Senior Software Engineer, Windows/Desktop Applications - Oxford, United Kingdom

Role overview

This senior engineering role focuses on leading the development of native Windows desktop applications for a widely used text-to-speech reading platform with more than 50 million users worldwide. The position pairs hands-on architecture and coding work with technical leadership responsibilities, operating within a fully remote, distributed engineering organization. A central theme is delivering accessible, performant, production-quality desktop software that complements a multi-platform product ecosystem.

Responsibilities

- Lead architecture, design, and development of native Windows desktop apps using Windows App SDK, WinUI, C#, XAML, and C++ where appropriate. - Define and enforce engineering best practices covering code structure, performance, memory efficiency, responsive UI, and Windows 10/11+ compatibility. - Drive accessibility initiatives, including integration of Windows accessibility APIs such as Microsoft UI Automation, screen-reader support, focus management, and keyboard navigation. - Take end-to-end ownership of features across conception, design, implementation, testing, release, and ongoing maintenance. - Collaborate with product designers, UX researchers, and QA teams to inform UI/UX architecture and the Windows platform roadmap. - Diagnose and address complex bugs, memory leaks, performance bottlenecks, rendering issues, and compatibility challenges with robust fixes.

Requirements

- 3+ years of professional experience building Windows desktop applications with Windows App SDK, WinUI or comparable frameworks, C#, and XAML. - Practical knowledge of native Windows development (C++, Win32, WinRT, or COM) and managed-to-native interop via .NET. - Track record of designing, building, and shipping production-quality desktop applications with attention to reliability, scalability, and maintainability. - Strong experience with Windows accessibility APIs and a clear commitment to accessible, inclusive software. - Solid engineering fundamentals: object-oriented programming, design patterns, data structures, algorithms, memory management, and asynchronous programming. - Demonstrated ability to lead technical design, mentor engineers, drive code reviews, and build consensus across distributed teams.

Nice to have

- Familiarity with automated UI testing, including unit, integration, and UI automation tests. - Background in desktop performance optimization, covering startup time, memory footprint, and high-DPI rendering. - Experience with localization, globalization, and right-to-left UI design. - Exposure to telemetry, analytics, crash reporting, logging, and error monitoring on desktop platforms. - Hands-on experience shaping CI/CD pipelines and release automation for desktop products. - Comfort owning feature areas long-term, including refactoring, maintenance, and managing technical debt.

Benefits and work setup

- High-impact senior role defining the architecture and future direction of a widely used Windows product. - Fully distributed engineering culture with a flat structure and meaningful decision-making authority. - Opportunities to mentor and grow into broader technical leadership, including Tech Lead and Architect tracks. - Mission-driven product work centered on accessibility and inclusive user experiences. - Location: Oxford, United Kingdom. Specific compensation is not listed in the source material.