Head of R&D

Valsoft Corporation; Chelmsford; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

An international aviation technology firm is seeking an accomplished R&D Leader to guide research and development initiatives. This role requires managing cross-functional teams, driving innovation in aviation software, and overseeing the full software development lifecycle. Candidates should have over 8 years of software development experience and at least 3 years in leadership. The company offers a competitive benefits package and flexible working arrangements across EMEA.

Benefits

Competitive benefits

Growth-oriented environment

Hybrid working flexibility

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in software development, with at least 3 years in technical leadership.
• Proven track record of leading distributed software engineering teams.
• Strong background in enterprise software development, preferably in aviation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage R&D teams across multiple EMEA locations.
• Drive innovation in software architecture and engineering execution.
• Collaborate with Product Management to define product roadmap.

Skills

Leadership

Software Development

Cloud Architectures

Communication

Innovation

Education

Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science or related field

Tools

CI/CD Pipelines

Agile Methodologies

Job description

Overview

We are seeking an accomplished R&D Leader to oversee the strategic and operational direction of research and development initiatives within our Aviation software division across the EMEA region. The successful candidate will lead cross‑functional engineering and product teams to drive innovation, quality, and scalability across a portfolio of aviation software solutions. You will play a pivotal role in shaping the product roadmap, optimizing R&D processes, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and technical excellence. This is a leadership position suited for someone who combines deep technical knowledge with strong management and communication skills – someone passionate about building the next generation of aviation software technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage R&D teams across multiple EMEA locations, ensuring alignment with business goals, product strategy, and engineering priorities.
• Drive innovation and technical excellence in software architecture, product delivery, and engineering execution.
• Collaborate with Product Management to define the product roadmap and long-term technology vision, ensuring engineering and product decisions are aligned.
• Oversee the full software development lifecycle (SDLC), and product delivery lifecycle, ensuring timelines, budgets, technical quality, and product outcomes are met.
• Establish and monitor key performance metrics (KPIs) for both engineering performance (quality, velocity, reliability) and product impact (adoption, delivery success).
• Promote best practices in agile product development, engineering workflows, testing, and release management.
• Partner with cross‑functional leaders (Operations, Sales, Support, Product) to ensure seamless delivery of customer‑focused product and platform solutions.
• Identify emerging technologies and trends relevant to aviation software and apply them strategically across both product and engineering.
• Build, mentor, and develop high‑performing engineering teams, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation, accountability, and collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in software development, with at least 3 years in technical leadership or R&D management.
• Proven track record of leading distributed software engineering teams.
• Strong background in enterprise software development (preferably in aviation, logistics, or mission‑critical systems).
• Deep understanding of cloud architectures, APIs, and modern development frameworks.
• Strong communication, leadership, and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent organizational and project management abilities.
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into business value.
• Fluency in English; other European languages (especially French or German) are an advantage.
• Experience using AI in software development and delivering AI‑first products.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in the aviation or aerospace software sector.
• Knowledge of DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and scalable SaaS architectures.
• Experience implementing Agile, Scrum, or Lean methodologies at scale.
• Demonstrated success in driving innovation and delivering measurable results.

Benefits

• Strategic leadership role within a growing international aviation technology division.
• Opportunity to shape next‑generation aviation software solutions.
• Global collaboration with top‑tier technical and business teams.
• Competitive benefits and growth‑oriented environment.
• Hybrid or remote working flexibility across EMEA.