Engineering Manager, Scientific Software

Academic Key; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Death in service

Private health care

Discretionary annual bonus

EMI Share scheme

Job summary

Academic Key is seeking an Engineering Manager for the Data Analysis team, leading engineers who convert raw AFM scan data into robust software and 3D measurements used by customers. The role blends hands-on technical leadership with people management in a cross-functional environment.

You will own the software strategy for image-processing algorithms, application architecture, and tooling, working offline in an on-premises fab setting with no cloud dependency.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in software development and 5+ years in technical leadership or people management.
• Strong Python development skills with industry experience.
• Experience with image processing, computer vision or scientific data analysis.
• Experience working with Agile and Lean methodologies.
• Excellent communication skills in English and collaborative approach.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of scientific software engineers to deliver fault-tolerant software.
• Own the team’s software strategy and guide algorithm, architecture and tooling evolution.
• Mentor team members through 1:1s, appraisals and career development.
• Plan, track, report progress and align with wider programme plans.
• Collaborate with R&D, Systems Engineering, Product and Applications teams.

Skills

People leadership

Python development

Image processing

Agile/Lean

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

RabbitMQ

Job description

Engineering Manager, Scientific Software (Senior Data Analyst Manager) Do you enjoy leading engineers who turn raw scientific data into software the rest of the business can rely on? We're looking for an experienced Engineering Manager to lead our Data Analysis team - so named for what the product delivers to customers, though the team itself is a software and algorithm engineering team - building the applications that turn raw atomic force microscope (AFM) scan data into the 3D measurements our customers depend on. This is a pivotal role combining hands-on technical leadership with people management - shaping our software strategy and driving delivery across a growing, cross-functional organisation. Our software runs inside semiconductor fabs and processes real 3D height-profile data captured at atomic scale, so this role suits someone who enjoys working at the forefront of technology on complex problems, scientific data, and software that must be robust, reliable, and trusted by customers. Reward and Benefits £70,000 – £80,000 (depending on experience) Death in service and private health care benefits, discretionary annual bonus scheme and a generous EMI Share scheme Annual salary review and the opportunity to work on genuinely innovative semiconductor technology About the role You'll lead the team that builds our image-analysis application: consolidating multiple data streams from the microscope, flattening and correcting scan images, recognising scanned features and measuring their height, and running statistical analysis across large sets of measurements. Because the software runs inside a fab with no internet access, the team owns the full picture - there's no cloud service to lean on, so the algorithms, the application, and the visualisation all must hold up entirely on their own. Team Leadership & Delivery Leading, mentoring and developing a team of scientific software engineers, enabling them to deliver high-quality, fault-tolerant software in a time-sensitive product environment Owning the team’s software strategy, and shaping how the team works and how our image-processing algorithms, application architecture and tooling evolve Coaching team members through 1:1s, appraisals, hiring and career development Working with project leads to plan, track and report progress, and integrating the team's work into wider programme plans Managing technical debt pragmatically, balancing delivery speed against long-term maintainability Improving engineering processes so the team can keep getting better, drawing on Agile and Lean practices Technical Involvement Staying hands-on technically where capacity allows - reviewing code, unblocking algorithm and architecture decisions, and staying close to the data Working closely with the R&D team to translate good image processing methodology into quality product. Guiding decisions on image-processing approaches (flattening, feature recognition and masking, skew correction, height measurement etc.) and on the statistical analysis of measurement data Ensuring the application, its communication interface (over RabbitMQ) and its data visualisation are engineered to run reliably in an offline, on-premises fab environment with no cloud dependency Collaboration Collaborating closely with the Software Project Lead and R&D, Systems Engineering, Product and Applications teams to keep priorities aligned Managing external partners where they support delivery A note about AI: we're adopting agentic development with Claude, but our engineers retain full ownership and accountability of the code they ship - whether they wrote it or generated it. AI is a tool that amplifies engineering expertise, not a substitute for it. Who we are looking for To succeed as an Engineering Manager, Scientific Software, we do need you to bring: Experience leading and developing technical teams, including appraisals, career development and recruitment A strong, hands-on background in software development, ideally including image processing, computer vision or scientific data analysis Strong Python development skills with industry experience Practical experience using Agile and Lean methodologies Good understanding of the software development lifecycle and best practice Experience working with external partners or suppliers Project management experience Clear communication skills in English, and a collaborative, pragmatic, self-motivated approach 5+ years’ experience in software development, and 5+ years' experience in technical leadership or people management Nice to have Experience developing software for processing and visualising 3D imaging or scientific data Background in metrology, microscopy, semiconductors or other complex en