LFW: Any good software companies in Hampshire?

[Wedgepilot]

Ok, some quick background info - I've been working in New Zealand for the last four years, and am now moving back to the UK (I know, I'm mad...don't ask...) Anyway, I'm not tied to any particular region, and I quite like the look of Hampshire. I've also heard a rumour that Winchester has a lot of IT work, and it seems like a nice place to live.

I've got my CV in with the usual recruitment people, but I've always had more success approaching companies directly, so I'm wondering if anyone working in development in Hampshire can recommend 2 or 3 good companies to work for.

My preference would be for a smaller, more dynamic company, with a relaxed attitude, and good, smart people who like to do things properly. If you know of such a development nirvana, please let me know

The sort of role I'm after would be a software development manager, probably with some agile project management, and preferably client-facing. Leading a team, mentoring/coaching, defining methodologies, implementing change, etc would be par for the course. I come from a development background with 13 years experience across a variety of technologies and industries.

Looking forward to reading the replies!

[dern]

If it wasn't for the fact that you want a small company the rest of your requirements might be satisfied at IBM at Hursley... I was there a while back and they certainly seemed to give their employees a fair bit of freedom and exposure to different markets. Having said that I was there as a contractor for 2 years so wasn't directly exposed to what that actually meant as an employee.

We lived in Brambridge, Hursley was at most 5 miles away and we used to catch the bus in to Winchester for beers so from memory none of these places were that far apart.

Edited by dern on Friday 23 January 11:49

[casbar]

I work for a HR and Payroll software dev company in Wiltshire. We are always looking for good developers, BA's PM's and Project Support Analysts. Not sure if we have any reqs for dev Managers, but currently looking for more implementation PM's.

[Wedgepilot]

Thanks for the replies guys. Brambridge looks like a nice spot - close to town but fairly rural. Mark, are there any places to avoid in the area? Also, what sort of products/projects do they do at Hursley?

Rob, I might be interested in a PM/BA role if it's a good place to work. Where abouts in Wiltshire are you? Can you tell me a little more about the company? You can email me via my profile if you don't want to post details here.

Thanks!

[dern]

Wedgepilot said:

Thanks for the replies guys. Brambridge looks like a nice spot - close to town but fairly rural. Mark, are there any places to avoid in the area? Also, what sort of products/projects do they do at Hursley?

I was there about ten years ago and they did the MQ stuff and their version of java there but there was loads of other stuff going on. Don't know enough about the area to comment about where would be best to live I'm afraid.