Software Development Engineer

Our Client based in Basildon are looking for an experienced Software Development Engineer to join a specialist engineering team delivering secure Windows-based software systems for safety-critical and defence-related applications. This is a Temporary position until April 2026 with the possibility of extension.

This role would suit a self-motivated engineer who is comfortable joining a project mid-stream, investigating existing code, and contributing to the next phase of development within a structured software lifecycle.
You will receive an initial onboarding period, followed by hybrid working with occasional on-site access to specialist test hardware.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Windows applications using C#/.NET
• Contribute to secure communications software, including WCF-based components
• Review, understand, and reverse engineer existing code where documentation may be limited
• Work within a formal software development lifecycle (requirements, design, implementation, verification, compliance)
• Participate in design reviews and technical discussions
• Collaborate with other engineers using iterative / Agile-style development
• Ensure software meets quality, safety, and user expectations

Essential Skills & Experience

• Strong professional experience in C# and .NET
• Working knowledge of C++ (reading and understanding existing code)
• Experience with Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)
• Proven ability to investigate and understand legacy or in-flight codebases
• Familiarity with software development lifecycles, ideally within aerospace, defence, or other regulated environments
• Comfortable working to coding standards, processes, and documentation requirements
• Self-driven, proactive, and able to work with minimal supervision

Desirable Experience

• Background in aerospace, defence, or safety-critical systems
• WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) for UI development
• Agile tools such as Jira or Azure DevOps
• Configuration management tools
• Exposure to embedded or systems-level software

Security Requirements

• Must be eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC)
• UK national or NATO dual national required

Meridian Business Support is a recruitment specialist acting on behalf of our client as an Employment Business for this vacancy.