Head of Software — Connectivity Solutions (Hardware + Embedded Software Engineering) - Cambridge - £120k + Bonus

About the Company

Our client builds the connectivity infrastructure that keeps the world's most demanding control rooms running. KVM switches, extenders and IP-based solutions that put critical systems instantly within reach, wherever the operator is. When a broadcaster needs to switch a live feed, when air traffic controllers need zero-latency access to radar systems, when a virtual production stage needs every camera and workstation connected without a frame of lag, there's a good chance our client's technology is in the signal path. Their systems are trusted by major broadcasters, global tech platforms and critical infrastructure operators, and deployed across air traffic control, healthcare, government, broadcast and industrial environments in over 60 countries. They're employee-owned, award-winning, and entering an exciting next chapter of growth under new leadership.

About the Role

Our client's software has grown fast, organically, and largely without central ownership. Today it lives across three areas: a 9-strong embedded team writing C on Linux across Intel and AMD SoCs, an x86 applications team, and a dedicated offshore engineering team of ~28, alongside an on-site test function of around a dozen people.

Good work is happening everywhere. It's just happening in silos, with little shared tooling and no single technical owner. That's where you come in. This is a newly-shaped leadership role reporting to the VP of Engineering, sitting on the engineering leadership team, and working directly alongside hardware, firmware and FPGA specialists.

You'll have the mandate and the open scope to bring the software function together:

• Setting technical direction
• Raising the bar on tooling and process
• Building a function that matches the ambition of the hardware it sits alongside.

How you structure the team under you is deliberately still open, they want your judgement to shape it and will give you the autonomy to do so.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full software function: embedded Linux development across Intel/AMD SoCs, x86 Linux applications, and the test team, plus the relationship with the offshore engineering partner
• Set and defend technical direction (the business is running C, Rust, Go and Scala today, and part of this role is deciding where that goes next)
• Introduce modern CI/CD, automated testing and release discipline across teams that don't currently share a common toolchain
• Sit on the engineering leadership team, working closely with hardware, firmware and FPGA engineers on cross-discipline architecture decisions
• Be a credible technical voice among strong, opinionated senior engineers — hands-on when it counts, leading from the front when it doesn't. They are looking for a high level understanding combined with leadership experience.

Qualifications

Proven senior software leadership, around 3+ years leading engineering teams

Required Skills

• Deep technical credibility: comfortable evaluating architecture, challenging decisions, and getting into the detail when needed
• Software close to the hardware — embedded C, C++ and Linux experience is strongly preferred; if that's not your background, you'll need to show real fluency with the territory
• A track record of bringing siloed or fragmented teams together and driving lasting process improvement

Preferred Skills

• Bonus points for: IP networking or video-over-network experience, USB protocol knowledge, embedded SoC work, or backgrounds from companies like BrightSign, Roku, or set-top box engineering (Sky, Amino and similar)

Pay range and compensation package

• Salary up to £120,000 + bonus
• Hybrid working (3 days on-site post-probation)
• Employee-ownership benefits
• Relocation support available for the right candidate
• Based in Cambridge