Senior Software Engineer C / Qt — Defence Technology | Kiel | Up to €105,000 | Hybrid

Senior Software Engineer C / Qt — Defence Technology | Kiel | Up to €105,000 | Hybrid
Location
Kiel, Germany (up to 60% remote / hybrid)
Contract Type
AUG — Temporary Staffing (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung)
Start Date
1 May 2026
Duration
Up to 24 months
Working Hours
30–40 hours per week (flexible)
Salary
€85,000 – €105,000 gross per annum (dependent on level)

THE COMPANY
 
Our client is a globally respected, privately owned German technology group with over 90 years of engineering heritage and more than 15,000 employees worldwide. With annual revenues exceeding €3 billion, they operate across defence electronics, secure communications, test and measurement, and cybersecurity — supplying armed forces, government agencies and critical infrastructure operators across more than 70 countries.

They have recently established a dedicated naval centre of competence in Kiel, positioning the city as a key engineering hub for the group's expanding maritime and defence programmes. This role is part of that strategic build-out.
The company invests 15–20% of annual revenue in R&D every year — a figure that reflects a genuine commitment to engineering depth over short-term margin. It is privately held, with no private equity involvement, and makes decisions on a long-term basis.
 
THE ROLE
 
Job Title: Senior Software Engineer C (m/w/d) | Employment Type: AUG | Security Classification: NfD briefing required (EU citizens eligible)
 
As Senior Software Engineer, your responsibilities will include:

• Design, develop and maintain complex, high-performance C software solutions for defence and security applications
• Drive CI/CD automation; write and maintain unit and integration tests using frameworks such as Catch2
• Apply and enforce software design patterns; contribute to architecture decisions for distributed systems
• Act as technical lead and primary point of contact for complex engineering challenges
• Conduct pair programming sessions and actively mentor junior and mid-level developers
• Foster a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement within the engineering team

 
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
 

• Modern C (C 17 / C 20 / C 23): several years of professional, production-grade development experience — essential
• Qt framework: hands-on development experience — essential
• Software architecture: applied knowledge of design patterns; experience designing complex distributed systems
• Technical leadership: demonstrable track record of leading developers — mentoring, code review, technical decision-making
• German language: business fluent (C1 ) — mandatory for this role
• English language: working proficiency
• Security clearance eligibility: EU citizenship required; NfD (Nur fuer den Dienstgebrauch) briefing will be required

 
DESIRABLE SKILLS
 

• Experience in defence, aerospace, naval or embedded software development environments
• Familiarity with CMake, Git and Visual Studio build toolchains
• Knowledge of real-time systems, signal processing or communications software
• Experience with agile development methodologies in regulated or classified environments

 
SALARY STRUCTURE
 
Profile Band

Classic Senior C
€85,000 – €92,000
Strong C /Qt delivery, modern standards depth

Senior / Architect
€92,000 – €100,000
Distributed systems design proven leadership

Top Profile
€100,000 – €105,000
Architecture depth mentoring track record
 
HOW TO APPLY
 
To apply, please submit your CV in German or English to jamaine.agyepong@xcede.com, quoting reference #16216. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 48 hours.

Please note: applicants must hold EU citizenship and be eligible for NfD security clearance. Business-fluent German (C1 ) is a mandatory requirement.
 
 Vacancy #16216 | Senior Software Engineer C | Kiel, Germany | Defence Technology | April 2026