Head of Software Engineering
OpenWorks Engineering · Prudhoe, England, United Kingdom · onsite
The Opportunity
We’re looking for a Head of Software Engineering to lead the software engineering function behind advanced electro-optical products that protect people and critical assets around the world.
Reporting directly to the CTO, you’ll lead a growing team of over 10 software engineers, owning the function’s capability, standards and delivery from early concepts through to deployment and in-service improvement. You’ll translate technical direction, product priorities and customer requirements into clear engineering commitments, ensuring the team has the structure, resources and expertise to deliver as OpenWorks grows.
This is an opportunity for an established software leader with deep technical expertise and a proven track record of building high-performing teams and delivering complex products. You’ll have the authority to shape the function, strengthen engineering performance and make a direct contribution to our products and wider business success.
Who We Are
OpenWorks is a rapidly growing business operating globally with a passion for exceptional engineering and building on a legacy of defence innovation in the North East of England.
Our products provide ultra-high performance, real-time detection, tracking, identification and targeting of dynamic aerial threats. They have been deployed internationally to protect high profile military and civilian assets, and contribute towards the defeat of nuisance, misguided and maliciously deployed drones during operations.
We are very proud to have supported a wide range of law enforcement and military operators, protecting many of the most high profile sites and individuals around the world.
The amazing things we do are only possible because of a dedicated and passionate team.
Security Vetting Information
OpenWorks Engineering operates within the defence sector. As part of our recruitment and onboarding processes, we collect information that may be required to support future security vetting and clearance requirements, should these become necessary during employment.
Why You’ll Love Working With Us
Join a high-energy, collaborative team where great ideas thrive, challenges are embraced, and people genuinely love what they do.
Here’s what our benefits have to offer:
Rewarding Success - Competitive salary, starting from £90,000, plus a discretionary annual bonus of up to 25% of salary alongside a structured pay progression framework.
Enhanced Pension – Up to 8% employer-matched contributions to help you plan for the future.
More Time to Recharge – 25 days’ holiday plus public holidays, long-service rewards, and the option to buy up to 5 extra days.
Breakfast & Lunch on Us – Enjoy team breakfasts and freshly prepared lunches every day courtesy of Chef Mark and his team.
Health & Wellbeing – Private healthcare and life assurance for added peace of mind.
Sustainable Travel – Salary sacrifice schemes, including EV car and Cycle to Work options.
Team Socials – Regular events, from quiz nights and football to board games and more.
Learning & Growth – A culture that empowers you to challenge, grow and make an impact, plus a £250 annual learning budget to invest in the development that matters most to you.
What you’ll be doing:
Lead the Software Engineering function: Own the function’s performance and development, setting clear expectations and building a high-performing, collaborative and accountable culture.
Build capability for growth: Shape the team structure, plan future skills needs and develop capability through recruitment, coaching, succession planning and professional development.
Own engineering delivery: Translate product, customer and business priorities into achievable plans, taking accountability for resources, capacity and commitments across multiple projects.
Provide technical direction: Set architecture principles, engineering standards and development practices, applying deep software expertise to challenge decisions and resolve complex technical issues.
Lead the software lifecycle: Oversee the transition of emerging technologies into product development, owning the software contribution from concept through verification, release, deployment and in-service improvement.
Deliver integrated products: Work with Hardware & Systems, Intelligence & Autonomy, Product and Operations to ensure effective integration, production handover and long-term supportability.
Align teams and inform decisions: Resolve cross-functional barriers and give the CTO clear visibility of progress, risks, dependencies and capacity constraints, recommending trade-offs where wider business decisions are needed.
Drive engineering performance: Improve productivity and delivery practices, balancing pace with technical rigour and contributing as a senior leader to the wider Engineering organisation and business performance.
Apply expert technical knowledge: Bring deep software engineering expertise to evaluate complex problems, challenge technical assumptions and guide sound decisions across architecture, development and product integration.
What we’re looking for:
Essential
- Proven software leadership: Significant experience leading and developing software teams within complex R&D and product development environments.
- Technical credibility and qualifications: A strong software engineering background and C++ development experience, supported by a relevant degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Engineering, Physics or a related technical discipline.
- Embedded product experience: Experience delivering complex software on real-time embedded platforms, integrating with mechanical and electronic engineering.
- Architecture and lifecycle expertise: Strong understanding of system design, hardware, operating systems and software interfaces, alongside code review, source control, testing, release management and configuration control.
- People and delivery focus: A track record of developing high-performing teams, managing priorities and resources across multiple projects, and maintaining momentum as priorities change.
Desirable
- Relevant product experience: Experience in electro-optical, autonomous, radar, surveillance or counter-UAS technologies, or regulated, safety-critical environments and defence standards.
- Relevant technologies: Experience with NVIDIA Jetson, Linux hardware drivers, network configuration, TCP/IP, CMake, DevOps, Python, cyber security or video streaming.
- Qualifications: A relevant master’s qualification, Chartered Engineer status or equivalent professional recognition.
- Defence Standards: Experience in regulated, safety-critical or quality-focused environments, or knowledge of defence engineering standards.
You must have the right to work in the UK; we are unable to offer visa sponsorship. Occasional travel may be required.
More about us:
Vision
Help protect the territory and airspace of NATO countries and their allies.
Mission
Be a world-leading provider of autonomous technology for Surveillance applications and Defence
Values
Be a Good Egg: Earn respect, have mutual trust and be honest
Do cool stuff: We develop cool tech with an awesome team, and we get stuff done
Be empowered: We are autonomous, reliable and take personal responsibility
We are one team: Look out for each other and the team
Things go wrong: Fail fast, learn and move on
Have fun: We’re doing amazing things with passionate people
We Get It Done: Focus on what matters and work with energy to bring ideas to life