MERITUS Talent are working with a conusltancy who's end customer is a key player in the UK's maritime and defence industry, who are looking to recruit a Software Architect to join their Somerset offices on a 12 Month contract basis. The role is inside IR35, paying £750 per day via umbrella, and requires an on-site presence Role Overview We are seeking an experienced Software Architect to join the team, contributing to the design and development of large distributed system software. The role requires strong technical expertise, defence sector experience, and the ability to deliver high-integrity, safety-critical solutions. Essential Requirements Active SC Clearance (no caveats). Minimum 5 years' software engineering experience. Experienced in large distributed system software design. Proficiency in C/C++ and Java. Significant experience with safety-critical or safety-related systems (IEC 61508 ideal / IEC 62304 or IEC 26262 desirable). Strong knowledge of high-integrity coding practices and tooling (unit test, static analysis, etc.) and software lifecycles. Strong technical documentation skills. Knowledge of Software FMEA. Previous defence experience. Practical experience with requirements management tools (e.g. DOORS, Polarion). Desirable Requirements UML and modelling methods. Knowledge of embedded systems. Prior defence industry experience. Experience with Atlassian tools. Experience with virtualisation environments and containerisation. Strong understanding of IP networking protocols. Working knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and tools (e.g. Jenkins, JFrog Artifactory).