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Base pay range

Role: Software Architect

Location: Stevenage or Bristol

Salary: Up to £85,000 + exceptional benefits

Working Pattern: Hybrid (typically 3-4 days on-site)

Security Clearance: Due to the nature of the work, candidates must be British Citizens or Dual UK nationals with British citizenship. All successful candidates will undergo HMG Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks as a minimum.

About the Opportunity

Join a world-leading defence technology organisation at the forefront of developing cutting-edge systems for European defence. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Software Architect or a senior software engineer ready to step up into an architectural role with a company renowned for innovation, technical excellence, and long-term career development.

You'll be working on mission-critical systems where safety, security, and reliability are paramount - technology that directly supports national defence and protects our armed forces.

The Role

As Software Architect, you will own the complete software architecture across the product lifecycle, working closely with delivery teams to define and maintain both structural and temporal aspects of the software architecture.

You'll be the technical authority responsible for:

• Defining software architecture that meets complex real-time, safety, and security requirements
• Identifying and documenting key design drivers including performance, user experience, reusability, and flexibility
• Producing derived requirements and capturing architectural rationale
• Ensuring architectural integrity throughout implementation
• Collaborating with fellow architects, technical specialists, and engineering teams
• Contributing to technology strategy, including new tools, methods, and emerging technologies

This role offers genuine influence - you'll be part of special interest groups shaping the future direction of software engineering practices across the organisation.

What We're Looking For

• Strong technical background in C++ and/or C# with proven software architecture experience
• Deep knowledge of modern software architecture techniques and design patterns
• Experience with model-based engineering approaches
• Understanding of software abstraction layers and the full software stack
• Ability to make and articulate important architectural decisions
• Strong communication skills with ability to influence at all levels
• Passionate advocate for software engineering best practices (CI/CD, clean design, etc.)
• Experience assessing architectural trade-offs with clear design rationale
• Multi-language programming experience
• Technical mentorship and leadership experience
• Understanding of real-time, safety-critical, or secure systems

Exceptional Benefits Package:

• Bonus: Up to 21% of base salary
• Pension: Combined contributions up to 14%
• Enhanced Parental Leave: Up to 26 weeks for maternity/adoption, plus enhancements for paternity and fertility support
• Flexible Working: Genuinely supportive of flexible arrangements
• Excellent Facilities: Subsidised meals, free parking, and outstanding on-site amenities
• Career Development: Clear progression pathways in a company that invests in its people

Why Join?

This organisation is genuinely committed to diversity and inclusion, with active employee-led networks covering gender equality, LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, armed forces, parents and carers, and more. They recognise that everyone is unique and encourage open conversations about any support or adjustments you may need.

This is your opportunity to work on technology that matters, with a company that invests in your future.

Reference: AMC/JWH/SAS1

Seniorities

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Information Technology
• Defense and Space Manufacturing

Note: This refined description excludes unrelated job postings and boilerplate sections not essential to the role itself.