{"id":1473579,"url":"https://alion.io/job/pqshield-director-of-software-engineering","title":"Director of Software Engineering","company":{"id":40985,"name":"PQShield","domain":"pqshield.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/pqshield","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":87,"open_postings":3,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.333,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":72,"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Leadership","role_family":"Leadership","seniority":"head","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"inferred","locations":["Oxford, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":85000,"max_usd":208000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":15},"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Agile","optional":false},{"name":"BoringSSL","optional":false},{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Kanban","optional":false},{"name":"OpenSSL","optional":false},{"name":"Rust","optional":false},{"name":"Scrum","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-29T12:04:15Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-29","last_verified_at":"2026-10-20T07:15:35Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":20,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":20},"description":"Director of Software Engineering\nReports to: VP of Engineering\nDepartment: Engineering\nPlease note we can hire you in the following locations; UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Netherlands, Spain, and Finland\nIf you are not based in one of these countries then we are unable to move forward with your application. \nAbout the role\nPQShield is looking for a Director of Software Engineering to lead the development of next-generation software products and architectures tailored for Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC).\nIn this leadership role, you will oversee the design, development, and optimisation of software solutions that secure and accelerate PQC algorithms, providing scalable and efficient cryptographic IP for software libraries and secure communication protocols.\nAs part of the Engineering leadership team, you will work closely with cross-functional groups, including cryptographers, hardware engineers, product managers, and external partners, to bring innovative PQC software solutions to market.\nThe ideal candidate will have a strong background in software development, cryptography, and secure product development, with a focus on delivering secure, high-performance, and efficient products.\nWe have been established since 2018, so you would be directly working with the founders and inventors of this deep tech startup. The technology is already a couple of years in the making, its feasibility having been established, funding secured, and it has a clear path to market. This is a great opportunity for career progression and to get a head start in a rapidly expanding segment of the technology industry.\nWhat you’ll be doing\nLeadership & Strategy:\nDefine and execute the software engineering strategy, aligning with the company’s overall PQC product roadmap.\nLead and mentor a team of software engineers, developers, and software security experts, fostering a culture of innovation and technical excellence.\nChampion and continuously refine Agile development processes (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) to improve team velocity, predictability, and product quality.\nStay informed about trends in post-quantum cryptography and its software implementations to ensure competitive positioning and forward-thinking solutions.\nSoftware Development & Architecture:\nOversee the design and implementation of cryptographic software libraries, secure protocols, and secure IP blocks optimised for PQC algorithms.\nDrive the design and integration of software for use cases such as secure key management, secure communication protocols, and cryptographic agility.\nEnsure the software architecture supports scalable and high-performance designs suitable for embedded systems, mobile, cloud, and data centre applications.\nProject Management & Process:\nSupport the execution of software projects using Agile methodologies, overseeing sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives to ensure predictable delivery.\nCoordinate cross-functional teams, including cryptographers, hardware engineers, and external vendors to ensure seamless integration of software and cryptography solutions.\nImplement and enhance rigorous testing and verification methodologies, including a robust CI/CD pipeline for automated testing, integration, and deployment.\nCollaboration & Communication:\nWork closely with the hardware and cryptography teams to ensure hardware-software co-design, ensuring that software products fully leverage the latest PQC hardware accelerators.\nEngage with external stakeholders, including open-source communities and enterprise customers, to manage the integration and deployment of PQC software IP.\nCommunicate technical concepts and development progress to executives, product management, and customers in a clear and actionable way.\nSecurity & Compliance:\nEnsure all software products meet the latest security standards and regulations for post-quantum cryptography.\nMaintain and enforce robust secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC) principles, including side-channel attack resistance, secure coding practices, and cryptographic algorithm agility.\nRequired Skills And Qualifications\nRequired:\nEducation: Phd, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field with a focus on cryptography or cybersecurity.\n Experience:\n10+ years of software development experience, with 5+ years in a leadership role.\nStrong experience in software security, cryptographic software implementations (e.g., OpenSSL, BoringSSL), and knowledge of post-quantum cryptography.\nExperience in secure software development and validation, including knowledge of C, C++, Rust, or other relevant languages.\nProven experience in bringing secure software products from concept to market.\nTechnical Skills:\n Software Development & Agile Processes: Deep, hands-on experience with modern software development methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Kanban), including backlog grooming, sprint planning, and performance metric tracking (e.g., velocity, burn-down charts).\n Advanced Cryptography: Understanding of cryptographic algorithms, protocols, and key management systems. Familiarity with PQC standards and protocols (e.g., NIST PQC).\nSecurity Architecture: Expertise in designing and implementing secure architectures for software and cloud environments.\nEmbedded Systems: Knowledge of secure software for embedded systems and IoT security.\nSoftware Security: Experience with software-based security solutions and an understanding of secure coding practices and vulnerability analysis.\nSecure Implementation: Understanding of the secure implementation of cryptography and systems which use cryptography. Knowledge of Implementation attacks such as Side Channel and Fault injection and implementation countermeasures.\nSome of the perks of working with us:\nUnparalleled opportunities to learn and accelerated career development.\nA collaborative, team environment with people who truly love what they do.\nCompetitive salary and share option scheme.\nFlexible and hybrid working, and a working from home budget.\nPrivate health insurance for yourself and your family.\n25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays and two wellness weeks).\n50% gym membership discount.\nThe chance to work with a spirited, smart, and friendly team!\nInterested? Apply today to be part of the future of secure hardware!\n\nPQShield is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We’re passionate about talent and proud to foster an inclusive environment; all applicants will be considered regardless of their gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, and age.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6585,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":10,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Annual leave","Gym membership","Health insurance","Hybrid work"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"Germany","iso":"DE","kind":"country"},{"name":"France","iso":"FR","kind":"country"},{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","kind":"country"},{"name":"Austria","iso":"AT","kind":"country"},{"name":"Belgium","iso":"BE","kind":"country"},{"name":"Netherlands","iso":"NL","kind":"country"},{"name":"Spain","iso":"ES","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Quantum Science & Computing","Information Security","Semiconductor IP & Chip Design Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-29T17:51:47Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":20,"expected_fill_days":72,"reasons":["conf:2","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/pqshield-director-of-software-engineering","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/pqshield-director-of-software-engineering.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-20T07:47:28Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":8265,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-21T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":40985},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=40985"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fpqshield-director-of-software-engineering"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fpqshield-director-of-software-engineering"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fpqshield-director-of-software-engineering"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/pqshield-director-of-software-engineering\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fpqshield-director-of-software-engineering"}]}