Senior Engineering Manager

A growing technology consultancy working in the defence and security sector is looking for a Software Development Lead to help shape and grow its engineering capability in Newcastle.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys building high-performing teams, exploring new technologies, and solving complex technical challenges that have real-world impact.

Working closely with senior technical leadership, you will play a key role in shaping both the technical direction and engineering culture of the defence software development team.

The Role

You will lead the Defence software development team on-site in Newcastle, helping create an environment where talented engineers can thrive and deliver impactful work.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and developing the defence software engineering team, working closely with senior technical leadership
• Defining and maintaining engineering standards, best practices, and development processes
• Shaping the technical direction of defence platforms and systems, ensuring the team stays current with emerging technologies and approaches
• Supporting recruitment activities to identify, attract, and assess high-calibre engineering talent
• Driving skills development and mentoring, identifying capability gaps and supporting learning pathways for developers
• Acting as a senior technical authority, providing guidance on architecture and engineering approaches across projects
• Building an engineering culture that values curiosity, quality, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Collaborating closely with project leads and other team leaders to ensure engineering expertise is effectively aligned with project needs
• Representing the engineering team in technical discussions, proposals, and client engagements where appropriate

What Makes a Strong Candidate

The ideal candidate will bring deep technical experience combined with thoughtful leadership, alongside a genuine enthusiasm for solving challenging problems.

You will likely have:

• 8+ years of software development experience, including experience leading engineering teams
• Experience working in consulting environments or client-facing technical roles
• Exposure to defence, security, or similarly complex technical sectors
• Strong leadership capability with the flexibility to support teams across varied and evolving projects
• Experience delivering data-intensive applications or platforms, with a focus on stability, scalability, and performance
• Familiarity with AI engineering, cloud architectures, and modern DevOps practices
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to engage effectively with both engineers and senior stakeholders
• A strong degree in Computer Science, STEM subject / Quantitative discipline from a leading university. We would consider a flex but must show a particularly strong level of experience and technical confidence.
• Current UK security clearance, or the willingness and eligibility to obtain it

Why This Role

This role offers the chance to play a significant role in building a high-quality engineering team in the North East, working on technically challenging projects within the defence and security space.

It would suit someone who enjoys leading talented engineers, exploring new ideas, and building robust software systems in complex environments.