🚀 Principal Software Engineer – Platform / Distributed Systems - GO/Python
Location: London (Hybrid – 3 days on‑site)
Salary: £130,000 – £170,000 + ~15% bonus
I’m recruiting on behalf of a high‑growth, product‑led technology company operating at the intersection of cloud software, distributed systems, robotics, and AI‑enabled workflows. Their platform underpins mission‑critical environments where reliability, performance, and scalability genuinely matter.
This is a top‑end technical leadership role for someone who wants real architectural authority, hands‑on impact, and influence over both technology direction and senior engineers.
The role
As Principal Software Engineer, you’ll act as the technical backbone of the organisation – defining architecture, setting engineering standards, and guiding platform evolution as the product scales into a multi‑product ecosystem.
You’ll remain deeply technical while leading other senior and staff‑level engineers, shaping decisions that affect customers, delivery teams, and long‑term platform stability.
This role reports into senior leadership (product‑aligned) and offers a clear growth path for someone with CTO‑adjacent capability who still wants to build.
What you’ll be doing
• Owning and evolving end‑to‑end platform architecture
• Acting as the final technical authority on core design, patterns, and tech choices
• Designing scalable, resilient, cloud‑native systems that interface with real‑world / edge constraints
• Mentoring and influencing Staff and Senior Staff Engineers (approx. 6 direct, ~16 indirect)
• Driving improvements in engineering pace, reliability, and delivery quality
• Partnering closely with product and customer‑facing teams to translate vision into executable systems
• Remaining hands‑on where it matters: core services, critical designs, prototypes
• Shaping pragmatic use of data and AI capabilities within production systems (no hype‑driven experimentation)
What they’re looking for
• Extensive experience in backend / platform software engineering
• Strong Golang experience, with comfort in Python‑based systems
• Deep understanding of cloud‑native environments (Kubernetes, Docker, CI/CD, IaC, security)
• Experience leading and influencing senior technical talent
• Prior experience as a Principal Engineer, startup CTO, or equivalent is highly desirable
• Someone who balances strong technical conviction with pragmatism and commercial awareness
Why this role stands out
• Genuine platform ownership (not advisory, not ceremonial)
• Complex, meaningful engineering challenges
• Real‑world impact across science, healthcare, and automation
• Strong alignment between product and engineering
• Visible influence across senior leadership
• Clear runway into broader technical leadership as the business scales
If you’re a principal‑level engineer who still enjoys being hands‑on, thrives in ambiguity, and wants to shape a platform that genuinely matters, apply and lets'shave a confidential conversation.