Principal Software Engineer

Vitality; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus scheme

Pension matching 6%

Vitality health insurance

Life Assurance 4x salary

Job summary

Vitality is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead technical direction across enterprise platforms and customer‑facing solutions. You will drive architecture decisions, guide large-scale initiatives, and ensure delivery of integrated software that supports business outcomes.

You will work with senior stakeholders and cross‑functional teams to enable seamless customer journeys while delivering scalable, secure and reliable software at pace.

Qualifications

• Proven expertise in designing, developing and deploying enterprise-scale Java/JEE applications.
• Experience with AWS cloud technologies (S3, Redis) to build resilient solutions.
• Strong knowledge of PostgreSQL and SQL.
• Experience integrating complex systems and authentication technologies like LDAP.
• Hands-on experience with messaging/event-driven architectures (Kafka/AMQP).
• OO design and SOLID principles; familiarity with DevOps and containerisation tools (Jenkins, Kubernetes, Docker).

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of software solutions across the full development lifecycle with quality and performance.
• Own complex technical challenges, drive root cause analysis and improve resilience of platforms.
• Provide technical leadership across engineering teams and shape technical direction.
• Design and deliver integrated solutions across a diverse tech landscape with security and standards alignment.
• Drive continuous improvement through code reviews, governance and modern practices.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate requirements into practical technical delivery plans.
• Coach and mentor engineers, fostering learning and engineering excellence.

Skills

Java/JEE

AWS

PostgreSQL

LDAP

Kafka

OO design

SOLID

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Jenkins

Job description

Team - UK Prospect, Direct & Life Adviser Engineering

Working Pattern - Hybrid - 2 days per week in the Vitality London, Bournemouth or Stockport Office. Full-time hours per week.

We are happy to discuss flexible working!

Top 3 Skills Needed For This Role

• Strategic Enterprise Technology Leadership
• Recognised Java Engineering Expertise
• Advanced Architecture & Systems Integration Capability

What This Role Is All About

We're looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join Vitality's Engineering function, providing technical leadership across complex enterprise platforms and customer-facing solutions. This is a highly influential role responsible for shaping engineering standards, driving architectural decisions, leading large-scale technical initiatives and ensuring the successful delivery of integrated software solutions that support critical business outcomes. The role operates across multiple teams and works closely with senior stakeholders, architects and third-party partners to deliver technology that enables seamless customer journeys and long-term business growth.

Key Actions

• Lead the delivery of software solutions across the full development lifecycle, ensuring applications are designed, built, tested, released and supported to high standards of quality, reliability and performance.
• Take ownership of complex technical challenges, driving root cause analysis and resolution across multiple systems while improving the resilience, scalability and stability of business‑critical platforms.
• Provide technical leadership across engineering teams, contributing to architecture decisions, shaping technical direction and promoting best practices in software design, development and delivery.
• Design and deliver integrated solutions across a diverse technology landscape, ensuring alignment with architectural principles, security requirements, operational standards and business objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement through code reviews, technical governance, engineering standards and the adoption of modern development practices, tools and ways of working.
• Build strong relationships with business and technology stakeholders, translating complex requirements into practical technical solutions and providing clear guidance on delivery approaches and technical decisions.
• Collaborate closely with architects, product teams, delivery managers and third‑party partners to ensure solutions are effectively planned, integrated and delivered to meet customer and business needs.
• Coach and mentor engineers across the organisation, sharing knowledge, developing technical capability and helping to create a culture of continuous learning, innovation and engineering excellence.

What do you need to thrive?

• Proven expertise in designing, developing and deploying enterprise‑scale Java/JEE applications, with a strong focus on performance, scalability and engineering best practice.
• Strong experience working with AWS cloud technologies, including services such as S3 and Redis, to build resilient and highly available solutions.
• Solid knowledge of PostgreSQL and SQL, with the ability to design, optimise and support robust data‑driven applications.
• Experience integrating complex systems and services, alongside a strong understanding of authentication technologies such as LDAP, certificates and similar security frameworks.
• Hands‑on experience with messaging and event‑driven architectures, using technologies such as Kafka, AMQP or equivalent platforms.
• Deep understanding of object‑oriented design and SOLID principles, combined with experience using modern DevOps and containerisation tools such as Jenkins, Kubernetes and Docker to deliver high‑quality software at scale.

So, what’s in it for you?

• Bonus Schemes - A bonus that regularly rewards you for your performance
• A pension of up to 12%- We will match your contributions up to 6% of your salary
• Our award-winning Vitality health insurance - With its own set of rewards and benefits
• Life Assurance - Four times annual salary

These are just some of the many perks that we offer! To view the extensive range of benefits we offer, please visit our careers page.

Fantastic Benefits. Exciting rewards. Great career opportunities!

If you are successful in your application and join us at Vitality, this is our promise to you, we will:

• Help you to be the healthiest you’ve ever been
• Create an environment that embraces you as you are and enables you to be your best self
• Give you flexibility on how, where and when you work
• Help you advance your career by playing you to your strengths
• Give you a voice to help our business grow and make Vitality a great place to be
• Give you the space to try, fail and learn
• Provide a healthy balance of challenge and support
• Recognise and reward you with a competitive salary and amazing benefits
• Be there for you when you need us
• Provide opportunities for you to be a force for good in society

We commit to all these things because we want you to feel that you belong, and are supported to be happy and healthy.