Rapid Capability Engineer – Software

Rapid Capability Engineer – Software

Department: Engineering

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Bristol, UK

Reporting To: Josh Munday

Compensation: £55,000 - £70,000 / year

Description

We’re building the next UK-headquartered engineering powerhouse.

We're seeking a Rapid Capability Engineer – Software to be part of our opportunity development function, focused on turning early-stage ideas into working software that demonstrates our technical edge. You’ll rapidly develop prototypes, assemble reusable components, and help shape solutions that align with real-world mission outcomes.

This is a hands-on engineering role that bridges exploratory work and delivery-readiness. You’ll work closely with our engineering and product teams to accelerate learning, validate ideas, and enable others to move faster through robust, adaptable builds and strong technical insight.

Key areas of responsibility

As a Rapid Capability Engineer – Software at Rowden, you’ll be responsible for:

• Developing software prototypes and proof-of-concept builds to support internal validation and live opportunity development
• Assembling modular, reusable components, including lightweight prototype data feeds, APIs, and demo environments
• Supporting early solution design through technical insight and feasibility assessment
• Contributing to technical discussions with customers and stakeholders, helping turn emerging needs into functional working systems
• Feeding insights and learnings from prototypes back into our product direction and capability roadmap
• Enabling compelling demonstrations and hands-on evaluations through strong backend development and systems integration

Key skills, experience and behaviours

We’re looking for a technically strong and adaptable engineer with a primary focus on software development and some applied ML exposure:

• Proficient in Python and JavaScript/TypeScript, with experience using frameworks such as React and Node.js
• Comfortable with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and containerisation tools like Docker and Kubernetes
• Capable of building fast, functional prototypes and iterating quickly based on feedback
• Experience integrating machine learning components into wider systems, using frameworks like PyTorch
• Familiarity with modern ML tooling and techniques, including LLMs, agent frameworks, and platforms like Hugging Face
• Understanding of how software, data, and infrastructure interact within operational systems
• Bonus: Exposure to or experience within defence, national security, or other mission-critical domains

About You

You’ll be a great fit for this role if you:

• Are a builder at heart, motivated by turning ideas into real, working systems
• Thrive in collaborative, cross-functional teams where roles are flexible and responsive to context
• Are comfortable with ambiguity and take initiative to create clarity through action
• Are mission-driven and passionate about solving problems that have meaningful real-world impact
• Stay curious and adaptable, eager to explore new tools, technologies, and approaches

Working at Rowden

We are committed to building a flexible, inclusive, and enabling company. Our aim is to create a diverse team of talented people with unique skills, experience, and backgrounds, so please apply and come as you are! We also recognise the importance of flexible working and support this wherever we can. We typically operate a flexible, hybrid-working model, with an average 3 days in the office each week (dependent on the role). We welcome the opportunity to discuss flexibility, part-time working requirements and/or workplace adjustments with all our applicants. Rowden is a Disability Confident Committed company, and we actively encourage people with disabilities and health conditions to apply for our roles. Please let us know your requirements early on so that we can make sure you have everything you need up front to help make the recruitment process and experience as easy as possible. Finally, if you feel that you don’t meet all the criteria included above but have transferable skills and relevant experience, we’d still love to hear from you!