Software Team Lead

Leonardo DRS; Basildon; Hybrid; GBP 76,000 - 94,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 15% employer contrib.

Hybrid working options

Bonus scheme

Wellbeing support

Access to 4,000+ online courses

Referral programme

Job summary

Leonardo DRS in Basildon, UK is seeking a Software Team Leader to drive a team delivering safety-critical CUAS software.

You will lead development, contribute to innovation, and work in a hybrid setup with flexible hours and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Leadership and hands-on software development experience.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Good interpersonal skills and behaviours.
• Effective communication across all areas.
• Working knowledge of Agile techniques.
• Familiarity with formal problem-solving methods.
• Ability to work with formal requirements.
• Ability to work within formal engineering processes.
• Proven delivery capability in complex activities.
• Appreciation of safety-critical software development.
• Willingness to learn and adapt.

Responsibilities

• Lead the team developing our CUAS capability.
• Accelerate capability enhancements in response to evolving threats.
• Contribute to innovative software development with modern techniques.
• Develop next-generation sensing, warning, and counter-UAS capabilities.

Skills

Team leadership

Hands-on software development

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Agile methodologies

Problem-solving methods

Formal requirements

Engineering processes

Delivery capability

Safety-critical software

Willingness to learn

Tools

Big Data

Support

Security

Job description

Salary: £76,000 - 94,000 per year

Requirements

• Team leadership and hands‑on software development experience


• Strong communication and presentation skills


• Good interpersonal skills and behaviours


• Effective communication capability in all aspects


• Working knowledge of Agile techniques


• Familiarity with formal problem‑solving methods


• Ability to work with and through formal requirements


• Ability to work within formal engineering processes as required


• Proven delivery capability in complex activities


• Appreciation of safety‑critical software development


• A good attitude and willingness to learn


• This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Governments Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). National Security Vetting (NSV) may also apply, potentially including eligibility requirements for Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV).


• Desirable but not essential: Agile lifecycles, big data solutions, systems engineering approaches, communication technologies, and hard real‑time software development

Responsibilities

• Lead the team developing our operationally proven, innovative, scalable, layered Counter‑UAS (CUAS) capability


• Help accelerate ongoing capability enhancements in response to evolving uncrewed air systems threats


• Contribute to innovative software development using state‑of‑the‑art solutions and techniques


• Develop next‑generation technologies for sensing, warning, and counter‑UAS capabilities

Technologies

• Big Data


• Support


• Security

More

Join our Integrated Sensors & Protection line of business as a Software Team Leader, where we develop and innovate using the latest methods, tools, and techniques. Our technology combines electro‑optical sensors and advanced radio‑frequency effector technology to deliver sensing, warning, and counter‑UAS capabilities. We are Leonardo, a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security, headquartered in Italy, with more than 53,000 employees worldwide, including 8,500 across nine UK sites. This is a full‑time, permanent, hybrid role based in Basildon. We offer a company‑funded benefits package that includes generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi‑days each year, an award‑winning pension with up to 15% employer contribution, wellbeing support, a bonus scheme, access to more than 4,000 online courses, a referral programme, flexible benefits, and flexible hours with hybrid working options. We are committed to an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace; let us know if you need accessibility support during recruitment.

last updated 40 week of 2026