Senior Software Engineer
Location: Gloucester (hybrid - typically 3 days onsite)
Contract: 12 months (strong likelihood of extension)
Rate: £54 per hour umbrella
IR35: Inside IR35
Sector: Engineering/Aerospace
The Opportunity
We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer at an early-mid stage in their career who is ready to take on greater technical ownership and leadership, while remaining fully hands-on.
This role is suited to someone who has moved beyond task-based delivery and is now comfortable owning systems or features end to end, guiding others, and helping shape how software is built and maintained.
You'll work on practical, production software that supports engineering teams day to day. While some solutions use data-driven or automation techniques (including AI/ML), the role is fundamentally about strong software engineering, sound judgement, and reliability.
What You'll Be Doing
* Hands-on software engineering
o Design, build, test and maintain robust software solutions
o Take ownership of existing systems, improving reliability and maintainability
o Diagnose and resolve issues in live environments
* Emerging technical leadership
o Act as a local technical point of contact within the team
o Support and guide junior engineers and apprentices on day-to-day work
o Contribute to technical decisions and promote good engineering practice
* System and data integration
o Work with databases, data pipelines and system integrations
o Ensure data quality, consistency and traceability across systems
o Adapt and evolve tooling as requirements change
* Collaboration & delivery
o Work closely with engineers, analysts and stakeholders to understand real needs
o Collaborate with international teams to align approaches and share best practice
o Balance delivery speed with long-term sustainability
* Continuous improvement
o Identify opportunities to simplify, automate or improve existing systems
o Maintain clear technical documentation
o Contribute ideas to improve development standards and ways of working
What We're Looking For
Essential:
* Demonstrated experience delivering production software in a professional environment
* Strong software engineering fundamentals, with a bias toward pragmatic, maintainable solutions
* Proficiency in Python (or a similar high-level language)
* Experience working with APIs, databases and integrated systems
* Evidence of technical ownership - taking responsibility for systems, components or features
* The confidence and capability to guide and support other engineers, even if you haven't formally managed a team
* Ability to pick up unfamiliar systems quickly and work with minimal hand-holding
* Clear communication skills and a collaborative mindset
Desirable:
* Experience in engineering, industrial or regulated environments
* Exposure to cloud platforms (eg AWS)
* Experience with data-heavy systems, automation or analytics
* Some familiarity with machine learning or optimisation concepts (not essential)
Why Join
* A 12-month contract with strong extension potential
* Competitive £54/hr umbrella rate (inside IR35)
* A chance to step into a technical leadership role while staying hands-on
* Ownership of real systems with visible impact
* Collaboration with experienced engineers across UK and international teams