La Fosse
Head of Software — Connectivity Solutions (Hardware + Embedded Software Engineering) - Cambridge - £120k + Bonus
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
About the Company
Our client builds the connectivity infrastructure that keeps the world's most demanding control rooms running. KVM switches, extenders and IP-based solutions that put critical systems instantly within reach, wherever the operator is. When a broadcaster needs to switch a live feed, when air traffic controllers need zero-latency access to radar systems, when a virtual production stage needs every camera and workstation connected without a frame of lag, there's a good chance our client's technology is in the signal path. Their systems are trusted by major broadcasters, global tech platforms and critical infrastructure operators, and deployed across air traffic control, healthcare, government, broadcast and industrial environments in over 60 countries. They're employee-owned, award-winning, and entering an exciting next chapter of growth under new leadership.
About the Role
Our client's software has grown fast, organically, and largely without central ownership. Today it lives across three areas: a 9-strong embedded team writing C on Linux across Intel and AMD SoCs, an x86 applications team, and a dedicated offshore engineering team of ~28, alongside an on-site test function of around a dozen people.
Good work is happening everywhere. It's just happening in silos, with little shared tooling and no single technical owner. That's where you come in. This is a newly-shaped leadership role reporting to the VP of Engineering, sitting on the engineering leadership team, and working directly alongside hardware, firmware and FPGA specialists.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
You'll have the mandate and the open scope to bring the software function together:
- Setting technical direction
- Raising the bar on tooling and process
- Building a function that matches the ambition of the hardware it sits alongside.
How you structure the team under you is deliberately still open, they want your judgement to shape it and will give you the autonomy to do so.
Responsibilities
- Lead the full software function: embedded Linux development across Intel/AMD SoCs, x86 Linux applications, and the test team, plus the relationship with the offshore engineering partner
- Set and defend technical direction (the business is running C, Rust, Go and Scala today, and part of this role is deciding where that goes next)
- Introduce modern CI/CD, automated testing and release discipline across teams that don't currently share a common toolchain
- Sit on the engineering leadership team, working closely with hardware, firmware and FPGA engineers on cross-discipline architecture decisions
- Be a credible technical voice among strong, opinionated senior engineers — hands-on when it counts, leading from the front when it doesn't. They are looking for a high level understanding combined with leadership experience.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Qualifications
- Proven senior software leadership, around 3+ years leading engineering teams
Required Skills
- Deep technical credibility: comfortable evaluating architecture, challenging decisions, and getting into the detail when needed
- Software close to the hardware — embedded C, C++ and Linux experience is strongly preferred; if that's not your background, you'll need to show real fluency with the territory
- A track record of bringing siloed or fragmented teams together and driving lasting process improvement
Preferred Skills
- Bonus points for: IP networking or video-over-network experience, USB protocol knowledge, embedded SoC work, or backgrounds from companies like BrightSign, Roku, or set-top box engineering (Sky, Amino and similar)
Pay range and compensation package
- Salary up to £120,000 + bonus
- Hybrid working (3 days on-site post-probation)
- Employee-ownership benefits
- Relocation support available for the right candidate
- Based in Cambridge
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London