Head of Embedded Software UK

This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the most influential software functions in the organisation. Reporting to the VP Software Engineering UK, you will define technical direction, develop engineering capability and lead the delivery of mission-critical embedded software that supports some of the most sophisticated defence technologies in the world. If you’re passionate about technical excellence, developing exceptional engineers and shaping the future of software engineering, we’d love to hear from you.

Salary: Circa £105,000 depending on experience

Dynamic (hybrid) working: 2-3 days per week on-site due to workload classification (Note: The Embedded Software Department is split between the Stevenage and Bristol sites so frequent travel to the remote site is required)

Security Clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship.

Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. As a minimum and after offer stage, all successful candidates will need to undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard checks (BPSS), which are managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

What we can offer you:

• Company Bonus: Bonus of up to 50% of base salary
• Compny Car Allowance
• Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
• Flexible working: We welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements
• Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave -enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments
• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more…
• Private Medical Insurance: Eligible employees are enrolled as standard into the company funded Private Medical Insurance benefit.

The opportunity:

The Head of Embedded Software is responsible for the strategic design, development, integration, and verification of highly complex real-time embedded software that operates directly on missile hardware. The department ensures robust, safe, secure and efficient embedded software delivery for all products and platforms requiring control applications or low-level software.

This role has a highly significant influence in the Software Centre of Excellence at a UK/France level and a key position within the Software Engineering Leadership team, influencing and contributing to the future development of the organisation in the UK. It should be noted that the delegated design authority in this department covers highly safety critical software of a very niche nature.

What we're looking for from you:

• Extensive experience leading the development and delivery of complex embedded software systems within a safety-critical or high-integrity engineering environment.
• Proven track record of delivering software projects on time, within budget and to the required quality standards.
• Strong technical leadership experience, with the credibility to act as a Software Design Authority or equivalent technical authority.
• Demonstrable expertise in embedded software architecture, design, integration and verification.
• Strong understanding of software engineering best practice, including software architecture, quality assurance, safety, security and configuration management.
• Experience developing and implementing software engineering strategies, roadmaps and technology plans aligned to business objectives.
• Proven ability to lead, develop and inspire high-performing software engineering teams, including capability development, succession planning and skills growth.
• Experience driving continuous improvement, standardisation and the adoption of engineering best practices across multiple projects or programmes.
• Knowledge of software reuse strategies or similar approaches to improving engineering efficiency.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior leaders, customers and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Strong commercial awareness with experience managing budgets, resources and programme performance.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience using engineering metrics and performance data to drive informed decision-making and continuous improvement.

Our company: Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given

MBDA is a leading defence organisation.  We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more…

We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.

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