Practice Lead – Future Systems Engineering

Practice Lead – Future Systems Engineering Overview

This role leads Softwire’s Future Systems Engineering practice, combining strong technical judgement with commercial awareness to shape the direction of the service. The position sits within the business development function and is based in London, Manchester, or Cambridge. It is a senior role that blends client-facing consulting, pre-sales, thought leadership, and internal practice development.

Softwire is a UK technology and strategy consultancy that works with organisations in both the private and public sectors, helping them turn strategic goals into large-scale results. The company’s work spans AI transformation, data platforms, systems engineering, and customer experience design. Its culture is built around doing work properly, making work fulfilling as well as enjoyable, treating people kindly, and operating with trust rather than unnecessary bureaucracy.

Future Systems Engineering is one of Softwire’s core services. It covers technical strategy and architecture, modernising legacy systems, cloud platform engineering, security architecture, resilience, and cost management, with a strong focus on regulated sectors and critical national infrastructure. Internally, Softwire refers to its services as practices, and the Practice Lead is responsible for owning and developing one of those practices.

The main purpose of the role is to ensure that the service remains relevant in the years ahead and that Softwire’s engineers are able to deliver it effectively. The role is split broadly between practice development and client work, with each side taking about half of the time. The balance is managed by the person in the role.

What the role involves

• Define and evolve the Future Systems Engineering offer so that it remains commercially strong and technically relevant.
• Work with go-to-market teams to help sell the service into sectors such as energy and utilities, financial services, government, and insurance.
• Track changes in technology, vendor strategy, regulation, pricing, and client demand, then decide what those changes mean for Softwire’s direction.
• Create new propositions, delivery methods, and commercial approaches that allow the company to pursue work it has not done before.
• Lead the systems engineering Community of Practice and help spread effective ideas and standards across client accounts.
• Build and direct a small group of three to five experienced technical consultants who can move quickly into practical engagements and help develop new ideas.
• Contribute to Softwire’s external profile through writing, speaking, industry participation, and coordinating content produced by others.
• Take the lead on technical shaping for bids and pitches, including early-stage client discussions, solution design, and proposal writing.
• Run discovery and diagnostic work such as workshops, technical assessments, architecture reviews, modernisation planning, and board-level recommendations.
• Prepare major engagements for successful delivery by making sure teams understand the client’s needs and wider context before work begins.
• Continue supporting delivery teams during engagements and help them navigate technical and contextual challenges.
• Develop trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and use those relationships to identify further opportunities for value creation.
• Coach colleagues in both technical and consulting capabilities.

Practice leadership and team context

Practice Leads work together as a group, with one lead per service, and report to the CTO. They sit within the office of the CTO alongside the two heads of capability and Vendor Relations. The role requires enough technical depth to speak credibly with engineers while also being able to hold high-level conversations with client executives.

In addition to leading the service itself, the Practice Lead is expected to create and guide a small pod of hands-on consultants. These people should be able to move quickly into tactical client work, help take new ideas from concept to first delivery, and support the wider practice.

What Softwire is looking for

• At least eight years in technical roles, including four or more years in an agency or consultancy setting.
• Experience of how consultancies win work, define scope, and price engagements.
• Proven experience designing and delivering large-scale systems in challenging environments.
• Strong understanding of non-functional concerns such as performance, resilience, security, and cost.
• Confidence with modern cloud architecture, including serverless and event-driven approaches, and the judgement to explain where they are useful and where they are not.
• A working understanding of how AI is affecting engineering practice and platform requirements, together with interest in developing that knowledge further.
• Commercial fluency, including awareness of business drivers, procurement, contract models, and margin.
• Ability to make decisions in ambiguous situations, work through competing stakeholder priorities, and turn unclear needs into practical solutions.
• Close awareness of the market, including vendor moves, pricing changes, regulation, emerging techniques, and client demand.
• Strong advisory skills, including the ability to discuss business strategy with senior leaders at a peer level and offer genuinely useful insight.
• Excellent presentation and writing skills, with the ability to build a persuasive message.
• Pre-sales experience in an agency or consultancy environment, and enthusiasm for doing more of that work.
• Interest in building a public profile in systems engineering through publishing, speaking, standards work, or participation in working groups.
• Leadership ability that works through influence rather than formal authority.
• A collaborative style that values open sharing of information, resources, and communication.
• A practical, hands-on attitude and willingness to get involved directly when needed.
• Comfort with taking ownership of problems and opportunities, even when the environment is not perfect.

Working pattern

The role is offered with flexible working arrangements. It is suitable for someone who wants to work four days per week. The hybrid pattern generally allows at least two days each week to be worked from home.

Pay and benefits

Softwire uses transparent pay scales and a profit share scheme tied to role level and company performance. The base salary for this position is between £110,400 and £124,200, depending on experience in role. In addition, the average profit share is expected to be between £19,000 and £25,250, depending on both experience and company performance.

• An additional employer pension contribution of 5% of salary.
• 25 days of annual leave, with the option to buy up to 10 more days and sell up to 5.
• 3.5 extra days off for company-wide morale activities.
• AIG income protection cover.
• Travel card loan scheme.
• Zero-emission car scheme.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay.
• Paid time off for charitable activities.
• Sabbatical available on request.
• Payroll charity donation facility.
• Headspace Plus access.
• Free annual eye test.
• Long service awards.

How to apply

Applications can be submitted through the Apply Now route on Softwire’s careers page.

The page does not mention any visa sponsorship policy, right-to-work condition, or sponsorship restriction for this role.

Degree Requirement: Not Specified

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