Principal Engineer

Inara; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Inara in Leeds is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to provide technical leadership across complex software delivery programmes. You will remain hands-on, guide engineering decisions, mentor teams and influence technical direction while delivering high-quality software.

You'll work with architects, product specialists and client stakeholders, lead technical design across projects, build modern cloud-based applications, and drive engineering standards and automation.

Qualifications

• Experience designing and delivering cloud-native apps on AWS.
• IaC using Terraform or similar.
• Experience building/maintaining CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical design across multiple projects.
• Mentor and coach engineers.
• Collaborate with architects, product specialists and client stakeholders.
• Drive engineering standards and software quality.

Skills

Cloud-native design (AWS)

CI/CD pipelines

DevOps practices

Mentoring engineers

Stakeholder communication

Tools

Terraform

GitHub Actions

Jenkins

Azure DevOps

Job description

Principal Software Engineer | Technology Consultancy

Location: Leeds (Hybrid 2 to 3 days in the office per week)

Salary: £90,000 to £115,000 + Excellent Benefits / Package

Are you the kind of engineer who enjoys solving difficult technical problems just as much as helping others solve them?

I'm supporting a growing technology consultancy that's investing heavily in its engineering capability. They're looking for a Principal Engineer to provide technical leadership across a range of complex software delivery programmes, working alongside clients to solve challenging business problems while remaining close to the code.

This isn't a role where you'll disappear into architecture diagrams all day. You'll still be hands-on, guiding engineering decisions, mentoring teams, influencing technical direction and helping deliver high-quality software using modern engineering practices.

You'll spend your time:

• Leading technical design across multiple projects.


• Building modern cloud-based applications.


• Coaching and mentoring engineers.


• Working closely with architects, product specialists and client stakeholders.


• Improving engineering standards, automation and software quality.


• Helping teams make pragmatic technology decisions rather than chasing trends.

You'll probably bring experience with:

• Experience designing and delivering cloud-native applications within AWS and/or


• A solid understanding of Infrastructure as Code using Terraform or similar technologies.


• Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines using tools such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins or Azure DevOps.


• A strong appreciation of DevOps principles and modern software delivery practices.


• Experience working across different technology stacks and solving varied technical challenges.


• A passion for mentoring engineers and helping teams grow.


• The ability to provide technical leadership whilst balancing long-term architectural thinking with delivery goals.


• Strong communication skills and confidence engaging with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.