Location<\/strong><\/td>\n| Rest of UK<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n This role leads Softwire\u00e2\u0080\u0099s Future Systems Engineering practice, combining strong engineering judgement with commercial awareness to shape the direction of the service and keep it relevant for clients in the years ahead. The position sits within the business development department and is based across London, Manchester, or Cambridge. It is designed for someone who can move comfortably between technical depth, client advisory work, and practice leadership.<\/p>\n About the team and service<\/h3>\nFuture Systems Engineering is one of Softwire\u00e2\u0080\u0099s four core services, alongside AI Transformation, Data Strategy & Platforms, and Digital Product & Customer Experience. The service focuses on technical strategy and architecture, modernising legacy systems, cloud platform engineering, security architecture and resilience, and cost management. Much of the work is for regulated sectors and critical national infrastructure.<\/p>\n At Softwire, services are referred to internally as practices, and the Practice Lead is responsible for owning and developing that practice. The role reports to the CTO and sits within the CTO office alongside the two heads of capability and Vendor Relations. The successful person will also build and guide a small pod of three to five experienced technical consultants who can move quickly into tactical client work, help turn new ideas into delivery, and support the practice more broadly.<\/p>\n What you will do<\/h3>\nThe role is split broadly between practice development and client-facing work, with roughly equal time spent on each. You will manage that balance yourself.<\/p>\n \n- Define and evolve the Future Systems Engineering proposition, including what Softwire sells, how it is positioned, how it is priced, and how it changes over time.<\/li>\n
- Decide what the practice should be capable of delivering in three years\u00e2\u0080\u0099 time, then build the offerings, methods, and skills needed to get there.<\/li>\n
- Monitor technology trends, vendor moves, regulatory developments, and client demand, then interpret what those signals mean for Softwire\u00e2\u0080\u0099s strategy.<\/li>\n
- Create new offerings and commercial propositions that allow Softwire to pursue engagements it has not delivered before.<\/li>\n
- Lead thought leadership for systems engineering through articles, speaking engagements, industry forums, and by directing content produced by colleagues.<\/li>\n
- Run the systems engineering Community of Practice, sharing good ideas across accounts and helping raise technical standards across the company.<\/li>\n
- Recruit, shape, and direct a small team of hands-on consultants who can take ideas from proposition into first delivery.<\/li>\n
- Support go-to-market activity by helping shape bids and pitches, joining early client conversations with Client Directors, setting solution direction, and drafting technical proposal sections.<\/li>\n
- Lead discovery work such as workshops, technical assessments, architecture and modernisation strategies, and board-level recommendations.<\/li>\n
- Prepare major engagements for successful delivery by making sure delivery teams understand the client\u00e2\u0080\u0099s needs and the wider context, then continue to support them as the work progresses.<\/li>\n
- Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders and use those relationships to identify further opportunities where Softwire can add value.<\/li>\n
- Coach and mentor colleagues in both technical and consulting capabilities.<\/li>\n
- Work mainly at the front end of engagements, including early-stage conversations, discovery, architecture reviews, workshops, diagnostics, and support to delivery teams after the initial shaping phase.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What the role involves in practice<\/h3>\nPractice Leads work as a team, with one lead per service. This role requires enough technical credibility to speak confidently with engineers and enough commercial and advisory skill to engage senior client executives. The work is highly collaborative, and the ability to influence without formal authority is important.<\/p>\n The role also requires a strong public-facing element. Softwire expects the Practice Lead to help build the company\u00e2\u0080\u0099s profile in systems engineering through external writing, speaking, standards work, and participation in working groups or similar forums.<\/p>\n What Softwire is looking for<\/h3>\n\n- At least 8 years of experience in technical roles, including 4 or more years in an agency or consultancy setting.<\/li>\n
- Experience of how consultancies win work, scope engagements, and set pricing.<\/li>\n
- Evidence of designing and delivering large-scale systems in challenging environments.<\/li>\n
- Strong understanding of non-functional requirements such as performance, resilience, security, and cost.<\/li>\n
- Fluency in modern cloud architecture, including serverless and event-driven patterns, plus the ability to explain when those approaches are appropriate and when they are not.<\/li>\n
- A working understanding of how AI is changing engineering practice and platform requirements, with interest in deepening that knowledge.<\/li>\n
- Commercial fluency, including awareness of business drivers, procurement, contracting models, and margin, and the ability to connect technical decisions to commercial outcomes.<\/li>\n
- Comfort operating in ambiguous situations, making decisions with incomplete information, balancing competing stakeholder agendas, and turning varied inputs into practical solutions.<\/li>\n
- A habit of tracking the market closely, including vendor strategy, pricing changes, regulation, emerging techniques, and client demand, and turning those signals into a clear point of view.<\/li>\n
- Strong consulting and advisory skills, including the ability to hold peer-level conversations with C-suite leaders about business strategy and add insight they have not already heard.<\/li>\n
- Confidence in presenting, writing, and building persuasive messages.<\/li>\n
- Pre-sales experience in an agency or consultancy environment, together with a desire to do more of that work.<\/li>\n
- An interest in building a public profile in systems engineering through publishing, conference speaking, standards bodies, or working groups.<\/li>\n
- Leadership ability, including the capacity to inspire people without direct authority and create the conditions for success across teams.<\/li>\n
- A collaborative style that values openness, shared resources, and collective success over individual recognition.<\/li>\n
- A proactive, hands-on attitude and willingness to take ownership of issues and opportunities.<\/li>\n
- Comfort working without a perfect environment and a positive approach to solving problems as they arise.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Reward and benefits<\/h3>\nSoftwire uses transparent pay scales and a profit share scheme tied to role and overall company performance. The base salary for this position is \u00c2\u00a3110,400 to \u00c2\u00a3124,200, depending on experience in role. In addition, the average profit share is expected to be between \u00c2\u00a319,000 and \u00c2\u00a325,250, depending on experience and company performance.<\/p>\n \n- Employer pension contribution of 5% of salary.<\/li>\n
- 25 days of annual leave, with the option to buy 10 more days and sell 5 days.<\/li>\n
- 3.5 extra days off for company-wide morale activities.<\/li>\n
- AIG income protection.<\/li>\n
- Travel card loan scheme.<\/li>\n
- Zero-emission car scheme.<\/li>\n
- Cycle to work scheme.<\/li>\n
- Enhanced maternity and paternity pay.<\/li>\n
- Time off for charitable activities.<\/li>\n
- Sabbatical available on request.<\/li>\n
- Payroll charity donations.<\/li>\n
- Headspace Plus access.<\/li>\n
- Free annual eye test.<\/li>\n
- Long service awards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Working pattern<\/h3>\nThe role offers flexible working arrangements and is suitable for someone who wants to work four days per week. It is a hybrid position, with a general expectation of at least two days per week working from home.<\/p>\n About Softwire<\/h3>\nSoftwire is a UK technology and strategy consultancy that works with organisations in both the private and public sectors, including enterprise, government, energy and utilities, financial services, and insurance. The company describes itself as a place for smart, passionate technologists who want to make an impact, and it emphasises a culture built around doing work properly, finding fulfilment and enjoyment in work, being kind to colleagues and clients, and operating with trust rather than bureaucracy.<\/p>\n The company says it has been recognised as the number one company to work for in the UK at the Best Company awards. It also highlights that its people often go on to highly ambitious roles after leaving, including positions at major technology companies, AI research, algorithmic trading, and startup founding.<\/p>\n How to apply<\/h3>\nApplicants can use the Apply Now route on the job page to submit an application.<\/p>\n\n Degree Requirement:<\/strong> Not Specified<\/p>\nVisa Sponsorship Promising<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_promoted":"","_job_location":"UK","_application":"https:\/\/www.softwire.com\/careers\/open-roles\/practice-lead-future-systems-engineering","_company_name":"Softwire","_company_website":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_filled":0,"_featured":0,"_remote_position":0,"_job_salary":"\u00a3110400 - \u00a3124200 per yearly","_job_salary_currency":"GBP","_job_salary_unit":"yearly"},"job-types":[38],"class_list":["post-3465","job_listing","type-job_listing","status-publish","job-type-experienced"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coderseditor.com\/itjobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-listings\/3465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coderseditor.com\/itjobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-listings"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coderseditor.com\/itjobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/job_listing"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coderseditor.com\/itjobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coderseditor.com\/itjobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"job_listing_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coderseditor.com\/itjobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-types?post=3465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} |