The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate and inclusive - and we all have our part to play. As employers we are committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. This underpins our values as set out in the NHS Constitution and supports us to be an Employer of Choice, while helping our colleagues to deliver high quality services for our patients and communities.
As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a 'home' office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
We are an accredited Living Wage Employer which means that every colleague working for our organisation and third‑party contractors will earn a real Living Wage. We are one of over 15,000 organisations, who voluntarily chose to pay the real Living Wage.
The Data Platforms team is an engineering team within the Data & Analytics division of the Transformation directorate. The role relates to our work in both maintaining our legacy data platforms estate and transforming how the NHS uses data through the Federated Data Platform.
Role Summary
Principal Systems Engineers are responsible for national systems, leading the development and operation of these key systems. Principal System Engineers will work closely with and provide mentorship for Lead Systems Engineers and Senior Systems Engineers while guiding the technical delivery across multidisciplinary teams. We utilise Agile, Lean and DevOps delivery practices, with an emphasis on internet facing services utilising Cloud and open standards to create large scale national solutions for the NHS. The post of Principal Systems Engineer has been awarded a Recruitment and Retention Premia (RRP). The role attracts an additional monthly RRP payment equal to 25% per annum. Please be aware that RRP is not contractual and subject to review.
This role will report into the Assistant Director of System Engineering.
Key Responsibilities
* Provide technical leadership for national, highly available distributed systems being built and run within NHS England.
* Drive up the engineering maturity for these systems.
* Be responsible for cyber security.
* Identify and implement efficiencies in the running of these systems.
* Lead and contribute to broader engineering improvement initiatives across the directorate/organisation and the ongoing refinement of the engineering principles.
* Lead and deliver cloud‑based platform solutions across AWS and/or Azure adopting PaaS and SaaS services.
* Implement security and resilience techniques at system level.
* Design and lead the development of highly available systems.
* Work within a team to deliver software in a collaborative way.
* Take a lead role, for example driving design decisions or managing stakeholders effectively.
Qualifications and Experience
* Strong cloud‑based platform engineering experience – across AWS and/or Azure adopting PaaS and SaaS services.
* Implementing security and resilience techniques at system level.
* Experience designing and leading the development of highly available systems.
* Experience working within a team to deliver software collaboratively.
* Experience in taking a lead role, for example driving design decisions or managing stakeholders effectively.
Preferred Experience
* Working on enterprise level data platforms in a regulated environment.
* Hands‑on full‑stack engineering, including cloud infrastructure.
* Coaching and developing engineers.
* Managing senior and non‑technical stakeholders.
* Experience with Agile delivery.
Interview Competencies
* INFLUENCE: Uses evidence to make decisions and build alignment.
* KNOWLEDGE: Grows and shares expertise; understands evolving user needs.
* BUSINESS SKILLS: Introduces and leads on new technologies, collaborates with peers across the wider organisation.
* COMPLEXITY: Synthesises complex information and communicates it effectively.
* AUTONOMY: Empowers others, develops talent, and drives accountability.
Eligibility and Security Clearance
All NHS England Principal Systems Engineer personnel must hold SC level as a minimum. To meet National Security Vetting requirements, SC clearances require 5 years continuous UK residency, which can be reduced to three years continuous UK residency with additional overseas checks for the previous two years. You must meet these requirements before applying. You do not need to have SC already, however failure to achieve the SC requirement after an offer will result in the job offer being withdrawn.
Commitments to Inclusivity
We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better patient outcomes. We strive to ensure our people feel trusted, valued and empowered. We welcome your talent and enthusiasm irrespective of age, disability, neuro‑divergence, sex, gender identity, gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro‑divergent. We welcome applications from disabled candidates. If you meet all the essential criteria, you will be guaranteed an interview.
Application Process and Considerations
We do not accept applications via recruitment agencies. We do not offer visa sponsorship for any of our vacancies. The NHS Business Services Authority is responsible for the processing of your application; a privacy notice can be accessed directly on the application page when you select to apply. If you have applied via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred third‑party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note that we currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.
To comply with the HM Government Functional Standard GovS 007, and specifically the Personnel Security Standards 2024, individuals employed or contracted by NHS England may be required to undergo a Baseline Personnel Security Standards check, dependent on the role.
We lead the NHS in England by:
* Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
* Making the NHS a great place to work, where people can develop and make a difference.
* Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care.
* Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation.
* Delivering value for money.
Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and waste. If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter‑Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in‑person. Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
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