Head of Software

Our client is a fast-moving Defence-Tech organisation developing software-defined unmanned aircraft, edge video systems and mission tools for demanding Defence and Security users. They are seeking a Head of Software to establish a durable software organisation, consolidate existing products and lead the delivery of reliable, field-ready capabilities across flight, ground, data and mission systems.
This is a permanent, player-coach leadership role reporting to the Head of Product Engineering. The successful individual will remain technically hands-on while shaping architecture, building an initial team of approximately five or six people, improving engineering standards and ensuring software can move safely from code to aircraft and back to evidence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Set the software architecture and technical direction across flight software, ground and mission systems, edge computing, video, data, security and applied machine learning.
• Translate validated operator and customer needs into prioritised delivery plans, fieldable increments and controlled releases.
• Consolidate existing applications into a coherent operator experience with clear system status, sensible defaults and effective recovery paths.
• Recruit, organise and develop the initial software team across flight software, mission systems, embedded products, platform engineering, data, security and machine learning.
• Establish a repeatable code-to-flight process incorporating automated testing, static analysis, simulation, recorded-flight replay, hardware-in-the-loop testing, signed releases and evidence capture.
• Give every software product clear ownership, reproducible builds, support standards, release processes, rollback routes and traceable evidence.
• Work closely with flight-test teams to ensure development aircraft and reference hardware configurations are reliable, repeatable and ready for integration.
• Develop secure, traceable data ingestion, evaluation and operational support processes using proven infrastructure and proportionate assurance.

Job Requirements:

• Significant experience delivering and supporting complex software that interacts with real hardware, where configuration, latency, fault recovery and release quality are important.
• Experience building, leading and shaping a high-performing software engineering team, including recruiting strong technical specialists.
• Strong software engineering and IT software knowledge, with the technical credibility to contribute to architecture, code reviews, debugging, logs, packet captures and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Understanding of modern engineering delivery practices, including version and configuration control, reproducible builds, automated testing, continuous integration, release signing, observability, rollback and incident learning.
• Ability to work directly with operators and users, identify genuine operational needs and turn them into practical software products.
• Pragmatic judgement when deciding whether to build, adopt open-source foundations, buy commodity capability or work with specialist partners.
• Strong security awareness, including secure development, threat modelling, dependency management, supply-chain control, access separation and vulnerability handling.
• Clear communication skills and the confidence to work with software and hardware engineers, flight-test teams, customers, founders and senior stakeholders.

Desirable Experience:

• Unmanned aircraft, robotics, autopilots, ground-control software, MAVLink, ArduPilot, PX4 or comparable vehicle-control systems.
• Full-stack mission-planning or ground-control products, including user interfaces, backend services, deployment and field support.
• Embedded Linux, edge computing, real-time or near-real-time video, streaming, codecs, radio systems or constrained onboard deployment.
• Simulation, recorded-data replay, hardware-in-the-loop testing, test instrumentation or configuration management for complex machines.
• Secure-by-design development, Defence, export-controlled work, safety-critical systems or regulated engineering environments.
• Operational data pipelines, machine-learning deployment, model evaluation, shadow-mode trials or traceable dataset and model lineage.
• Human factors, mission-system user experience or designing tools for use under time pressure and cognitive load.

What Success Looks Like:

• An independently supported mission and radio-navigation capability is operating in controlled customer use.
• Operators can complete defined workflows through a coherent, measurable and supported software experience.
• Existing software products have named owners, reproducible builds, published support statuses and controlled release and rollback routes.
• A working code-to-flight system connects software changes with simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, flight and automatic evidence return.
• Operational data is automatically ingested into a queryable and traceable system built from proven components.
• The initial software organisation is substantially established, with clear ownership, cross-functional cover and reduced reliance on individual contributors.

Location and Working Environment:

Applications are welcomed from across the UK. The role requires regular hands-on access to aircraft, integration configurations and flight-test activities based in Hereford, particularly during active integration and trials. Permanent residence at a specific engineering site is not required.

Benefits:

• Opportunity to lead software engineering for highly consequential Defence and Security technology.
• Direct access to operational users, physical hardware and real-world flight-test environments.
• Significant influence over software architecture, team design, engineering standards and product delivery.
• Opportunity to build a high-performing, cross-functional software organisation from an established product foundation.
• Fast-moving environment focused on practical results, technical ownership and continuous learning.

If you are a technically credible software engineering leader who wants to build a durable organisation, ship field-ready systems and make a measurable difference in the Defence and Security sector, apply now.