Software Engineering Group Leader

Software Engineer Group Leader 

Salary: £50,702 to £56,336 per annum (dependent on skills and experience). A Specialist of Allowance of up to £5000 per annum is also available for this role.
Hours: Full time.
Contract Type: Open Ended.
Location: Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh.

Closing date for applications Wednesday 30th November

Come and do the kind of computing that got you into technology in the first place. Working with cutting-edge tech alongside world-leading scientists and engineers. 
Put simply discover the impact you can make when you're equipped, encouraged and inspired to perform to your very best.

The UK Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC) is the UK’s national centre for the design and production of leading edge astronomical instrumentation and systems.  We have a friendly and flexible work environment, on a beautiful site combining the historic Royal Observatory Edinburgh architecture with state-of-the-art modern laboratories.

Here at UK ATC we now have an opportunity for an experienced software engineer to work across a range of projects for major observatories, such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) and the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and also to lead the UKATC software group, managing the work of the group and defining its future strategy.

In addition to working on one or more astronomy projects, you will be responsible for the overall leadership and management of the software group, ensuring good engineering principles and procedures within the group. Working with senior engineers you will have a leadership role in delivering our programme and developing our future strategy.

A scientific research background would be useful but is not essential.
Person Specification

Essential

•    A good honours degree (or equivalent)
•    Experience working in a professional software development environment, delivering software to a formal technical specification 
•    Significant demonstrable experience leading software project teams, ideally in an agile software development context 
•    Experience of Python, Java, Javascript/Typescript, C++, or similar OO languages 
•    Excellent problem-solving skills
•    Excellent communication and negotiation skills

Employee Benefits:
We are offering a permanent position with a whole host of benefits including:
•    30 days holiday (in addition to 10.5 bank holidays and privilege days).
•    Flexible working hours.
•    An excellent defined average salary pension scheme.
•    Employee shopping/travel discounts.
•    Excellent learning and development opportunities.

We are committed to sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are invested in creating an environment that is welcoming and supportive of all, to help us achieve the highest possible standards in our work and organisation together. In this regard, we encourage applications from under-represented groups.

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business-support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us. 
What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what's possible.

About STFC 

The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a world-leading multi-disciplinary science organisation where curiosity-driven, blue-skies thinking meets practical, application-led science and engineering. Our goal is to deliver economic, societal, scientific and international benefits to the UK and its people – and more broadly to the world. 

One of Europe’s largest research organisations, we’re trusted to support, enable and undertake cutting-edge projects in an amazing diversity of fields. Through world-class facilities and people, we’re driving ground-breaking advances in science, engineering, computing and technology. Our research seeks to understand the Universe from the largest astronomical scales to the tiniest constituents of matter, yet creates impact on a very tangible, human scale. 

How to Apply 

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit your CV and a covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation to join STFC and the role you’re applying for. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit your application without a covering letter may result in your application not being considered. You will only be assessed on the content of your CV and covering letter and not the ‘experience’ section of the application. 

About UKRI 

Launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). 

Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK to create an independent organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, and a vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. More information can be found at www.ukri.org.