Important: All applicants must be able to obtain Security Clearance *minimum 5 years UK residency* Working: Possible Flexible and Hybrid working available. We are looking for an experienced Lead Software Engineer to join one of our leading defence clients. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the development of a real time, safety critical, embedded C application which controls a nose wheel steering system. As the Lead Software Engineer, you will oversee a team of software engineers to derive requirements, compose a spoftware system design, implement, and test a high-reliability safety critical software solution. You will take responsibility for the full software development lifecycle, ensuring compliance with DO-178C level A while pioneering innovation and efficiency. This role requires a combination of technical expertise and strong leadership skills. Responsibilities: Technical Leadership: Lead the requirements definition, design, development, and verification of a bare-metal, real-time software system written in C. Ensure adherence to DO-178C Level A processes, including traceability, rigorous testing, and quality assurance. Conduct design and code reviews to maintain high-quality standards. Project Management/Team Leadership: Collaborate with cross-functional teams (hardware, systems, and test engineering) to ensure seamless integration of software with hardware systems. Report project status to stakeholders and contribute to program reviews. Ensure effective communication across the team. Experience needed: Proven experience developing bare-metal real-time embedded systems in C. In-depth knowledge of DO-178C Level A standards, processes, and documentation. Experience with safety-critical systems and familiarity with certification requirements including MCDC testing. Proficiency in real-time software design and RTOS (optional) concepts. Familiarity with debugging tools, hardware interfaces, and safety analysis techniques. Demonstrated success leading software teams, ideally in safety-critical or aerospace domains. Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines. Excellent communication skills, capable of effectively liaising with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Desirable: Experience with aerospace systems or similar high-reliability domains. Familiarity with other safety-critical standards (e.g., ARP4754, ARINC 653, DO-254, DO-248). Understanding of hardware/software integration and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing. Company Benefits: Every employee is critical to the success of the business and as such they offer a range of flexible employee benefits along with career development opportunities. Flexible working within core working hours 25 days holiday (185hrs) with the option to buy/sell 5 days (37hrs) plus bank holidays 4 times your annual salary in life assurance Flexible benefits package Pension Scheme Sports and Social clubs Supportive and friendly working environment with regular team events Company Details: ❓ Want to join a successful business who are passionate about solve their customers' problems, providing engineering solutions to safety and mission critical challenges in the air and on the ground? ❗ A trusted business, who's solutions can be found in the latest military aircraft and vehicles, in civil aircraft, and in unmanned vehicles. The company have a number of awards, most recently been named as an Award winner (Gold Award) in MoD Defence Employer Recognition Scheme! For full information, please get in touch