critical domains, with a track record of making pragmatic trade-offs under constraint
• Contribute directly to architecture, design decisions, and trade-offs.
• Operate effectively in multi-disciplinary teams alongside systems, safety, and assurance engineers

• Take technical ownership of software delivered into regulated, high assurance environments

• Deliver robust C / C++ software that meets demanding requirements for reliability, safety, and maintainability
• Work across the full software lifecycle
  , including:
• requirements analysis
• system and software design
• implementation and verification
• integration and support

• Communicate clearly and precisely with technical peers and programme stakeholders

• Proven experience delivering software into defence, aerospace, or safety-critical systems
  , ideally with exposure to assurance, certification, or safety cases
• Strong, hands‑on expertise in C and/or C++ (modern practices, memory/ownership discipline, performance‑aware design, and debugging on real targets)
• Experience with embedded and/or Linux‑based systems (e.g., RTOS, bare metal, Embedded Linux), including integration constraints and hardware interfaces
• Confidence with tool chains, build systems, and release workflows (e.g., cross‑compiling, CMake and equivalents, linkers, packaging, and reproducible builds)
• Evidence‑driven engineering: familiarity with coding standards, static analysis, and code review discipline (e.g., MISRA/CERT‑style rulesets, treating warnings as actionable)
• Strong testing mindset:
  unit/integration testing and automation
  , working effectively within CI pipelines (e.g., Jenkins/Git Lab CI or similar)
• Comfortable working with requirements, traceability, and verification evidence (e.g., DOORS or similar tools/processes)
• Security‑aware mindset: understanding of secure coding and threat‑driven thinking appropriate to defence environments
• Able to make and stand behind engineering decisions and trade‑offs
  , and communicate them clearly to technical peers and programme stakeholders
• Professional maturity to operate effectively in regulated, high‑assurance environments where process exists for a reason and delivery still matters

• Work on real UK defence programmes
  —software that is deployed, used, and relied upon
• Long‑term, technically demanding work where engineering quality and evidence genuinely matter
  —not just speed of delivery
• An environment that trusts senior engineers with autonomy, responsibility, and influence over design decisions, ways of working, and technical standards
• Flexible working where possible, balanced…