Overview is seeking a dynamic and experienced Head of Systems & Software to lead and grow a high-performing, agile team at the heart of our innovative product development efforts. This is a key leadership role, ideal for someone who combines strategic vision with hands-on delivery, and thrives in a fast-paced, rapidly scaling environment. The successful candidate will bring proven experience from an integration, systems and validation background —ideally within the manufacturing sector involving integrated mechanical, electrical, and software systems—and will play a pivotal part in driving forward our portfolio of cutting-edge new product development projects.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree qualified in an engineering discipline. Master’s level preferred.
• Proven experience in the development, line management & leadership of world-class software development teams, including embedded software definition, development tests and configuration management.
• Significant experience in a manufacturing industry with integrated mechanical, electrical and software products.
• Proven expert at writing and managing requirements.
• Experience writing test plans and managing integration/verification/qualification.
• Excellent communications skills and fluency in English – both spoken and written.
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary engineering teams.
• Demonstrable initiative and leadership in problem-solving.
• Experience of regular interaction with customers.
• Demonstrable experience in industry as a systems engineer & experience leading systems engineering teams.
• Proven experience with requirements management processes and tools.
• Experience in coaching/leading others.

Preferred :

• Experience writing test procedures.
• Experience with supporting products through the lifecycle.
• Project technical leadership.

WHAT WE DO.

Overview, a rapidly growing UK SME, develops and manufactures market-leading Autonomous Sensors Systems and Integrated Servo Drives for global markets.
Overview’s Intelligent Autonomous Sensors Systems (Pods) use multiple sensors and sophisticated edge intelligence to autonomously provide users with actionable digital information. Pods can autonomously detect, classify, alert users and track targets of interest, all at machine speed. Developed for use in critical domains such as defence, surveillance, security, emergency response and counter-UAS, applications include ground-based solutions and those mounted on manned and autonomous vehicles.
Overview’s expertise includes the development and manufacture of innovative, precision, brushless, Integrated Servo Drives. These Integrated Servo Drives are sold to a rapidly growing global customer base for a range of exacting positioning applications and used by Overview in the development of Sensor Systems.
Technology leadership is core to Overview’s strategy and is underpinned by the investment of more than 20% of turnover in R&D. Specialist capabilities exist in motor design and control, mechanics, electronics, embedded software, AI/ML and sensor integration, plus systems engineering.
Overview is committed to growing exceptional business value through customer focus and providing a leading capability to rapidly define and develop unique, innovative, and market-leading products.

• Leadership of the systems engineering and software development teams within Overview. Ensuring the capability, capacity, process and tools in these groups meet the business needs.
• Direct line management of the systems team and the software team leads.
• Capture of stakeholder requirements from internal and external customers for new products, variants or problem spaces.
• Formation, management and ownership of system/subsystem requirements specifications.
• Definition and documentation of system architectures and trade-off studies, and obtaining agreement to these with the relevant stakeholders.
• Ownership for the creation and maintenance of system-level documentation & technical manuals. This documentation should be sufficiently comprehensive to ensure that the scope of delivery is unambiguous and the contribution required from each functional team can be clearly identified.
• Ownership of technical roadmap for system and software development and architecture reuse.
• Development & maintenance of system-level test and integration plans and management of verification exercises with agreement from stakeholders.
• Support the Technical Director in driving the efficient use and continuous improvement of the Engineering and New Product Development business processes and tools.
• Interface directly with customers (internal and external) for both new product development as well as product support.
• Project and commercial management of outsourced partners, including selection, preparation of requirements, Statements of Work, preparation of sub-contract agreements and performance management.
• Work with the other functional leaders to ensure that new project proposals are accurately assessed in terms of project approach, deliverables, timescale, budget and resource requirements.
• Preparation of high-quality customer-facing bids and proposals.
• Preparation of successful and high-quality applications for R&D grants.
• Ownership of Overview bug tracking and release management tools.