Lead Software Engineer - Hardware Lifecycle

Lead Software Engineer - Hardware Lifecycle

Location: Cwmbran, South Wales (hybrid, typically 1 day per week on site, with additional attendance as required)

Working hours: 37.5 hours per week, with core hours and flexibility

The opportunity

An established technology business working in network monitoring and IoT is looking for a Lead Software Engineer to take ownership of a small software team and drive the next stage of its hardware lifecycle products. The software supports the deployment, monitoring and administration of large fleets of connected devices used in water and wastewater services.

This is a hands-on leadership role combining technical direction, software development and product ownership. You will lead three direct reports and work closely with product colleagues, a designer, customers and field engineers to understand operational needs, set priorities and deliver improvements. Depending on the stage of delivery, around 40% of your time may be spent coding.

The focus is to simplify the current application landscape and move towards three core products: a mobile app for installation and deployment, a cloud application for internal fleet monitoring, and a customer-facing fleet administration platform. Two existing mobile apps are to be consolidated, while a legacy desktop product will be maintained only as needed until its support commitments end.

What you will be doing

Lead, coach and develop the software team, providing technical guidance and improving ways of working. Set the technical direction and architecture for the product suite, explaining design choices and trade-offs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Take ownership of product outcomes, working with Product Management, customers and colleagues to define requirements, prioritise the backlog and shape the roadmap. Lead legacy modernisation and application consolidation, managing older systems through to the end of their support life. Design, build and maintain software across C#/.NET, React, mobile technologies, Ruby on Rails, Azure and Git. Assess mobile development options, including .NET MAUI and Flutter, and start delivery of the consolidated installation and deployment app. Help move systems beyond a Windows-only approach, including support for Linux environments. Use AI-assisted development tools as part of day-to-day engineering and apply them to speed up legacy code modernisation. Identify technical risks and technical debt, maintain quality through CI/CD and automated testing, and respond to urgent user issues. Improve fleet operations, including provisioning and deployment times and the level of support required per device.

What we are looking for

Strong software engineering experience, including hands-on C#/.NET development. Previous experience leading a software team through modernisation, re-platforming or significant technical change. A product-led mindset: able to shape requirements and priorities, not just deliver work already specified by others. Experience with mobile app development using Xamarin, .NET MAUI or Flutter, alongside web development; React would be an advantage. Confidence working across different technology stacks and a willingness to learn unfamiliar tools where needed. Regular practical use of AI-assisted software development tools. Experience with both Linux and Windows, cloud services (particularly Azure) and core security principles. Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, Git, automated testing, relational databases and SQL. Clear communication, sound judgement and strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.

Desirable experience

Flutter/Dart or Ruby on Rails. IoT, connected-device management, or fleet and asset management systems. Utilities or other critical infrastructure environments. Personal or open-source software projects; links can be included with your application.

First-year priorities

Agree the roadmap and target architecture for the three-product model. Recommend a mobile platform and begin building the combined installation and deployment app. Make AI-assisted development a stronger part of the team's engineering approach. Deliver measurable improvements to fleet operations and reduce avoidable support demand