Lead Software Engineer - Linux

Alder Forest; Worsley; On-site; GBP 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Travel to Germany

Competitive salary

Job summary

Alder Forest in Salford is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to drive a major Windows-to-Linux migration. You will be the technical lead, staying hands-on while guiding 30-40 engineers through the transition, with a focus on Linux architecture and embedded C/C++ work.

This role requires architect-level Linux experience and collaboration with the Germany office, including travel, as you port C# apps and develop for embedded Linux. Hybrid work with in-office presence in Salford three days a week.

Qualifications

• Architect-level Linux migration experience is essential.
• Hands-on embedded Linux with C/C++.
• 3+ years of OO development in C/C++/C#.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership to a Windows-to-Linux transition team.
• Shape platform direction with Linux expertise.
• Modify C# for Linux and contribute C/C++ on embedded systems.
• Collaborate with Germany office to align platform and app development.
• Develop platform architecture on a Debian-based Linux.
• Produce technical specifications and documentation.
• Support defect identification with the QA team.

Skills

Linux migration experience

Embedded Linux

C/C++ development

C# / OO development

Tools

Git

Job description

Lead Software Engineer - Windows to Linux Migration

Location: Salford - Hybrid, 3 days/week minimum in office

Salary: Up to £65,000 + Benefits

The Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, technically-led Software Engineer to join a leading global supplier of industrial equipment to the food and beverage market. This is a genuinely significant project: the business is undertaking a large-scale migration of its core platform from Windows to Linux, and you'll provide the technical leadership to make it happen. This is not a people-management role - it's about technical leadership. You'll be the architect-level authority the team looks to, someone who's been through a Windows-to-Linux migration before and can bring that hard-won experience to guide roughly 30-40 team members through the transition, while remaining genuinely hands-on with the code yourself.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and guidance to a development team currently working in Windows, as they transition to developing for Linux
• Bring architect-level Linux expertise to shape the platform's technical direction - ideally from having led or been closely involved in a similar migration previously
• Get hands-on with modifying existing C# code to run on Linux, alongside embedded C/C++ development
• Liaise closely with the company's Germany office, who have led the Linux platform project, to ensure alignment between platform and application development - including occasional travel to Germany
• Work collaboratively with the applications team leader to develop platform architecture and take full advantage of a Debian-based Linux platform
• Elicit requirements from stakeholders, produce technical specifications and documentation
• Support defect identification and resolution alongside the Software Test Team

Essential Experience

• Architect-level experience with Linux - genuine, hands-on 'been there, done it' migration experience is essential
• Strong hands-on embedded Linux background, with proficiency in C/C++
• Minimum 3 years' commercial object-oriented development experience in a C-like language (C++ or C#)
• Minimum 5 years' experience developing for embedded Linux systems, with in-depth system architecture knowledge
• Experience developing for resource-constrained embedded platforms
• Experience with git version control on large-scale applications
• Comfortable providing technical (not line-management) leadership to a sizeable team while staying hands-on with development

Desirable Experience

• Modifying or porting C# applications to run on Linux
• Development within the Debian ecosystem, including CI/CD
• Experience with GUI/HMI applications for embedded Linux
• Familiarity with Microsoft Visual Studio, XAML/WPF (MVVM)
• Agile methodologies such as SAFe
• Knowledge of M2M protocols (Fieldbus, industrial Ethernet, MQTT)

What's on Offer

• Salary up to £65,000 + benefits
• Hybrid working, 3 days/week minimum in the Salford office
• The chance to lead a major, high-visibility technical migration on next-generation products
• Close collaboration with an international platform development team, including travel to Germany

If you've genuinely led a Windows-to-Linux migration before and want to bring that experience to a business investing seriously in its next-generation platform, we'd love to hear from you.