Software Engineering Lead - SC Cleared in Reading

Job Description\n

Software Engineering Lead - Digital Engineering

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Location: Reading - Hybrid (minimum 50% onsite)
Rate: £70-£80 per hour, Inside IR35
Contract: 6-month rolling contract
Clearance: Active SC clearance mandatory; DV clearance highly desirable
Eligibility: Sole UK only

The Opportunity\n

We are looking for an experienced Project Engineer - Digital Engineering/Software Engineering to support the technical delivery of complex Software Factory projects across sensitive MOD, Defence and aerospace programmes.

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This is a hands-on technical delivery role, acting as the key interface between engineering teams and Delivery Management. You will coordinate technical activities, manage risks and dependencies, support technical decision-making and help ensure projects are delivered to agreed scope, schedule and quality standards.

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The role is based in Reading, with a minimum of 50% onsite working required.

Key Responsibilities\n
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• Coordinate technical activities across multidisciplinary engineering teams and stakeholders.

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• Track project execution against objectives, milestones and delivery plans.

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• Identify and manage technical risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies.

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• Support the development and maintenance of project plans and technical roadmaps.

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• Provide technical leadership and first-level technical decision-making.

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• Act as an escalation point for engineering and delivery issues.

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• Manage technical interfaces across customers, suppliers and internal engineering teams.

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• Support project reporting, forecasting and performance monitoring.

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• Facilitate technical reviews, governance activities and milestone assessments.

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• Ensure engineering deliverables meet agreed quality, process and compliance standards.

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• Contribute to effort estimation, resource planning and workload prioritisation.

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• Support configuration and change management.

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• Communicate project status, risks and mitigation plans to key stakeholders.

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• Work closely with architects, engineers and delivery teams to maintain technical alignment.

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\nEssential Experience & Qualifications\n
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• Active SC clearance - mandatory.

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• DV clearance highly desirable.

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• Sole UK - mandatory due to programme requirements.

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• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology or a related discipline.

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• 8+ years' experience working on software, systems or platform engineering projects.

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• Demonstrable experience delivering architecture or technical solutions within MOD, Defence Digital, UK aerospace or similarly regulated environments.

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• Strong software engineering and/or systems development background.

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• Experience working within software delivery environments.

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• Good understanding of DevOps and CI/CD practices.

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• Proven technical leadership and stakeholder management experience.

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• Experience managing technical risks, issues and dependencies.

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• Strong communication, planning and coordination skills.

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\nDesirable Experience\n
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• Experience in Aerospace, Defence, Automotive or other highly regulated industries.

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• Familiarity with Model-Based Development environments.

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• Experience managing multidisciplinary engineering teams.

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• Microsoft Azure DevOps certification.

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\nWhy Apply?\n

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Project Engineer/Technical Project Engineer/Software Engineering Lead to work on sensitive, high-profile UK defence and aerospace programmes.

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Key details at a glance:

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£70-£80 per hour | Inside IR35 | 6-month rolling contract | Reading | 50%+ onsite | Active SC mandatory | DV | Sole UK only

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If you have the required clearance and technical delivery experience, we would be keen to hear from you.