Location: Reading (50% onsite)

Duration: Until 28th March '27 initially (high chance of extension - early stage programme)

Rate: £82.50ph UMB (Inside IR35)

Active SC clearance required.

Role details:

We are looking for an SC Cleared Software Engineering Manager to support our defence client on an exciting programme in the early stages. This contract role is offered on a hybrid basis, with approximately 50% onsite working, and is initially scheduled to run until March 2027 with a strong possibility of extension.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinate technical activities across software engineering teams and key stakeholders


• Monitor project delivery, technical risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies


• Support the development and management of project plans, technical roadmaps and delivery milestones


• Provide technical leadership and first-level technical decision-making


• Act as the primary escalation point for engineering issues


• Manage technical interfaces with customers, suppliers and internal teams


• Support project reporting, forecasting, performance monitoring and resource planning


• Facilitate technical reviews, milestone assessments and configuration management activities

Governance and Delivery:

• Ensure project deliverables meet agreed scope, schedule and quality criteria


• Promote compliance with engineering governance, processes and standards


• Communicate project status, risks and mitigation plans to stakeholders


• Support workload prioritisation, capacity management and effort estimation


• Collaborate with architects, engineers and delivery teams to maintain technical alignment

Job Requirements:

• Active SC Clearance


• Significant experience in software, systems or platform engineering projects


• Strong knowledge of DevOps principles and CI/CD practices


• Experience in software engineering, systems development and software delivery environments


• Technical leadership and stakeholder management experience


• Strong risk, issue and dependency management skills


• Excellent communication, planning and problem-solving abilities


• A degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology or a related discipline

Desirable Skills:

• Microsoft Azure DevOps certification


• Experience within the aerospace, defence, automotive or another regulated industry


• Familiarity with model-based development environments


• Experience managing multidisciplinary engineering teams