R&D Software Engineer
2 days ago
Portsmouth
Our client, a leading technology company in the Defence & Security sector, is currently seeking a talented Research & Development Software Engineer to join their innovative team on a permanent basis. This role is based at Portsdown Technology Park in Portsmouth and offers the exciting opportunity to work on cutting-edge immersive training solutions and simulations. Key Responsibilities: • Build and maintain prototypes, proof-of-concept systems, and technical demonstrators, • Take early-stage feasibility prototypes forward into working implementations, validating technical assumptions and documenting findings, • Implement integrations between AI services, APIs, backend systems, XR applications, simulation environments, and third-party platforms, • Develop microservices, wrappers, connectors, and service interfaces to support solution components, • Support applied AI development including LLM services, speech services, classification models, RAG pipelines, and AI-enabled application features, • Prepare and maintain demo-ready technical builds for internal and customer-facing demonstrations, • Support the preparation of technical handoff to delivery teams, including setup guides, implementation notes, configuration instructions, and known-issue logs, • Test and validate solution components against defined requirements or acceptance criteria, recording issues, limitations, and dependencies clearlyJob Requirements:, • Degree in software engineering, computer science, AI, games technology, simulation or a related technical discipline, • Practical software development experience in Python, C++, or C#, • Ability to build, test, and debug software, integrations, and small services independently, • Understanding of APIs, data formats, and basic system integration concepts, • Willingness to work across different technical areas including AI, XR, backend services, tooling, and prototyping, • Strong problem-solving ability and enthusiasm for learning in a fast-paced R&D environment, • Excellent communication skills to articulate technical issues and blockers clearlyDesirable Skills:, • Experience with AI/ML tools, LLMs, speech services, RAG systems, or AI APIs, • Experience with Unreal Engine, Unity, or other real-time 3D development environments, • Familiarity with Docker, FastAPI, REST APIs, Git, and deployment workflows, • Experience with simulation, defence, XR, training systems, or serious games, • Familiarity with cloud services or local/offline model deployment, • Experience preparing demos, prototypes, or proof-of-concept systems for technical or customer audiencesBenefits:, • Competitive salary, • Family medical and dental cover, • 25 days annual leave, birthday day off + bank holidays, • Additional 5 days annual leave after 1 year of employment, • 5 additional reservist volunteering days on full pay, • 2 volunteering days on full pay, • Pension NEST 7%, • Cycle to work scheme, • EV scheme, • Career development opportunities and progression pathways, • Employee assistance package, • Flexible working, • Company annual socials and wellbeing initiatives If you are an experienced Software Engineer eager to contribute to transformative digital immersive training solutions within the Defence & Security sector, we would love to hear from you. Apply now to join our client's dynamic and supportive team in Portsmouth.