Software Engineer, Advanced Composites
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Our client, a leader in advanced composite manufacturing, automated lay-up systems, and next-generation materials engineering, is expanding its London engineering team. They are seeking talented Software Engineers with experience in composites, manufacturing automation, or materials-driven engineering environments.
This role sits at the intersection of software, robotics, and high-performance composite structures, contributing to systems used across aerospace, automotive, defence, and clean-tech sectors.
The RoleYou will develop control systems, automation software, simulation tools, and data-driven manufacturing platforms used in composite production. Working closely with mechanical, materials, and process engineers, you’ll deliver robust, high-performance software for real-world manufacturing environments.
Key Responsibilities- Develop and maintain software for automated composite manufacturing systems
- Build control algorithms for robotic lay-up, curing, trimming, and inspection processes
- Integrate software with sensors, machine vision, PLCs, and industrial hardware
- Create simulation, modelling, and optimisation tools for composite structures
- Support R&D projects involving new materials, resins, and fibre-placement technologies
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver customer-specific solutions
- Contribute to testing, validation, and continuous improvement of production systems
- Strong programming skills in C++, Python, or C#
- Experience in manufacturing systems, automation, robotics, or industrial software
- Understanding of composite materials, lay-up processes, or materials engineering
- Familiarity with control systems, real-time software, or embedded development
- Ability to work on customer-driven engineering projects
- Experience with PLC programming
- Knowledge of finite element analysis, simulation, or optimisation tools
- Exposure to machine vision, sensor fusion, or data acquisition systems
- Background in aerospace, automotive, motorsport, or advanced manufacturing
- Work on cutting-edge composite manufacturing innovations
- A collaborative, engineering-focused culture
- Opportunities to influence next-generation production systems
- Career progression across software, automation, and R&D
- Competitive salary + benefits
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Lead your CV personal statement with C++/Python and composite manufacturing automation — the advert lists these as the top essential skills and ATS will filter on them first.
📊 Quantify your automation work: e.g. 'Developed control algorithms for a 6-axis robotic lay-up cell, reducing cycle time by 22% across 3 production lines'.
🎯 Call out any aerospace, automotive, motorsport, or defence project context explicitly — the advert names all four sectors and hiring managers will scan for domain match.
🤝 Highlight cross-functional collaboration with mechanical and process engineers, as the role explicitly requires working alongside non-software disciplines on customer-specific solutions.
🌐 If you have PLC programming or FEA/simulation experience, give each its own bullet — these are listed as desirable and will differentiate your application from pure software candidates.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Developed real-time C++ control software for a 6-axis robotic composite lay-up cell, cutting average cycle time by 18% across 4 production programmes in the aerospace sector.
- •Integrated machine vision inspection pipeline with PLC hardware and sensor fusion modules, achieving 96% defect-detection accuracy on carbon fibre panel production lines.
- •Built a Python-based simulation and optimisation tool for curing process parameters, reducing resin waste by 12% and shortening qualification cycles from 6 weeks to 4 weeks.
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Dear Hiring Manager,
Advanced composite manufacturing sits at a genuinely rare intersection of software and materials engineering — and the Software Engineer role at your client's London team is precisely where I want to apply my C++ and Python control-systems experience. Having worked on automation software for industrial manufacturing environments, I understand the rigour required to deliver real-time, customer-specific solutions that perform reliably on the shop floor.
My background in developing control algorithms and integrating software with industrial hardware — including PLC interfaces and sensor pipelines — maps directly to the robotic lay-up, curing, and inspection systems described in this role. I have collaborated closely with mechanical and process engineers to validate software against physical constraints, and I have contributed to simulation tooling used to optimise production parameters before live deployment.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›Walk us through how you would architect a real-time control system for a robotic composite lay-up cell using C++ — what concurrency model would you choose and why?
- ›How have you integrated software with PLCs or industrial hardware? What communication protocols did you use and what were the key reliability challenges?
- ›Describe your approach to building a simulation or optimisation tool for a manufacturing process — what inputs, solvers, and validation methods would you employ?
- ›How would you implement a machine vision pipeline for automated inspection of composite panels, and how would you handle false-positive defect detection?
- ›What strategies do you use to ensure software safety and determinism in embedded or real-time manufacturing environments?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to deliver a software solution under tight constraints imposed by a customer-specific engineering requirement.
- ›Describe a situation where you collaborated closely with mechanical or materials engineers — how did you bridge the gap between software and physical domain knowledge?
- ›Give an example of when you identified a significant flaw in a production system during testing and how you resolved it before deployment.
- ›Tell me about a time you had to learn a new domain (e.g. composites, robotics, or a new programming language) quickly to meet project demands.
- ›Describe a continuous improvement initiative you led or contributed to on a manufacturing or automation software project — what was the measurable outcome?
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to deliver a software solution under tight constraints imposed by a customer-specific engineering requirement.
Describe a situation where you collaborated closely with mechanical or materials engineers — how did you bridge the gap between software and physical domain knowledge?