Principal Engineer

protechtgroup; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid/flexible working

Performance bonus

Professional development

Parental leave

Job summary

Protecht is seeking a Principal Engineer to lead architectural evolution and the AI-enabled transformation of our AWS platform. You will shape long‑term technical direction, guide multi‑team initiatives, and build PoCs that demonstrate scalable, secure systems.

You’ll work with the Architecture & Innovation team, partnering with the Chief Architect to deliver measurable business impact and modernise our platform for AI‑powered capabilities.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in a Principal/Staff level engineering role.
• Strong knowledge of Java (Spring Boot / Spring Cloud) and related ecosystems.
• Deep understanding of system design, APIs, cloud architectures and event-driven systems.
• Hands-on AWS experience across architecture, deployment, security and operations.
• Experience leading technical initiatives across multiple teams.
• Strong communication skills and a curious, critical mindset.

Responsibilities

• Define the long term technical vision and architectural direction for Protecht’s core systems.
• Lead the design and development of scalable, reliable, and secure distributed systems.
• Drive modularisation of our platform, expanding microservices and evolving cloud architecture.
• Incubate new product ideas from concept to working PoC using AI-powered tooling.
• Drive adoption of AI-assisted development practices (LLM based code generation, automated reviews, AI‑augmented testing).
• Evaluate emerging AI tools and measure their productivity impact.
• Write production-quality Java (Spring Boot / Spring Cloud) and frontend code.
• Build prototypes and reference implementations to guide engineering teams.
• Act as a key technical advisor to leadership and stakeholders, translating concepts into business impact.
• Contribute to the long-term technical roadmap and engineering strategy.

Skills

Software engineering

Java

Spring Boot

Spring Cloud

AWS

Architecture leadership

Communication skills

Tools

AWS

Job description

About Protecht

Protecht is a global leader in risk management software, helping organisations across the world identify, assess, manage, and monitor risk. Our platforms support some of the most complex and highly regulated industries, where reliability, security, and trust are essential. As we continue to scale, we’re evolving our architecture to unlock the next generation of AI‑powered capabilities, and we’re looking for a Principal Engineer to help lead that transformation.

The Opportunity

We’re looking for a Principal Engineer to join our Architecture & Innovation team and partner closely with our Chief Architect. In this pivotal role, you’ll shape Protecht’s long term technical vision, lead architectural evolution, and solve complex engineering challenges at scale.

You’ll drive the re‑architecture of our AWS platform, accelerate AI‑driven product capabilities, and enable teams to adopt advanced AI‑assisted development practices. This role blends strategic influence with hands on engineering, defining the roadmap, building proofs of concept, and guiding teams through modernisation.

If you thrive in ambiguity, enjoy deep technical problem solving, and want to influence engineering direction across multiple teams, this role offers the impact and ownership you’re looking for.

What You’ll Do

• Define the long term technical vision and architectural direction for Protecht’s core systems.
• Lead the design and development of scalable, reliable, and secure distributed systems.
• Drive modularisation of our platform, expanding microservices and evolving cloud architecture.
• Incubate new product ideas from concept to working proof of concept using AI‑powered development tooling.
• Drive adoption of AI‑assisted development practices (LLM based code generation, automated reviews, AI‑augmented testing).
• Evaluate emerging AI tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, agentic pipelines) and measure their productivity impact.
• Write production quality Java (Spring Boot / Spring Cloud) and frontend code (React or similar).
• Build prototypes and reference implementations to guide engineering teams.
• Act as a key technical advisor to leadership and stakeholders, translating complex concepts into clear business impact.
• Contribute to the long term technical roadmap and engineering strategy.

What You Bring

• Strong software engineering knowledge, including demonstrated experience in a Principal/Staff level role.
• Strong expertise in Java (Spring Boot / Spring Cloud) or similar languages (Python, Go, C#).
• Deep understanding of system design, APIs, cloud architectures, and event driven systems.
• Hands on AWS experience across architecture, deployment, security, and operations.
• Experience leading technical initiatives across multiple teams.
• Strong communication skills and a naturally critical, curious mindset.

What We Offer

• Transparent, competitive salary + performance bonus.
• Real ownership over a meaningful technical transformation.
• A dedicated innovation space with autonomy to experiment and ship impactful work.
• Hybrid/flexible working, parental leave, and a culture that genuinely supports work/life balance.
• Access to leading AI development tooling and influence over how we adopt it.
• Professional development support: conferences, certifications, learning platforms.
• An inclusive, welcoming culture where diverse perspectives are valued.

Join Us

If you’re excited by deep technical challenges, bold innovation, and shaping the future of a global SaaS platform, we’d love to hear from you.

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to building an inclusive workplace and welcome applications from all backgrounds.