Principal Engineer

Xero; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 228,000 - 285,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

RSU equity

Wellbeing days

Generous leave

Professional development

Job summary

Xero in Vancouver is seeking a senior engineering leader to guide architectural direction and elevate technical excellence across product teams. You will bridge organizational boundaries, mentor engineers, and collaborate with senior leaders to turn complex requirements into scalable, secure software solutions that deliver value to small businesses.

In this role you will shape portfolio-wide technical frameworks, define SLOs, refactor legacy services for performance and security, and drive

Qualifications

• Experience leading large-scale cloud-native software projects.
• Experience mentoring engineers and fostering psychologically safe teams.
• Ability to balance technical debt with product delivery and shape architectural vision.
• Excellent communication with technical teams and executives.

Responsibilities

• Guide architectural direction and data-driven decisions.
• Mentor lead engineers and drive cross-team quality practices.
• Define portfolio-wide technical frameworks and SLOs.
• Refactor legacy services for scalability, performance, and security.

Skills

Cloud architecture

Mentoring engineers

Technical leadership

Cross-team collaboration

Executive communication

Tools

CI/CD tooling

Job description

The role & impact

You will work in collaboration with multiple engineering teams across the product group to guide, inspire, and elevate technical excellence. Shaping group-wide technical strategy, you will bridge organizational boundaries and partner with senior leaders to turn complex requirements into scalable, resilient software solutions.

Through data-driven decision-making, you will guide architectural direction, elevate engineering practices, and mentor technical talent. Your focus will be on solving large-scale systems challenges while enabling teams to deliver value to small businesses safely, securely, and swiftly.

The team & how they connect

You will join a cross-functional engineering collective made up of product management, architecture, and core delivery teams. Together, the group collaborates to build robust cloud-native applications, sharing knowledge through active communities of practice. The team works in a supportive, high-trust environment where open communication, continuous learning, and continuous improvement drive day-to-day work.

Initially, the role will focus on

• Modern cloud platforms, automated CI/CD pipelines, and microservice architectures

• Refactoring legacy services and enhancing system scalability, performance, and security standards

• Defining portfolio-wide technical frameworks, SLOs, and strategies to quantify and address technical debt

• Mentoring lead engineers and driving cross-team quality practices to simplify complex engineering workflows

Where and how you can work

We offer a flexible, hybrid working style that balances working from home with intentional in-person collaboration. You will have access to our modern, vibrant office spaces to connect with colleagues during key team moments and boost days, while having the flexibility to structure your work in a way that supports your productivity and personal balance.

Here are some of the things we are looking for

• Demonstrated leadership in guiding large-scale cloud native software projects to successful delivery

• Proven success mentoring engineers and fostering inclusive, psychologically safe team environments

• Strong ability to shape long-term architectural vision while effectively balancing technical debt with product delivery

• Expertise in automating delivery tooling, establishing quality standards, and refining operational metrics

• Skilled at communicating nuanced technical concepts clearly to both technical teams and executive leaders

Compensation & Total Rewards

At Xero, we value the impact and skills you bring to the team. We believe in a Total Package philosophy - ensuring your value is recognized through a holistic lens that includes base salary, performance incentives, and world-class benefits.

The expected base salary range for this role is $227,700 - $284,600 CAD.

Individual pay is determined by various factors, including geography, level of experience, and the specific skills you bring to the role.

In addition to base pay, Xero’s roles are eligible for the following forms of variable compensation:

• Variable Pay: Permanent employees are eligible to participate in our annual bonus and equity (RSU) programs. You may also be eligible for performance-based cash or equity (RSUs) incentives depending on your role level, and company performance.

• Comprehensive Benefits: World-class health, wellness, and retirement programs. Xero Perks including Wellbeing days, generous leave, and dedicated professional development budgets.

This is a posting for an existing vacancy.

Xero uses AI to help screen applications based on job-related qualifications. These tools assist our recruiters but do not make automated hiring decisions. A human recruiter reviews all candidates before any hiring action is taken.