Lead Software Engineer

Lead Software Engineer Reports to: Director of Engineering Department: Engineering 💼 About the role PQShield is looking for a Lead Software Engineer to help lead a cryptographic software IP team. As a Lead Software Engineer, you will be responsible for overseeing the entire software development lifecycle, from design to testing, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality software solutions. This includes planning, organizing, and managing the software development, including setting timelines, allocating resources, and tracking progress. You will work across a variety of environments, solving complex problems and developing other engineers, while maintaining a strong focus on quality and best practices. You will support the hiring, training, and managing of a team of software engineers, fostering collaboration, and resolving conflicts. Candidates should hold a degree in Electronic Engineering/Computer Science or equivalent experience, backed by at least 10 years in software design and/or verification. We are looking for a technical lead—or a senior engineer ready to step up into leadership—to guide our team. Knowledge of cryptographic engineering and side-channel attack resistance is a major bonus. You should be ready to contribute to cross-team strategy, lead architectural reviews, and drive planning for your team. Founded in 2018, we are a well-funded deep tech startup with proven technology and a clear path to market. Joining us now offers a unique opportunity to work directly with our founders and inventors, fast-track your career progression, and shape a rapidly expanding segment of the semiconductor industry (Post-Quantum Cryptography and RISC-V). This is a great opportunity for career progression and to get a head start in a rapidly expanding segment of the semiconductor industry (Post-Quantum Cryptography and RISC-V). ⚒️ What you’ll be doing - Working with other engineering leaders and project managers to plan and allocate work, ensuring we are delivering on our product roadmap. - You’ll be expected to take on a technical leadership role, and be responsible for coordinating and delivering application and embedded software IP design projects from conception to customer delivery. - Line Management of a software engineering team: - Identifying hiring needs, conducting interviews, and selecting suitable candidates for open positions. - Orienting new colleagues, providing necessary training, and ensuring they have the tools and knowledge to succeed. - Setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, conducting performance reviews, and recognising and rewarding achievements. - Identifying training and development opportunities to help colleagues grow their skills and advance their careers. - Addressing under-performance, providing coaching and support, and taking disciplinary action when necessary. - Fostering positive relationships with team members, resolving conflicts, and promoting a positive work environment. - Ensuring the software engineering team has all of the tooling and infrastructure it needs to function well. - Mentoring other colleagues, and being a point of contact for software design expertise within the company. - Working with verification engineers to review verification and test plans. - Define architectural definitions for complex algorithmic and/or system level solutions. - Providing feedback to colleagues on feasibility of implementation and specification quality. - Working closely with other teams and project stakeholders, and acting as an enabler for their development work. E.g. coordinating with hardware engineers or our product vulnerability team. - Engaging with customers, including helping with integration questions, or answering questions during technical sales calls. - Ensuring clean lint and implementation reports for IP blocks and subsystems. 🎯 Required Skills And Qualifications - Excellent written and verbal communication skills. - Confide