Principal Software Development Engineer

AJ Bell Management Limited; Manchester; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative technology-driven company is seeking a Principal Engineer to lead technical excellence across teams while remaining hands-on with coding. This role involves architecting scalable systems, mentoring engineers, and optimizing cloud infrastructure. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in .NET, AWS, and modern development practices. Join a vibrant team that values technical leadership and empowers its members to tackle complex challenges and drive impactful solutions. If you're passionate about coding and shaping the future of technology, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Principal Engineer or Software Architect.
• Strong hands-on coding experience with modern tech stack.

Responsibilities

• Architecting scalable and high-performance systems.
• Managing and mentoring Staff Engineers and Senior Developers.
• Driving best practices in software development and AI-powered engineering.

Skills

.NET

SQL Server

MongoDB

Angular/NextJS

AWS

Docker

Kubernetes

Test-Driven Development (TDD)

CI/CD Pipelines

Leadership

Tools

Jenkins

AI-assisted development tools

Job description

We are a technology-driven company building high-performing, scalable, and resilient software solutions. Our teams work with a modern tech stack including .NET, MongoDB, AWS, Jenkins, SQL Server, and streaming technologies.

We’re looking for a hands-on Principal Engineer who can code, design scalable systems, manage Staff Engineers, and drive technical excellence across multiple teams. This role is perfect for a technical leader who still enjoys writing code while shaping architecture and mentoring engineers.

About the role

As a Principal Engineer, you will play a critical role in:

• Architecting scalable, high-performance systems
• Coding and reviewing mission-critical features (at least 60% hands-on)
• Managing and mentoring Staff Engineers & Senior Developers
• Driving best practices in software development and AI-powered engineering
• Owning non-functional requirements (NFRs) such as security, scalability, and reliability
• Optimising cloud infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines

If you thrive on solving complex technical challenges, leading by example, and empowering teams, this is the role for you!

Key responsibilities

• Hands-on coding (at least 60% of the time), working on core application components and system architecture
• Technical leadership – guiding multiple teams and ensuring best practices
• Managing & mentoring Staff Engineers – supporting career growth and technical excellence
• Architecting and scaling distributed systems and cloud-native applications
• Defining and enforcing non-functional requirements (NFRs) – scalability, security, performance
• Implementing Test-Driven Development (TDD) and automation best practices
• Optimising CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins & AWS
• Leading containerisation efforts with Docker & Kubernetes
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to align technical solutions with business needs
• Research and implement AI-driven development tools to boost productivity

What we’re looking for

• Proven experience as a Principal Engineer / Lead Engineer / Software Architect
• Proven hands-on coding experience with .NET, SQL Server, MongoDB, Angular/NextJS, AWS, and streaming technologies
• Strong experience in building scalable and high-performance applications
• Strong experience managing Staff Engineers & Senior Developers
• Solid understanding of Test-Driven Development (TDD) and modern testing frameworks
• Experience with Docker & Kubernetes for containerisation and cloud deployment
• Strong knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, automation, and deployment best practices
• Experience with AI-assisted development tools is a plus
• Excellent leadership and communication skills – able to coach and influence team