Senior Software Engineer – Factory & Manufacturing Systems
Location: On-site, London, UK
Salary: Up to £170,000 + Meaningful Equity
Industry: AI / Defence & Aerospace
The Company:
They're building a software-first manufacturing network: small to medium-sized, highly specialised factories (starting with CNC machining) that produce critical components for aerospace and defence. Their goal is to scale from a handful of sites today to a much larger network across the UK/Europe and the US powered by software that runs individual factories well and orchestrates the network end-to-end.
What You’ll Do:
* Build core full-stack systems that run the shop floor (MES) and support quoting, scheduling, routing, and execution.
* Work directly with operators and leadership to identify bottlenecks and ship software that changes real outcomes fast.
* Own projects end-to-end: design > implementation > deployment > iteration in live factory environments.
* Contribute to “network orchestration” getting the right work to the right factory at the right time, with the right materials/tools.
What We’re Looking For:
* 3–5+ years building product-focused software (exceptional candidates outside this range considered).
* High-agency, independent builder: pragmatic, low ego, strong engineering fundamentals.
* Comfortable in ambiguity; motivated by mission and real-world impact.
* Bonus: stronger UX/front-end leaning (React/TypeScript) a current team gap.
* Bonus: founding engineer / ex-founder experience, or exposure to manufacturing / robotics / aerospace & defence.
Tech:
TypeScript, React, Postgres, AWS (stack flexibility is fine for strong generalists)
Why You’ll Thrive
* See your code drive real machines, powering CNC tools and robots producing precision parts for rockets, planes, drones, satellites, and sensing systems.
* Work on a mission with geopolitical weight, helping reindustrialise the West and build sovereign supply chains for defence, space, and energy.
* Modernise a fragmented, low-NPS ~$130B precision parts market growing ~10% annually.
* Get high ownership and above-average equity in a seed-stage company with ~$9M raised and multi-year runway.
* Work across the full stack manufacturing execution, quoting, scheduling, supply chain, data modelling, AI agents, and UX.
* Build in a factory-first environment, on-site with operators and machines running your software.
* Learn from a high-calibre team from leading tech, defence primes, consulting, military special forces, and deep-tech startups, led by a second-time founder.
* Help scale a growing network of factories in London, across the UK, and the US, designed to expand to hundreds of sites in the US and Europe.
This role is open to UK citizens only.