Software Architect

Anson McCade Pty; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Defence sector exposure

Professional development

Job summary

Anson McCade is seeking a Software Architect for a leading defence technology organisation. You will own software architecture across products for safety-critical missile systems, collaborating with software engineering teams, systems engineers and other architects.

The role requires strong design experience, knowledge of architecture principles, and the ability to communicate decisions to technical and non-technical stakeholders. Hybrid work, BPSS checks may apply.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in software design or architecture.
• Strong knowledge of architecture principles and design patterns.
• Experience making and communicating major technical design decisions.
• Experience with modern software development practices and CI/CD.

Responsibilities

• Own the software architecture across products and ensure consistency.
• Define interfaces between internal components and external systems.
• Collaborate with software engineers, systems engineers and other architects.
• Document architectural requirements and rationale behind design decisions.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to technology roadmaps.

Skills

Software architecture

Design patterns

Software engineering

Technical decision making

CI/CD practices

Communication

Job description

Working model: Hybrid, typically 3-4 days per week onsite

Security Clearance: British Citizen or dual UK national with British citizenship

A leading defence technology organisation is looking for a Software Architect to help shape the architecture of complex, safety-critical software products used within advanced missile systems.

This is an opportunity for an experienced Software Architect, or a strong software engineer with significant design experience who is ready to take the next step into an architecture-focused position.

The role

You will take ownership of the software architecture across products, working closely with software engineering teams, systems engineers, technical specialists and other architects to turn requirements into robust and practical technical solutions.

You will be involved in:

• Defining software architectures and ensuring they remain consistent throughout development


• Identifying the key factors driving architectural decisions, including performance, safety, security, usability and maintainability


• Developing architectural requirements and documenting the rationale behind key design decisions


• Defining interfaces between internal software components and external systems


• Working with development teams to ensure implementation remains consistent with the agreed architecture


• Reviewing technical solutions and contributing to wider engineering design activities


• Assessing architectural trade-offs and communicating technical decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders


• Supporting the development of software engineering strategies, technology roadmaps and reusable software approaches


• Contributing to the evaluation of new technologies, tools and engineering methods


• Providing technical guidance and mentoring to software engineers


• Working with wider engineering communities to address technology development and obsolescence

You will be working with advanced software technologies within a highly regulated defence environment, where reliability, security and performance are fundamental to the products being developed.

What we're looking for

• Strong software engineering background with significant experience in software design or architecture


• Good knowledge of software architecture principles, design patterns and modern engineering practices


• Strong programming experience, ideally across more than one language


• Experience making and communicating significant technical design decisions


• Understanding of software abstraction, layered architectures and software stacks


• Experience working with model-based engineering would be beneficial


• Ability to assess technical trade-offs and clearly explain architectural rationale


• Experience working closely with software developers and multidisciplinary engineering teams


• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence technical decisions across different levels


• Understanding of practices such as continuous integration and modern software development approaches


• Ability to evaluate and influence the selection of software tools, frameworks and technologies

What's on offer

• Salary up to circa £80,000 depending on experience


• Bonus of up to 21% of base salary


• Pension contributions of up to 14% combined


• Hybrid working, typically 3-4 days per week onsite


• Enhanced parental leave


• Subsidised onsite meals and free parking


• Opportunity to work with advanced software technologies within the defence sector


• Scope to influence longer‑term software technology and architecture strategy

Security requirements

Applicants will need to be British Citizens or dual UK nationals with British citizenship. Successful candidates will also be required to undergo BPSS checks after offer.