Senior Software Developer- Low-Level and Embedded (Defence)

Neptune North; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Pension contributions up to 6%

Private health insurance

Discretionary bonus

Job summary

Neptune North seeks a Senior Software Engineer to lead low-level and embedded development on defence projects, providing technical oversight to a growing team. You will shape systems engineering capabilities and ensure high-quality deliverables through hands-on involvement.

Responsibilities include business development, mentoring, and contributing to proposals, with projects spanning embedded, real-time and resource-constrained platforms.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years employment experience delivering and/or overseeing low-level, embedded or real‑time software.
• Excellent programming skills in C++ or Rust.
• Experience of embedded, real‑time or resource‑constrained environments with peripheral interfaces such as SPI, I2C, UART and CAN bus.
• Experience developing for industrial computing platforms, single-board computers or real-time operating systems.
• Experience of high-assurance engineering practices, such as safety-related standards or secure development lifecycles.
• Experience of high-performance computing, low-latency systems, or performance profiling and optimisation.
• Linux or macOS development, including low-level toolchain and build system knowledge.
• Experience with end-to-end software engineering workflows (requirements, design, development, testing, deployment, maintenance).
• Experience integrating AI-assisted tools into development workflows without compromising quality, security or compliance.
• Strong understanding of software engineering processes and best practices.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to adapt communication to audience.
• Experience working effectively in a team and commitment to knowledge-sharing.
• Strong academic foundations (first-class or 2:1 in CS/Engineering/Physics/Mathematics).
• Ability to work with ambiguity while remaining outcome-focused.
• Experience in defence or national security is a strong plus.
• Experience writing technical proposals or bids is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Influence the technical direction and strengthen Neptune North’s low-level and embedded capabilities.
• Provide leadership and hands-on delivery in a wide range of systems projects.
• Set and maintain technical direction, architecture and standards, and balance speed, quality and maintainability.
• Lead code and design reviews, set quality bar and enforce it.
• Work directly with clients to shape requirements and build trust.
• Assist in winning work by helping to write compelling bids and technical proposals.
• Adapt to evolving company priorities and take on aligned work.
• Promote knowledge sharing and reuse of capabilities across the team.
• Mentor engineers to build a high-calibre engineering team.

Skills

C++

Rust

Embedded systems

Real-time

Linux development

Verbal communication

Team collaboration

Proposals

Education

First-class or 2:1 degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

SPI

I2C

UART

CAN bus

Job description

• Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
• Security clearance: must be eligible for UK SC-level security clearance (UK national)
• Visa sponsorship: we are not able to sponsor visas for this role
• Closing date: applications reviewed on a rolling basis

About Neptune North

Neptune North is a high-performing technical consultancy. We build data, AI and software solutions for clients in defence, financial services and private capital, working on demanding problems in challenging environments.

We were founded in 2024 as a joint venture between Oliver Wyman and Rokos Capital Management. We’re headquartered in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, with a growing international footprint, and we’re recruiting exceptional engineers across every level.

The role

We’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer to lead low-level and embedded development on demanding defence projects and to help provide technical oversight to a new and rapidly growing team. You will help define and strengthen the systems engineering capabilities that differentiate Neptune North and build a trusted reputation across defence clients.

Responsibilities also include contributing to business development, providing technical expertise and mentoring, overseeing the quality of deliverables, and hands-on involvement in projects.

This is a technical leadership role for an engineer who wants to stay close to the code. Potential projects span fully engineered solutions, developing Proof of Concepts (POCs), and applied work on embedded, real-time and resource-constrained platforms.

Responsibilities

• Influence the technical direction and play a key role in strengthening Neptune North’s low-level and embedded capabilities
• Provide leadership and hands‑on delivery in a wide range of systems projects
• Set and maintain technical direction, architecture and standards, and make pragmatic trade‑offs between speed, quality and long‑term maintainability
• Run code and design reviews, set the bar for quality, and hold the team to it
• Work directly with clients to shape requirements, manage expectations, and to build trust
• Contribute to winning work by helping to write compelling bids and high‑quality technical proposals
• Demonstrate flexibility in taking on work aligned to evolving company priorities
• Advocate knowledge sharing across the team and identify opportunities for reuse of capabilities
• Regularly provide career and technical mentorship to other engineers to build a high calibre engineering team

What makes a great candidate

• Minimum 5 years employment experience delivering and/or overseeing low-level, embedded or real‑time software
• Excellent programming skills in C++ or Rust
• Experience of embedded, real‑time or resource‑constrained environments, including peripheral interfaces such as SPI, I2C, UART and CAN bus
• Experience developing for industrial computing platforms, single‑board computers or real‑time operating systems
• Experience of high‑assurance engineering practices, such as safety‑related standards or secure development lifecycles
• Experience of high‑performance computing, low‑latency systems, or performance profiling and optimisation
• Linux or macOS development, including low‑level toolchain and build system knowledge
• Experience of modern end‑to‑end software engineering workflows, including requirements management, design, development, testing, deployment and maintenance
• Experience integrating AI‑assisted tools into development workflows without compromising on quality, security or compliance
• A solid understanding of software engineering processes, and a drive to embed best practices in teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to adapt communication according to the audience
• Experience working effectively in a team and a commitment to knowledge‑sharing and collaboration
• Strong academic foundations, typically a first‑class or 2:1 degree from a leading university in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics or Mathematics, or a related discipline
• Ability to work effectively with ambiguity, while maintaining a disciplined, outcome‑focussed approach
• Experience in defence or national security is a strong plus
• Experience writing technical proposals or bids is a plus

What you can achieve

• Shape systems that strengthen UK defence and national security
• Play a critical role in building and nurturing a rapidly expanding world‑class engineering team
• Gain broad experience across interesting systems projects applied to challenging environments
• Be part of a collaborative, low‑ego team

Why join us

• Work on a wide variety of interesting problems alongside high‑calibre colleagues. Our culture is collaborative and supportive. Neptune North is a place where people help each other grow and feel a real sense of belonging
• 25 days’ holiday allowance plus bank holidays
• Matching pension contributions up to 6%
• Private health insurance through Bupa
• Discretionary bonus

Travel

Neptune North works with clients across the UK’s defence sector. Many engagements involve regular travel and time on client site. This could mean two to three days per week over an entire assignment, or shorter periods of full‑time on‑site working anywhere in the UK, at sites including Cheltenham, Bristol, Glasgow, Portsmouth or other defence hubs. We support travelling staff with full expenses and hotel arrangements, and we discuss client placements with you in advance. We are looking for engineers who see this variety as part of the appeal of consultancy work rather than a downside.

Interview process

Our interview process is rigorous because the standard internally is high. For this role, it has three stages:

• Written questions, which you complete at a time that suits you
• A first interview covering your CV, experience and career aspirations
• A technical interview with members of our engineering team

Equity, diversity and inclusion

At Neptune North we are committed to a work environment that embraces diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences help us attract, develop and retain the best talent. We do not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, race or ethnicity, identification as an LGBTQIA+ individual, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by relevant local law.