Technical Lead Flight Software (Embedded systems)

Head Resourcing Ltd; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace organization is seeking a Technical Team Lead to guide a team in developing spacecraft flight software. This hands-on leadership role will involve setting technical directions, conducting design reviews, and mentoring embedded systems engineers. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in C and embedded systems, experience with real-time systems, and the ability to communicate complex decisions clearly. Candidates will work on complete spacecraft development, ensuring high-quality software that operates in critical environments.

Qualifications

• Experience leading technical design and mentoring engineers.
• Confident working with microcontrollers (ARM Cortex-M class preferred).
• Ability to diagnose and resolve complex system-level faults.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction, quality, and delivery of flight software.
• Lead design reviews and software standards.
• Drive software quality, testing strategies, and CI/CD practices.

Skills

Strong C and embedded systems background

Technical design experience

Real-time systems understanding

Excellent communication skills

Ownership mindset

Tools

FreeRTOS

Embedded Linux

Python

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

TECHNICAL TEAM LEAD (Embedded systems - FLIGHT SOFTWARE)

Lead the code that flies in space.

My client is building spacecraft flight software that runs real missions in real orbit - and they're now looking for a Technical Team Lead to guide the engineers writing it.

This is a hands‑on leadership role. You won't be "managing from the sidelines."

You'll design systems, review architecture, mentor engineers and still write mission‑critical code that leaves Earth.

What you'll lead

You’ll own the technical direction, quality and delivery of spacecraft flight software:

• Set technical direction and architecture for embedded flight software systems
• Lead design reviews, code reviews and software standards
• Remain hands‑on in C and embedded development
• Drive software quality, testing strategies and CI/CD practices
• Mentor and grow a team of embedded and flight software engineers
• Work closely with hardware, systems and operations teams
• Own technical risk, interface definition and system‑level decisions
• Improve engineering workflows, documentation and development processes

You’ll be the technical anchor - the person people turn to when the problem is hard, safety‑critical or cross‑disciplinary.

What you’ll bring

• Strong C and embedded systems background Java an added bonus
• Experience leading technical design and mentoring engineers
• Deep understanding of real‑time systems, multitasking and low‑level hardware
• Confident working with microcontrollers (ARM Cortex‑M class preferred)
• Experience diagnosing and resolving complex system‑level faults
• Excellent communication skills - you can explain deep technical decisions clearly
• Ownership mindset and ability to shape engineering culture

Bonus points if you've worked with

• FreeRTOS, RTEMS or other RTOS platforms
• Embedded Linux / Yocto / systemd / BusyBox
• Python, Java or automation scripting
• CI/CD pipelines, Docker, GitLab or DevOps tooling
• Spacecraft, robotics, aerospace, automotive or safety‑critical environments

Why this role stands out

• Your team's code flies in space
• You define architecture, standards and technical direction
• You still build - this is a technical leadership role, not a people‑only role
• You shape the engineering culture of a growing space organisation
• You’ll work on complete spacecraft, not isolated components

This is your chance to lead the engineers who write software that leaves the planet.