Software Engineering Manager

Software Engineering Manager
Newton Aycliffe
KO2's client is a fast-growing technology company based in Newton Aycliffe, specialising in innovative connected home automation systems. They're recruiting a Software Engineering Manager to lead their software engineering function as they expand their product portfolio and market presence.
You'll be leading a team of up to eight software and firmware engineers, combining hands-on technical expertise with genuine people leadership and strategic thinking. This is an opportunity to shape the future direction of software engineering within a genuinely innovative organisation delivering products that make a real-world impact.
The Role
You'll lead, mentor and develop your software engineering team, overseeing the complete software development lifecycle from concept through to deployment and support. You'll provide technical leadership across embedded systems and connected IoT projects, work closely with multidisciplinary teams including electronics and product design, and ensure compliance with relevant quality and regulatory standards. You'll champion engineering best practice, support customer engagement and business development opportunities, and drive continuous improvement and innovation within your team.
What we are looking for
Industrial experience managing software development teams through genuine technical complexity. Strong understanding of software architecture, systems design and development lifecycle management. Direct experience developing embedded software and firmware in industrial or consumer environments. Working knowledge of Agile, Scrum and DevOps. Hands-on experience with embedded C/C++, RTOS environments and hardware/software integration. Strong stakeholder management and communication skills. Genuine ability to coach, develop and inspire technical engineers.
Desirable experience includes IoT systems and home automation platforms, cybersecurity for connected devices, GDPR compliance, cloud platforms such as Azure or AWS, machine learning technologies, embedded Linux, Python, MQTT or FPGA development, or background in consumer electronics.
The Details
Location: Newton Aycliffe, County Durham (office-based)
Salary: £65,000 per annum
Team size: Up to eight engineers
You're an engineer first and a manager second. You've managed teams through technical complexity, you understand what it takes to ship products, and you genuinely care about developing your people. You're pragmatic about engineering practices and willing to challenge decisions if you think they're wrong.

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