We’rea digital insurance provider with ambitious plans to become The Best and Biggest in the UK market. Over the past few years,we'vemade significant investments in our data and tech capabilities, particularly within our CIO function. Our CIO team is at the forefront of driving innovation and ensuring our technology infrastructure supports our ambitious goals.We’venurtured our 4Cs culture, fostering collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement.
We’reproud of the journeywe’reon as a company and know that our continued success will rely on the contribution of our talented colleagues. The CIO team plays a crucial role in this journey, working oncutting-edgeprojects that enhance our digital presence and improve customer engagement.
We provide insurance toover fourmillion customers, but we know there’s even bigger opportunity out there. The factyou’renow reading this job advert meanswe’vetempted you to find out more about #lifeatHD – we really hope you like what you see, andyou’lljoin us to share in the success of the exciting chapter that lies ahead.
We understand some people may not apply for jobs unless they feel they tick every box. If you are excited about joining us and think you have some of what we are looking for, even ifyou’renot 100% sure, we would love to hear from you. Our CIO team is always looking for passionate individuals who are eager to make a difference and contribute to our success.
This is a Hybrid opportunity available from our offices in Leicester or Bexhill
At Hastings Direct,we’retransforming how we build, deliver, and scale technology across the organisation.We’relooking for an experienced Principal Engineer to play a critical leadership role within our Technology Engineering function, helping shape engineering standards, drive delivery excellence, and influence enterprise‑wide outcomes.
This is a highly visible role, combining hands‑on technical leadership, strategic influence, and people development within a fast‑paced CIO environment. We are looking for a strong leader of people who can inspire high performance, coach and develop engineering talent, and set the standard for technical excellence while driving meaningful business impact.
Whatyou’llbe doing:
As a Principal Engineer within the Technology Engineering team (CIO),you’llplay a key role in developing engineers through line management, mentoring, sponsorship, and delivering clear, constructive feedback.
You’llbe deployed to the highest‑priority business challenges, quickly resolving complex issues and helping the organisation learn how to prevent them in future.You’llprovide strategic and technical input to improve project outcomes and influence the company’s direction through high‑impact delivery.
Working closely with stakeholders,you’llshape and improve the delivery pipeline byidentifyinggaps and leading solutions that increase speed, reliability, and consistency across the SDLC.You’llalsoidentifyopportunities to reuse and enhance existing platforms to maximise engineering investment.
You’lllead the Centre of Excellence for your domain, driving tooling improvements,establishingbest practices and controls, and embedding continuous learning. As a recognised role model,you’llchampionhigh standards, link technical decisions to business impact, and foster a high‑performance engineering culture.
Technical Skills & Experience Required:
Whatwe’relooking for
1. Strong transformational leadership skills, with the ability to influence decisions and implement new processes aligned to business goals
2. Excellent mentoring and people development capability
3. Extensive experience in application and/or web development within an Agile environment
Tools & Technologies:
4. Strong experience with at least one Agilemethodology(Scrum, Kanban,SAFe) and tools such as Jira or Octane
5. Expert knowledge of cloud platforms
6. Advanced codingexpertisein React orReactnative app development frameworks
7. Expert use of GitHub for source control
8. Strong understanding of build, release, and deployment automation
9. Proven ability to design and integrate CI/CD pipelines using tools such as Azure DevOps or Jenkins
10. Deep experience with continuous integration platforms (Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or equivalent)
Application Domains:
11. Customer‑facing web and mobile e‑commerce
12. Document templating and production systems
13. Distributed n‑tier architectures
14. Web services and API‑driven / service‑oriented architectures
15. Operational reporting platforms
16. Desirable: Monitoring tools such as Grafana, Dynatrace, or equivalent
Ifyou’rean experienced engineering leader who has previously managed and developed technical teams, thrives in a fast‑paced environment, and is motivated by driving both people and technical excellence,we’dlove to hear from you.
Apply now to join Hastings Direct and play a senior leadership role in shaping our engineering capability, culture, and impact across the business.
What we offer
Join us andyou’llfinda different wayof doing things. We call it the 4Cs. We focus on getting it right for our colleagues, customers, company, and community. As one of our colleagues,you’llbe helping to drive our growth, so in return,we’llgive you all the support,trainingand development you need. Not to mention plenty of recognition and rewards, and the scope to voice your ideas and put them into practice.
Reward
Salary– Attractive salary based on experience+ Car Allowance(pay reviews also completed each year)
Competitive Bonus Scheme - All colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus, which is usually paid in March. The scheme is based on Hastings’ performance against our business goals and your own personal performance.
Flexible Working– We champion a flexible and hybrid working approach so please speak to your recruiter to discuss in more detail, including days in the office and at home.
Physical Wellbeing– We like to help our colleagues take a proactive approach in keeping themselves well,that’swhy we fund our colleagues to be able to claim against everyday health care through our healthcare cash plan.
Financial Wellbeing– As well as providing you with 4x your salary with our life assurance cover and income protection at no extra cost,pension contribution match up to 10%,we are proud to provide you with an AWARD WINNING package which includes – discounts and cashbackat everyday retailers and on our own products, fee free independent mortgage advice, and free access to financial wellbeing support.
Mental WellbeingProgramme- At Hastings Direct we understand that mental healthcannot notbe scheduled,that’swhy we have a range of support to help you keep yourself well. We have the thrive mental health app, our colleagueassistanceprogrammeavailable 24/7, our ownin housemental health first aiders, supportgroupsand a dedicated team to make sure we are covering your needs
There's more! – 27days annual leave +Bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell one of yourcontracted weeks, access to private healthcare, dental plans, discounted health assessments, cycle to work and tech schemes, discounted and free onsite facilities, social events throughout the year and much more.
Hastings Group is an equal opportunities employer which means we treat people fairly. We welcome applications from all suitably skilled persons regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, ethnic background, religion/belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or marital/family status. Please also note that we have a thorough referencing process, which includes credit and criminal record checks.
At Hastings Direct, we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, we encourage you to be open with us. Our recruitment team is here to provide the support you need to ensure a fair and accessible experience for all.
Job posting end date:
29/04/2026