Principal Software Engineer

Job Description:

Salary Range: £53,000 - £55,000

Leonardo UK operates a grade-based salary framework with broad bands. The salary range shown reflects the approved grade band for this role, or a narrower hiring range published within that band, and is benchmarked against the external market. Exceptions above the standard range are managed through governance controls to protect internal equity.

Your Impact

We are looking for a highly skilled Principal Software Engineer to join our CS&T DevOps team, who are responsible for developing and supporting applications that improve Through Life Engineering Management of aircraft.

The team’s mission is to “make it easy to measure, understand and improve the Through Life Engineering Management of aircraft and provide information and insight to the customers to enable efficient and effective maintenance operations and fleet management.”

Reporting to the System Development Manager, you will take ownership of complex software tasks, contribute to Agile ceremonies, support existing applications, and help shape the evolution of our technology stack.

For the awareness of internal applicants: This is a JFF L6 position.

What you will do as a Principal Software Engineer:

Capability Delivery

• Develop and update high‑quality, maintainable code within a version‑controlled environment.
• Create and maintain unit tests to support CI/CD pipelines.
• Design and implement solutions using established tools, frameworks, and design patterns.
• Produce clear documentation to support QA, support teams, and end‑users.
• Assist support teams by providing deeper technical insight into delivered functionality.

Team & Process Improvement

• Work flexibly across roles within the DevOps team, sharing knowledge and adapting to business priorities.
• Promote and facilitate Agile methodologies throughout the development lifecycle.
• Provide technical expertise in areas such as data analysis, visualisation, technical publication tooling, integrated logistics support, and health & usage monitoring.
• Drive continuous improvement through retrospectives and proactive identification of enhancements.

Customer & Business Engagement

• Provide accurate time estimates to support bids and cost analysis.
• Collaborate with management to monitor risks, schedules, and performance.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders to ensure service levels and customer satisfaction.

What you'll bring:

• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience delivering complex software projects to military or commercial customers.
• Strong ability to interpret requirements and design intuitive, engaging user interfaces.
• Proficiency in web‑delivered applications across frontend and backend technologies (e.g., C++, C#, ASP.NET, Python, JavaScript, Angular, ReactJS).
• Experience with CI/CD practices and unit testing.
• Skilled in working with structured data formats (XML, JSON, SGML) and transformation languages (XSL, XSLT).
• Experience developing multithreaded applications handling large datasets.
• Strong database design and optimisation skills (SQL Server, Oracle, MariaDB, SQLite).
• Understanding of data warehousing strategies (e.g., Kimball) and multi‑dimensional data cubes.
• Proficient with version control systems and branching strategies.
• Solid understanding of networks, systems, and security requirements.
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset.
• Methodical, organised, and comfortable working in an Agile environment.

This is not an exhaustive list, and we are keen to hear from you even if you might not have experience in all the above. The most important skill is a good attitude and willingness to learn.

Working Environment

The role operates within a global context, supporting a wide range of IT‑based systems in a technically complex environment. As the document notes, you will be “working across the Leonardo Helicopters customer base, providing direct support and resolution of issues” and liaising closely with internal users and external solution providers.

Some travel may be required to support programme activities.

Security Clearance

This role is subject to pre-employment screening in line with the UK Government’s Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personnel Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NSV) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV). For more information and guidance please visit: https://careers.uk.leonardo.com/gb/en/security-and-vetting

Why join us

At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive.

• Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.
• Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.
• Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).
• Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.
• Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.
• Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.
• Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.
• Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role.

For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website.

Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety.

At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know.

Be part of something bigger - apply now!

Primary Location:

GB - Yeovil - Lysander Rd

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hybrid Working:

Hybrid