Lead Software Engineer | Defence Start-Up | London
Lead Software Engineer required for a rapidly-growing London-based defence start-up building next-generation autonomous and AI-driven systems to support critical national security missions.
Founded by experienced operators and technologists, and backed by top-tier investors, the company is entering a pivotal growth phase. This is a a hands on leadership opportunity to take technical ownership, shape system architecture, and help define the engineering culture from the ground up.
About you:
- 7+ years of experience in backend or full-stack engineering
- Strong experience designing and building scalable, resilient systems
- Comfortable across languages (e.g. Python, Rust, C++, Java, Go) with a pragmatic, language-agnostic mindset
- Proven ability to lead technical projects and mentor engineers
- Interest in defence, security, or mission-critical systems
- Strong problem-solving skills with a focus on real-world impact
Bonus points:
- Experience in start-ups or high-growth environments
- Background in defence, aerospace, robotics, autonomy, or security domains
- Experience working on mission-critical or safety-critical systems
Why join:
- Mission-driven work supporting defence and national security outcomes
- High-growth start-up environment with experienced founders
- Opportunity to lead and influence core platform architecture
- Work on advanced autonomy, AI, and distributed systems at the cutting edge
- Build alongside a small, high-calibre, highly trusted team
If you’re a deeply hands-on engineering leader who leads from the front and are driven by building systems that truly matter, apply now or reach out directly to learn more.
Lead Software Engineer | Defence Start-Up | London
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