Principal Engineer

Abcam; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Abcam, a Danaher operating company, is seeking a Senior Director of Digital Technology to lead engineering efforts from our Cambridge, UK campus. This onsite role reports to the Senior Director of Digital Technology and focuses on delivering scalable, secure software solutions across multi‑team initiatives.

You will oversee internal and partner teams, enforce engineering standards, drive CI/CD and automation, and lead root cause analysis for complex system failures, ensuring reliable and fast

Qualifications

• BSc Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or Engineering.
• 10+ years of hands-on software engineering in modern digital environments.
• Proven expertise with cloud-native architectures and distributed systems.
• Strong background in DevOps, CI/CD pipelines and environment automation.
• Excellent diagnostic and problem-solving skills for large-scale systems.
• Ability to influence external delivery partners and ensure standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide authoritative technical leadership over engineering work delivered by internal and 3rd-party teams.
• Ensure adherence to engineering standards, coding practices, architectural patterns, and security guidelines.
• Conduct technical reviews, code inspections, and QA checkpoints across key projects.
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex technical issues and production incidents.
• Lead root cause analysis and guide corrective and preventive actions.

Skills

Cloud-native architectures

Distributed systems

API design

DevOps

CI/CD pipelines

Environment automation

Diagnostic & problem solving

Vendor/partner influence

Education

BSc in Computer Science / Information Systems / Engineering

Job description

Bring more to life.

Are you ready to accelerate your potential and make a real difference within life sciences, diagnostics and biotechnology?

At Abcam, one of Danaher’s 15+ operating companies, our work saves lives—and we’re all united by a shared commitment to innovate for tangible impact.

You’ll thrive in a culture of belonging where you and your unique viewpoint matter. And by harnessing Danaher’s system of continuous improvement, you help turn ideas into impact – innovating at the speed of life.

Progress happens together

At Abcam, we believe the scientific community goes further, faster when we go there together. That’s why we work with life scientists to provide biological reagents and solutions that enable faster breakthroughs in critical areas like cancer, neurological disorders, infectious diseases and metabolic disorders. Our talented team of over 1,400 colleagues worldwide is our greatest asset. By applying our expertise and pushing boundaries, together we strive to better serve our customers, strengthen our impact across our industry, and ultimately our positive impact on society.

Learn about the Danaher Business System which makes everything possible.

This position reports to the Senior Director of Digital Technology, and is part of the Digital Team located in Cambridge, UK and will be an onsite role.

In This Role, You Will Have The Opportunity To

• Provide authoritative technical leadership over engineering work delivered by internal and 3rdparty development teams.
• Ensure adherence to engineering standards, coding practices, architectural patterns, and security guidelines.
• Conduct technical reviews, code inspections, and quality assurance checkpoints across key projects.
• Act as the senior escalation point for critical technical issues, production incidents, and complex system failures.
• Lead root cause analysis on complex technical faults and guide corrective and preventative actions.

The Essential Requirements Of The Job Include

• BSc Degree in appropriate technical capability Computer Science, Information systems, or Engineering
• Extensive hands‑on experience (10+ years) in software engineering within modern digital environments.
• Demonstrated expertise with cloud‑native architectures, distributed systems, API design, and modern frameworks.
• Deep understanding of DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and environment automation.
• Strong diagnostic and problem‑solving skills for complex, large‑scale systems.
• Ability to influence external delivery partners and ensure compliance with standards.

Travel, Motor Vehicle Record & Physical/Environment Requirements:

if applicable for role

• Potential for occasional travel to one of Abcam’s or Partners global offices.

It would be a plus if you also possess previous experience in:

• Background in global, multi-country corporate organisations, with strong awareness of cross-cultural norms and collaboration practices

Abcam, a Danaher operating company, offers a broad array of comprehensive, competitive benefit programs that add value to our lives. Whether it’s a health care program or paid time off, our programs contribute to life beyond the job. Check out our benefits at Danaher Benefits Info.

Join our winning team today. Together, we’ll accelerate the real-life impact of tomorrow’s science and technology. We partner with customers across the globe to help them solve their most complex challenges, architecting solutions that bring the power of science to life.

For more information, visit www.danaher.com.