Lead Software Engineer – Information Advantage in Luton

Job Description: Lead Software Engineer – Information Advantage Location: UK Hybrid, across multiple Leonardo sites

About the Role Join Leonardo's Information Advantage team and help lead the development of software that transforms complex data into useful, timely information for mission‑critical Aerospace, Defence and Security applications.

As a Lead Software Engineer, you will combine hands‑on software engineering with technical leadership, guiding a team through the design, development, integration and delivery of secure, resilient and high‑quality software.

You could work on capabilities including Command & Control, Sensor Fusion, Electronic Warfare, Situational Awareness, AI‑enabled Decision Support and Data Exploitation.

Lead the team. Stay technical. Solve complex problems. Deliver Information Advantage.

What You'll Do

• Lead the day-to-day technical delivery of software within a team or work package.
• Design, develop, integrate and test complex software solutions.
• Provide technical guidance, coaching and mentoring to other software engineers.
• Contribute to software architecture and take ownership of detailed software design.
• Lead and contribute to code, design and technical reviews.
• Work closely with systems engineers, architects, data scientists, test engineers and customers.
• Apply Secure by Design and high-quality software engineering practices.
• Promote automation, CI/CD, DevSecOps and modern engineering practices.
• Investigate technical problems and help the team identify effective solutions.
• Support technical planning, estimation, risk management and delivery.
• Ensure software meets its functional, performance, security and quality requirements.

What We're Looking For

You'll be an experienced software engineer who enjoys remaining technically involved while helping others succeed. You will be comfortable taking ownership, making technical decisions, solving complex problems and providing direction to a software engineering team.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Significant software engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrable capability.
• Strong software leadership and development experience in one or more of: C++, C#, Python, Java Designing and delivering software components and systems.
• Software design principles including SOLID principles and design patterns
• Software architecture Interfaces and system integration
• Testing and software quality
• Providing technical guidance or mentoring to other engineers.
• Understanding of secure software development practices.
• Working across the software engineering lifecycle.
• Communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Desirable Experience

• Experience in one or more of the following would be beneficial: Aerospace, Defence, Security or Government environments.
• Command & Control (C2), ISR, Sensor Fusion or Mission Systems.
• Distributed or data-intensive systems.
• Cloud-native software and containerisation.
• DevSecOps and CI/CD.
• AI, Machine Learning or Data Analytics.
• High-integrity or mission-critical software.

The Person

• Technical Leadership Provides clear technical direction while remaining close to the engineering.
• Agency and Ownership Takes responsibility for outcomes, identifies problems early and drives them through to resolution.
• Collaboration Works effectively across software, systems, data, test and other engineering disciplines.
• Coaching and Mentoring Supports less-experienced engineers and helps build the capability of the wider team.
• Engineering Judgement Makes pragmatic technical decisions by balancing requirements, risk, quality, cost and schedule.
• Continuous Improvement Looks for better ways to design, develop, test and deliver software.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role. For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety. At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Primary Location: GB - Luton - Cap. Green 300 Additional Locations: GB - Basildon, GB - Edinburgh, GB - Lincoln, GB - Newcastle, GB - Southampton Contract Type: Permanent Hybrid Working: Onsite International, multicultural, innovative, technological: this is Leonardo. The company’s passionate and talented team is strongly influenced by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) expertise, with a diverse range of experience that enables colleagues to share knowledge and know-how across the generations. Leonardo always wants to expand its talent pool, here you can find the right opportunity for you!

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