{"id":108418,"url":"https://alion.io/job/pqshield-lead-software-engineer","title":"Lead Software Engineer","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":"2026-10-22T06:10:10Z"}},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"posting_text","remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"inferred","locations":["Oxford, United Kingdom","United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":["FR","GB","BE","NL","ES"],"hiring_countries_total":5,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":47000,"max_usd":81000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":68},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"CI/CD","optional":true},{"name":"GitLab CI","optional":true},{"name":"Python","optional":true},{"name":"Rust","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-16T14:42:27Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-07","last_verified_at":"2026-10-22T20:54:53Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":98,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":1,"flags":[],"days_open":97},"description":"Lead Software Engineer\nReports to: Director of Engineering\nDepartment: Engineering\nAbout the role\nPQShield 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.\nCandidates 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.\nFounded 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).\nWhat you’ll be doing\nWorking with other engineering leadersand project managers to plan and allocate work, ensuring we are delivering on our product roadmap.\nYou’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.\nLine Management of a software engineering team:Identifying hiring needs, conducting interviews, and selecting suitable candidates for open positions.\nOrienting new colleagues, providing necessary training, and ensuring they have the tools and knowledge to succeed.\nSetting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, conducting performance reviews, and recognising and rewarding achievements.\nIdentifying training and development opportunities to help colleagues grow their skills and advance their careers.\nAddressing under-performance, providing coaching and support, and taking disciplinary action when necessary.\nFostering positive relationships with team members, resolving conflicts, and promoting a positive work environment\n\nEnsuring the software engineering team has all of the tooling and infrastructure it needs to function well.\nMentoring other colleagues, and being a point of contact for software design expertise within the company.\nWorking with verification engineers to review verification and test plans.\nDefine architectural definitions for complex algorithmic and/or system level solutions.\nProviding feedback to colleagues on feasibility of implementation and specification quality.\nWorking 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.\nEngaging with customers, including helping with integration questions, or answering questions during technical sales calls.\nEnsuring clean lint and implementation reports for IP blocks and subsystems.\nRequired Skills And Qualifications\nExcellent written and verbal communication skills.\nConfidence in planning out a project development cycle and coordinating with project managers as development progresses.\nA commitment to high quality engineering in all areas of their work, including advocating for the best long-term solutions over the easiest or quickest.\nSelf-starter with the ability to work with and inspire a team.\nExperience building software IP blocks from scratch, and owning the process from initial specification through to customer delivery.\nExpert level C experience in an embedded environment.\nAble to apply knowledge effectively in unfamiliar situations and actively maintains own knowledge and shares with others.\nRapidly absorbs and critically assesses new information and applies it effectively.\nSpecifies architectural solutions to technical challenges across multiple technical domains.\nUnderstanding of cryptographic algorithms, protocols, and key management systems.\nPreferred Skills And Qualifications\nFamiliarity with PQC standards and protocols (e.g., NIST PQC).\nFamiliarity with Rust in an Embedded environment.\nPrevious experience with software/hardware co-designs.\nArm & RISC-V experience.\nKnowledge of side-channel security countermeasures.\nConfidence using Gitlab CI, or otherwise principles of continuous integration and testing.\nConfidence with the Python programming language.\nPrevious experience managing a cross-functional software team successfully.\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!\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":6053,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"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":"France","iso":"FR","kind":"country"},{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","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":"2026-07-16T14:42:27Z"},{"event":"close","at":"2026-09-24T21:02:11Z"},{"event":"reopen","at":"2026-10-07T11:07:02Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":32,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.724,"p_room":0.44,"age_days":97,"expected_fill_days":72,"reasons":["conf:0","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-22T06:10:10Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/pqshield-lead-software-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/pqshield-lead-software-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-22T21:48:50Z","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":6565,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-23T00:00:00Z"}},"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-lead-software-engineer"},{"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-lead-software-engineer"},{"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-lead-software-engineer"},{"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-lead-software-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fpqshield-lead-software-engineer"}]}