Principal Engineer - Migration Borders Technology Portfolio
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The Migration and Borders Technology Portfolio (MBTP) delivers the technology, data, and cyber services that protect the UK border, support legitimate travel and trade, and help people living and working in the UK to prove their status. The portfolio manages platforms for people, passports, and passenger movements, which underpin digital services processing hundreds of thousands of transactions each day for citizens, migrants, travellers, traders, and industry partners.
The Principal Engineer will lead engineering performance management, oversight, and strategy across the MBTP. This role will drive greater consistency in how software and systems are designed, built, deployed, and maintained. Acting as a subject matter expert, you will support engineering delivery teams, help strengthen our cross‑department engineering community, and contribute to the development of department‑wide software engineering standards and guidance.
What will you be doing?
* Providing leadership and guidance to multiple engineering teams, ensuring alignment with our architecture and professional standards.
* Supporting the development of a strong technical talent pool through coaching, mentoring, and knowledge sharing.
* Ensuring that engineering activities across Migration and Borders follow suitable standards and best practices.
* Supporting technical decision‑making, contributing to roadmaps and strategy for the Engineering function, and communicating decisions clearly across all levels of the organization.
* Collaborating with other engineering leads across the Migration and Borders supplier landscape and internally to build a cohesive engineering community, acting as a key point of contact in your area.
All engineers are expected to embody an open and positive approach, supporting the Home Office in:
* Developing the DDaT Profession by understanding different roles and helping to strengthen our professional community.
* Ensuring compliance with relevant standards, such as accessibility, the GDS service standard, and our own community practices.
* Continuously improving our skills, tools, and approaches, while keeping up to date with the evolving technology landscape.
Your skills for this role
* Providing leadership for engineering quality, including developing quality frameworks, performance engineering, security management, test and code quality coverage, metrics and observability.
* Initiating regular innovation activities designed to exploit leading‑edge technical innovations and developments, identifying and implementing opportunities to improve or prepare the wider service for new and emerging technology, tools, approaches, and ways of working.
* Leading the adoption and subsequent evolution of engineering standards within the Migration and Borders Technology Portfolio.
* Develop a culture of Engineering Performance Management and then measure, report, and manage change.
* Leading and supporting teams to develop and implement consistent successful testing approaches, practices and methods used across the Portfolio.
* Creating a community of engineering within Migration and Borders and participating across wider engineering delivery in the Home Office.
* Exceptional pension: Employer contribution of 28.97%.
* Generous leave: 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 with service), 8 public holidays, and 1 day for the King’s Birthday.
* Flexible working: Options include full‑time, part‑time, compressed hours, job sharing, and a hybrid model (minimum 60% on‑site).
* Learning and development: Access to training, technical accreditations, and funded qualifications (subject to approval).
* Inclusion and recognition: A culture that champions diversity, enhanced parental leave schemes, annual bonuses, and recognition awards.
Learn more about our benefits: Benefits - Home Office Careers
Please note: This role requires SC clearance. To meet national security vetting requirements, you must typically have been resident in the UK for at least five years.
Ready to lead and innovate? Click "Apply" to access the full job description and salary details.
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