Software Project Leader

MBDA Miissle System; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company bonus

Pension

Overtime

Flexi Leave

Flexible working

Enhanced parental leave

Healthcare Cash Plan

Job summary

MBDA is seeking a Software Project Leader to head a Virtualisation & DevOps team in Bristol. The role requires hybrid working with 3–4 days on-site in the Bristol (Filton) office and clearance to work with secure networks.

Salary: £55,000–£67,000 depending on experience. The successful candidate will lead development of virtualised and containerised missile-system software, manage delivery, and collaborate across engineering, security, and supplier teams.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead software projects and teams.
• Experience deploying virtualised and containerised systems.
• Knowledge of DevOps/DevSecOps practices.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab).
• Networking basics (TCP/IP) and Linux environments.

Responsibilities

• Plan, bid-estimate, andallocate work for software projects.
• Track progress and coordinate with suppliers and project teams.
• Define system requirements and resolve conflicts between competing demands.
• Promote secure, high-quality code delivery and innovative approaches.

Skills

Software leadership

Virtualisation

Containerisation

DevOps

CI/CD

Networking

Linux

Tools

VMware

Docker

Jenkins

GitLab

Job description

Exciting opportunity for a Software Project Leader (SPL) to lead our Virtualisation & DevOps Team.

Salary: Circa £55,000 - £67,000 depending on experience

Dynamic (hybrid) working: We seek to accommodate a blended approach to on-site and remote working. In this role 3-4 days per week in the Bristol, Filton office as a minimum is required due to the secure classification of the work requiring secure network access.

Security Clearance: British Citizen or a Dual UK national with British citizenship. Restrictions and/or limitations relating to nationality and/or rights to work may apply. Security Clearance (SC) is required to be obtained for this role, which is managed by the MBDA Personnel Security Team.

What we can offer you:

• Company bonus: Up to £2,500 (based on company performance and will vary year to year)
• Pension: maximum total (employer and employee) contribution of up to 14%
• Overtime: opportunity for paid overtime
• Flexi Leave: Up to 15 additional days
• Flexible working: We welcome applicants who are looking for flexible working arrangements
• Enhanced parental leave: offers up to 26 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave -enhancements are available for paternity leave, neonatal leave and fertility testing and treatments
• Facilities: Fantastic site facilities including subsidised meals, free car parking and much more…
• Healthcare Cash Plan: The Healthcare Cash Plan benefit provides the option to claim cash back on everyday healthcare expenses such as optical, dental, health and wellbeing and more.

The opportunity:

We are looking for a Software Project Leader with a history of deploying both Virtualised and Containerised systems, to join a small talented team to develop systems for the next generation of advanced missile systems.

We're a driven team with a passion for software and its successful deployment in battlespace weapon systems. We work on technology that is at the forefront of European missile system design, delivering safe, secure, and reliable products to our customers.

• The work will involve planning and bid estimating, allocating work, tracking progress, working with supplier and project teams to define system requirements, and resolving current issues including competing demands and conflicts.
• Working with cutting edge technologies across a range of land and maritime defence projects, developing solutions to implement virtual technologies to replicate and replace physical hardware.
• Acting as a role model to both the team and the wider organisation by promoting innovative approaches to delivery whilst ensuring our strong commitment to safe, high-quality code is maintained.

What we're looking for from you:

• A passion for both software engineering and management, be able to innovate and think critically to solve complex software problems.
• A dynamic leader who can balance software project management, team building, and technical expertise and act as point of contact for a portfolio of end users.
• Software engineering experience with Virtualisation & Containerisation technologies – VMware, and Docker would be beneficial.
• Ability to succinctly document product knowledge and processes.
• Stakeholder management is key as Virtualisation is now used throughout the Software Department, so you will interact with lots of software engineers and project representatives.
• Experience with DevOps and/or DevSecOps would be beneficial.
• Experience working in a continuous integration environment and be familiar with build-processes and tools such as Jenkins and GitLab.
• A knowledge of networking (TCP/IP) would be beneficial and also experience working with Linux and Virtual Hypervisors.
• Comfortable working with a team in a collaborative environment, communicating and contributing to design and implementation decisions, and supporting with integration.

Our company: Peace is not a given, Freedom is not a given, Sovereignty is not a given

MBDA is a leading defence organisation. We are proud of the role we play in supporting the Armed Forces who protect our nations. We partner with governments to work together towards a common goal, defending our freedom.

We are proud of our employee-led networks, examples include: Gender Equality, Pride, Menopause Matters, Parents and Carers, Armed Forces, Ethnic Diversity, Neurodiversity, Disability and more…

We recognise that everyone is unique, and we encourage you to speak to us should you require any advice, support or adjustments throughout our recruitment process.

Follow us on LinkedIn (MBDA), X (@MBDA_UK), Instagram (MBDA_UK) and Glassdoor or visit our MBDA Careers website for more information.

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