SkyBound
Head of Development
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Job Title: Hands-on Head of Software / Head of Development
Location: Remote-first (UK-based, with occasional travel to Southampton HQ)
Salary: £90,000 - £100,000
Right to work: Applicants must have the right to work in the UK
Build the Technology Behind the Future of Autonomous Operations
SkyBound is at an exciting point in its growth. We're winning new projects, expanding our technology teams, and investing in the software, AI, and autonomous systems at the heart of the business. We're looking for a Hands-on Head of Software to work closely with our CTO and help shape the next phase of that journey.
You'll be the most senior developer in the business and the primary point of escalation for complex technical challenges, while also mentoring and helping lead the engineering team. Expect real influence over technical direction and engineering practice, and a direct hand in products that support critical infrastructure operations across the UK.
About SkyBound
SkyBound delivers automated drone operations for critical national infrastructure, providing real-time aerial intelligence to support safety, security, and faster decision-making. We combine software, AI, and remote operations, with systems managed from our Southampton-based 24/7 control center and deployed across the UK in some of the most complex airspaces.
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What you'll be doing
- Hands-on technical leadership: write clean, scalable code for core platform features, and act as the primary escalation point for complex technical, architectural, or debugging issues
- Architecture & standards: help define system architecture, tooling choices, and engineering standards across the software ecosystem
- Team guidance & delivery: mentor and develop engineers, review code, drive delivery across multiple concurrent projects, and help recruit strong technical talent
- Cross-department collaboration: work closely with our AI, Remote Operations, and Commercial teams to make sure our software supports real-world autonomous drone deployments
Our technology stack
- Frontend & core languages: React, TypeScript, Node.js
- Cloud & infrastructure: AWS, serverless services, microservices
- Specialised capabilities: real-time data streaming, IoT device integrations, AI-powered applications, geospatial/mapping technologies
What we're looking for
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We care more about practical capability than job titles - you might currently be a Head of Software, Lead Engineer, Engineering Manager, Software Director, or Principal Architect. What matters:
- Proven technical authority: you've built and scaled complex software products, set technical strategy, and still enjoy getting hands-on with hard engineering problems
- Leadership & escalation: experience guiding developers, reviewing architecture, and acting as the trusted point of escalation on deep technical challenges
- An agile, fast-paced mindset: comfortable influencing direction, introducing best practice, and iterating quickly
- Experience in startups, scale-ups, SaaS, AI, robotics, IoT, or autonomous systems is a plus, but a genuine interest in complex, real-time technology matters more than a specific background.
What you'll get
- £80,000–£100,000 depending on experience, plus equity
- Remote-first working model with flexible hours
- Direct access to company leadership and key decision-makers
- Significant influence over technology and company direction
- The chance to build something meaningful with a team solving genuinely hard problems
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