Principal Software Engineer

Vitality; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus schemes

Pension matching up to 6%

Vitality health insurance

Job summary

Vitality is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the engineering function across enterprise platforms and customer-facing solutions. You will shape standards, drive architecture decisions, and guide large-scale initiatives while ensuring reliable, high-performance software delivery. Hybrid work across London, Bournemouth or Stockport offices.

The role requires deep Java/JEE expertise, cloud experience (AWS), and strong collaboration with architects, product teams and external partners.

Qualifications

• Proven expertise designing and delivering enterprise-scale Java/JEE applications.
• Strong leadership and ability to drive architectural decisions across multiple teams.
• Experience with modern DevOps, containerisation and cloud technologies (AWS).

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of complex software solutions across full development lifecycle.
• Own architectural direction, ensure security and performance standards.
• Mentor engineers and collaborate with stakeholders and partners.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Java engineering

Architecture & integration

AWS

PostgreSQL

Kafka

Docker and Kubernetes

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related

Tools

Jenkins

Redis

Job description

About The Role

Team – UK Prospect, Direct & Life Adviser Engineering

Working Pattern - Hybrid – 2days 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

If you are successfulin 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

About Us

We’re incredibly proud to be recognised for the culture we've created — recently being named one of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work 2026, and in 2024 we were delighted to be awarded Top 10 Places to Work in the Sunday Times Awards.

Vitality is a multi-award-winning UK insurance brand, here to make the world a healthier, happier place.

We’ve been a purpose and values-driven business from day 1- long before it became fashionable. Our core purpose is to make people healthier and enhance protect their lives. Vitality pioneered shared-value insurance. We incentivise people to live healthier longer lives – they benefit, our business benefits, and society benefits. We’re successful because we attract, develop, and retain the best people – and because we care.

Plus, you get to join our 1.7+ million members with access to our unique health insurance and healthy living programme. Just to make sure you know our products inside and out.

Ready to find out if we’re the right fit for you? We can’t wait.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Vitality, we’re committed to diversity and inclusion because it’s good for our employees, for our business, and for society. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

Vitality’s approach to sustainability

Vitality is a business that drives positive change. We reward people for making and sustaining healthier choices. But healthy people also need a healthy environment. To learn more please visit our Careers page. #LI-Hybrid