Principal Software Engineer

Blacklane; England; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A global premium chauffeur service is seeking an experienced Principal Engineer to lead technical efforts within the Guest domain. In this role, you’ll be responsible for shaping the platform’s architecture and technology, ensuring the delivery of scalable solutions that enhance the guest experience. Applicants should have a strong backend development background and proven technical leadership in high-scale environments. The position offers opportunities for mentorship and involvement in strategic decisions relating to technology and operations.

Benefits

Fair Pay & Shared Success

Learning & Development opportunities

Complimentary chauffeurs experience through Mystery Rides

Health and wellness support

Regular social responsibility initiatives

Hybrid office culture with flexibility

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Principal Engineer or similar role in a structured, high-scale environment.
• Strong foundation in backend development and hands-on knowledge of designing and scaling distributed systems.
• A track record of technical leadership across teams.

Responsibilities

• Shape the technical direction of the platform.
• Collaborate across multiple engineering teams and stay close to architecture and code.
• Drive system-wide improvements and influence long-term technical strategy.

Skills

Backend development

Technical leadership

Distributed systems design

Collaboration across teams

Mentorship

System-wide improvements

Education

Experience in a structured, high-scale environment

Previous experience as a Principal Engineer or similar role

Job description

Blacklane is looking for an experienced and innovative Principal Engineer to lead our technical efforts in the Guest domain. In this role, you’ll shape the future of our platform’s architecture and technology, ensuring the delivery of high‑quality, scalable solutions that enhance the guest experience.

Our environment is composed of Ruby, Go, Typescript and Java services, designed using DDD. These services are deployed to our Kubernetes cluster and communicate via domain events using SQS and Kafka. We use diverse data storage technologies such as Postgres, MySQL, Elasticsearch, Redis, and DynamoDB. As for infrastructure and cloud resources, we predominantly use AWS and manage provisioning through Terraform.

YOUR CHALLENGE:

As a Principal Software Engineer at Blacklane, you'll play a critical role in shaping the technical direction of our platform. You'll work hands‑on and strategically, collaborating across multiple engineering teams, while staying close to our architecture and code.

We're looking for someone who has already operated at the Principal level in a mature engineering organization — someone who has experienced the challenges of scale, complexity, and cross‑team alignment. You’ve likely started as a backend engineer, and while you may now span systems and architecture, you still bring deep backend expertise.

Your focus will be on driving system‑wide improvements, mentoring engineers, and influencing long‑term technical strategy — not just shipping code, but shaping how we build and operate.

ABOUT YOU:

• Proven experience as a Principal Engineer or similar role in a structured, high‑scale environment.
• A strong foundation in backend development and hands‑on knowledge of designing and scaling distributed systems.
• A track record of technical leadership across teams — not just owning code but also the systems and outcomes.
• A bias toward clarity, pragmatism, and helping others grow.
• Comfort balancing long‑term strategy with near‑term impact.

About Blacklane

Our mission is simple but powerful: to become the world’s leading premium, global chauffeur service. Operating in 50+ countries, we reimagine chauffeur‑driven rides by prioritizing reliability, innovation, and first‑class service at every step. Blacklane is also at the forefront of sustainable mobility efforts, continuously working to reduce our operational impact on the planet.

Our Company Culture

Blacklane has grown from a two‑person startup in Berlin to a global team of over 300 people representing 54+ nationalities. Powered by our commitment to care, inclusion, innovation, and collaboration, we support employees through initiatives like Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), mentorship programs, and more.

Here are just a few examples of the ERGs fostering connection:

• LGBTQIA+ Network – Advocating for inclusivity and championing allyship.
• Bookclub – Encouraging cultural exchange, fostering discussion, critical thinking, and team engagement through shared reading and analysis.
• Blacklane Cares Leave – Spend up to eight paid hours annually volunteering for causes meaningful to you.

We welcome—and actively support—employees to create or join the communities that are important to them.

Why join us in a Blacklane on the fast lane?

• Fair Pay & Shared Success – We provide good salaries and automatically enroll all employees in our Virtual Stock Options Plan (VSOP). Your shares vest over four years, with full transparency on their value growth.
• Blacklane Mystery Rides – As a valued contributor to our success and growth, we are pleased to offer you one complimentary ride per quarter to experience and evaluate our chauffeur services firsthand.
• Learning & Development at Blacklane – We value the person beyond the CV, which is why we are committed to your continuous growth—not just for the company’s success, but for your own professional development. You have free access to thousands of online courses on LinkedIn Learning, tailored to your career aspirations, along with a unique learning experience designed for those stepping into leadership roles.
• The way to your heart goes through your stomach? – If so, we’ve got something special for you, in Berlin: our weekly homecooked, quality office lunches. They fuel your mind and body, and provide the perfect opportunity to connect with colleagues from all departments, fostering stronger bonds beyond your own division.
• Your Health, No Compromise – We prioritize both your mental and physical well‑being because a healthy team creates a thriving culture. We offer access to the Nilo Health platform for mental wellness and a WHOOP bracelet after one year to support your fitness—available for you to use as you choose.
• Social responsibility – We Care – Learn more about Miracle flights and the meaningful impact behind our commitment to making a difference.
• Share your ideas with Blacklane’s C‑Level – Our approachable C‑Level team values your insights. Once a month, they host a consultation day where you’re invited to share your ideas, feedback, and constructive criticism—because your voice shapes our future.
• Thrive Together: Our Hybrid Office Culture – At Blacklane, we believe in the power of in‑person collaboration and connection. We follow a hybrid, 3 office day focused approach, while allowing flexibility when needed.

Do you have any questions or want to know more about our way of working? Feel free to contact us. We’re happy to connect!

We place great value on equal opportunities. Therefore, we welcome everyone to apply!

Curious to see us in action? Let’s go!

• Watch us on Amazon Prime

• Listen to our CEO in Startup insider episode #1643

• Blacklane is backed by investors who share our vision: Mercedes-Benz Mobility, Tasaru, Sixt, the Al Fahim Group, Alstin Capital, RI Digital Ventures, and b2venture