Head of Software

Head of Software

📍 Near Saffron Walden – 3 days per week onsite
💰 Up to £120,000
🔒 Must be eligible for UK Security Clearance

I’m recruiting a Head of Software for a highly respected engineering and technology consultancy delivering complex, multidisciplinary projects across defence, communications, healthcare and other high-tech sectors.

Reporting directly to the senior engineering leadership team, you’ll take overall responsibility for a multidisciplinary software department spanning embedded software, DSP, FPGA firmware and AI/ML.

This is a broad leadership position combining people development, technical oversight, operational improvement and commercial input. You’ll lead senior managers and engineers while ensuring the department has the capability, capacity and processes required to deliver exceptional work for its customers.

Key responsibilities:

• Leading and developing a multidisciplinary software and firmware department

• Managing senior team members and supporting the development of future leaders

• Driving recruitment, succession planning and capability development

• Improving software engineering processes, governance and delivery quality

• Overseeing technical activities and identifying project risks

• Supporting resource and capacity planning across multiple concurrent projects

• Contributing to technical proposals, project costing and customer bids

• Building strong relationships with clients and senior internal stakeholders

• Encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing across engineering disciplines

We’re looking for someone with:

• Significant software engineering leadership experience

• Experience managing managers and multidisciplinary technical teams

• A strong technical background in at least one of embedded software, DSP, FPGA, cloud or AI/ML

• The breadth to understand and oversee projects across several engineering disciplines

• Experience delivering complex software or technology projects for external customers

• A track record of improving engineering processes, quality and productivity

• Strong commercial awareness and experience supporting proposals or bids

• Exposure to consultancy, product development or fee-for-service engineering environments

• Defence-sector exposure and eligibility for UK Security Clearance

This would suit an established Head of Software, Software Engineering Director or senior Engineering Manager who wants ownership of a technically diverse department while remaining close to customers, delivery and engineering strategy.