Solutions Architect / Head of Development

The RLK Group is hiring a senior technical leader to take full ownership of the software function across the business. This is an encompassing role: you will be accountable for the architecture, delivery, engineering standards, and day-to-day oversight of all software development, across internal platforms and customer-facing defence/aerospace and data-led solutions.

You will report directly to the Group CEO and operate as the technical authority responsible for turning contracts, requirements, and strategic intent into shipped systems. This is a hands-on leadership role: you set the direction, organise the delivery engine, and ensure the software function reliably executes under real-world constraints.

We are particularly interested in candidates who have worked in high-consequence environments; defence, aerospace, robotics, autonomy, or complex systems integration- where failure modes matter and delivery discipline isn't optional.

What you'll be responsible for

• Own the entire software estate across RLK: architecture, delivery, standards, reliability, and security posture.
• Lead engineering execution: roadmap translation into sprint plans, delivery cadence, resource allocation, prioritisation, and release management.
• Establish and enforce engineering standards: code quality, reviews, testing strategy, CI/CD, documentation, incident handling, and technical debt management.
• Act as lead architect across product lines: defining reference architectures, APIs, data flows, integration patterns, and deployment models.
• Manage and mentor developers and technical contributors, including hiring plans, capability gaps, performance standards, and team structure.
• Drive delivery on external contracts: technical scope definition, milestones, acceptance criteria, and customer-facing delivery accountability.
• Own integration delivery with external partners, OEMs, primes, and system integrators-ensuring interfaces are defined and integration risk is controlled.
• Build "delivery-grade" technical documentation: SoWs, technical specs, interface control documents (ICDs), security and deployment plans, test and acceptance packs.

Do you have experience in Linux?, * Demonstrable experience running software delivery end-to-end in a senior role (Head of Engineering/Software, Engineering Manager, Principal/Lead Architect with delivery ownership).

• Strong solutions architecture capability: you can design systems that survive deployment, integration, and operational reality.
• You can lead a team and also dive into detail when needed (review code, unblock hard problems, set patterns).
• Proven delivery discipline: sprint planning, release processes, quality gates, documentation, and stakeholder management.
• You're comfortable in a high-pace environment with ambiguity, and you impose order without slowing everything down.

Highly advantageous experience

• Defence and/or aerospace programmes, including integration with mission systems and operational constraints.
• UAV/UAS, autonomy stacks, robotics, or sensor-driven real-time systems.
• Edge compute deployments (embedded Linux, ARM/NVIDIA), real-time video/telemetry pipelines, and performance-constrained optimisation.
• Experience working with primes/OEMs/integrators and managing complex interface boundaries.
• Security-by-design, threat modelling, secure interfaces, and hardened deployment patterns.

Tech environment

We care more about outcomes than buzzwords. If you've led delivery across modern stacks and can choose the right tools for the job, you'll be fine. You should be comfortable with modern DevOps, API-first architecture, and production-grade engineering practices.