Director of Software Engineering

About This Opportunity

We are representing a confidential space technology organization in their search for a Director of Software Engineering based in Glasgow, Scotland. Our client is undertaking a fundamental transformation of their satellite constellation operations—moving from manual, operator-dependent processes to fully autonomous, self-healing systems driven by AI and modern reliability engineering principles.

This is a deeply technical leadership role. You will define the architectural vision, build a world-class team of 6–10 engineers, and personally set the standard for what modern space operations should look like. If you want to spend your days in meetings rather than code reviews and architecture discussions, this isn't the right fit. Our client needs a director who earns respect through demonstrated craft, stays hands-on when it matters, and can challenge technical decisions with authority.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the technical roadmap for autonomous constellation operations, transitioning from human-escalation models to self-healing, data-intelligent systems
• Set architectural direction for the data platform, reliability systems, and automation infrastructure
• Stay hands-on: review code, prototype solutions, and dive into technical details when required
• Establish and enforce engineering standards across code quality, system design, testing, and observability
• Lead the shift to SRE principles—SLOs, error budgets, systematic toil reduction—applied to satellite operations
• Recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing team; create an environment where engineers grow rapidly and own their work
• Partner with operations and mission teams to translate operational pain into scalable software solutions
• Serve as the technical voice in company-wide discussions on architecture, infrastructure, and platform strategy
• Drive the application of AI/ML and advanced analytics to operational monitoring and anomaly detection

What We're Looking For

Essential:

• 7+ years of software engineering experience, including at least 3 years in technical leadership or senior individual contributor roles
• Proven track record building and shipping reliable production systems at scale—you've owned systems that couldn't afford to fail
• Deep technical credibility; engineers have respected your judgment, not just your title
• Strong foundation in Python, distributed systems, data platforms, and cloud infrastructure
• Experience with SRE principles, reliability engineering, or large-scale automation; you've systematically reduced toil
• Demonstrated ability to hire and develop engineers; you know what great looks like and how to find it
• Strong communication and influence skills to drive technical decisions across teams you don't directly control

Preferred:

• Experience applying AI/ML or advanced analytics to operational or monitoring problems
• Performance software development experience in Rust
• Background in space systems, aerospace, or highly constrained real-time environments
• Experience building data lakes, telemetry platforms, or observability infrastructure at scale
• History of leading teams through technical transformations, not just maintaining the status quo

Work arrangement: Hybrid model requiring a minimum of three days per week in the Glasgow office.

Note: Access to US export-controlled software may be required. The client will arrange necessary licenses if needed.

How We Work With You

When you apply through Get A Job.ai, our talent team will review your background and conduct an initial screening. If there's a strong match, we'll submit your profile to our client and guide you through their interview process. Please do not contact the client directly—all communication and coordination will flow through our recruiting team to ensure the best experience for everyone involved.

Pay

Compensation details will be discussed during the screening process and are competitive for this level of technical leadership in the UK market.

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