Head of R&D

Valsoft Corporation; Dartford; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software company is seeking an accomplished R&D Leader to oversee strategic initiatives within their Aviation division across the EMEA region. This role involves leading cross-functional teams, driving innovation and quality across a portfolio of software solutions, and optimizing R&D processes. Candidates should have 8+ years of experience in software development and strong leadership skills, with a background preferably in aviation or logistics. Fluent English is essential, and proficiency in additional European languages is advantageous.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in software development, with at least 3 years in technical leadership or R&D management.
• Strong background in enterprise software development, especially in aviation.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of French or German is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage R&D teams across multiple EMEA locations.
• Drive innovation and technical excellence in software architecture.
• Collaborate to define the product roadmap and ensure alignment with business goals.

Skills

Leadership

Technical excellence

Communication

Project management

Agile methodologies

Education

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

Tools

DevOps

CI/CD pipelines

Cloud architectures

Job description

Job 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.

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 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 product and engineering.
• Build, mentor, and develop high‑performing engineering teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability and innovation.

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.