Principal Software Engineer (T-Shaped)
Location: UK - Remote first (office available in Belfast)
Salary: £75,000 - £95,000 GBP
Benefits: Private medical insurance, Westfield Health Cash Plan, Car salary sacrifice scheme, Working from home allowance (£1,000 per year), Employer Pension contribution (4%), Pension salary sacrifice (from Jan 2026), Life Insurance, Skills for Me allowance, 33 days holiday (incl. bank holidays), 3 statutory days (New Year's Day, Christmas Day, May Bank Holiday)
Job Summary
We are seeking a T-shaped Principal Software Engineer - a highly experienced engineer with broad technical knowledge who can step into any project when critical deliveries are at risk and drive them to success. This role is ideal for someone with a strong background in .NET or Java, system architecture, API integrations, and multi-project delivery, ideally with consulting experience.
Job Description
The Principal Software Engineer will:
* Architect and deliver enterprise-level systems across multiple projects.
* Lead design, technical decision-making, and best practices within the delivery organisation.
* Collaborate with teams to mentor engineers, influence architecture, and improve technical standards.
* Build scalable APIs and integrations across complex systems.
* Operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-paced environments and drive high-quality outcomes.
Key Responsibilities:
* Lead technical design and architecture decisions.
* Deliver end-to-end solutions across multiple projects.
* Mentor and guide development teams on best practices and technical approaches.
* Ensure systems are scalable, performant, and maintainable.
* Collaborate with product, delivery, and consulting teams to meet business goals.
* Drive innovation and continuous improvement across technology stacks and practices.
Personal Specification
Essential:
* 10+ years' experience in software engineering or related field.
* Extensive experience with .NET or Java in multi-project environments.
* Strong experience in system design, architecture, and API integrations.
* Exposure to enterprise-level software and consulting projects.
* Comfortable working with ambiguity, prioritising multiple tasks, and making independent technical decisions.
* Proven mentoring and leadership capabilities.
* Excellent communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Desirable:
* Consulting background, particularly in client-facing delivery.
* Experience with microservices, cloud-native development, and CI/CD pipelines.
* Knowledge of DevOps, performance optimisation, and tooling to improve developer productivity.