Principal Software Engineer

Zulu Ecosystems; London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading environmental technology company in London is looking for a Principal Software Engineer to manage and grow its software engineering team. You will lead the development of a scalable analytics platform that supports ecological restoration projects. The ideal candidate has expert-level proficiency in Python and SQL along with a passion for solving ecological challenges. This role offers a hybrid working environment and a competitive salary with equity options.

Benefits

Competitive salary plus equity

25 days of annual leave + bank holidays

Private healthcare

£1,000 annual learning & development budget

New Macbook Pro or choice of equipment

Qualifications

• Passion for solving ecological challenges.
• Experience leading or managing technical teams.
• Proven track record designing, building and operating analytical platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and operation of a scalable analytics platform.
• Provide leadership and mentorship to a small engineering team.
• Collaborate closely with data scientists, scientific domain experts, and product teams.

Skills

Python

SQL

Geospatial tools

Communication skills

Tools

AWS

GCP

Terraform

Job description

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Zulu Ecosystems is on a mission to regenerate natural habitats in the service of nature,planetand people.

Zulu Ecosystems accelerates nature recovery using data, technology, and ecological science. We build platforms that enable ecosystem restoration at scale, blending software engineering with geospatial analytics and environmental data science. Our team is passionate about creating real-world impact through cutting-edge technology and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Your mission

As Principal Software Engineer you will manage and grow a small software engineering team responsible for running and evolving our core analytics platform. This platform supports a broad range of activities throughout the lifecycle of a nature-based solutions project. Zulu Ecosystems delivers:

• Land use prospecting and site selection
• Commercial business case analysis and modelling
• Operational project design and delivery
• Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of restoration outcomes

Who are we?

Zulu Ecosystems is on a mission to regenerate natural habitats in the service of nature,planetand people.

Zulu Ecosystems accelerates nature recovery using data, technology, and ecological science. We build platforms that enable ecosystem restoration at scale, blending software engineering with geospatial analytics and environmental data science. Our team is passionate about creating real-world impact through cutting-edge technology and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Your mission

As Principal Software Engineer you will manage and grow a small software engineering team responsible for running and evolving our core analytics platform. This platform supports a broad range of activities throughout the lifecycle of a nature-based solutions project. Zulu Ecosystems delivers:

• Land use prospecting and site selection
• Commercial business case analysis and modelling
• Operational project design and delivery
• Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting of restoration outcomes

You will provide architectural vision and technical leadership for scalable data infrastructure handling geospatial datasets, physics-based dynamic modelling, and statistical/machine learning workflows. Collaborating closely with commercial teams, data scientists, ecologists, and product teams, you will ensure our platform is robust, performant, and mission aligned.

Your Responsibilities
Lead the design, development, and operation of a scalable analytics platform handling geospatial and environmental analytics that support decisions:

• Provide leadership and mentorship to a small engineering team, fostering growth and high-quality execution.
• Architect and optimise systems supporting complex statistical , physics-based and machine learning models in production.
• Collaborate closely with data scientists, scientific domain experts , and product teams to translate business needs into deployable, maintainable software solutions.
• Drive cross-team alignment on tech nology strategy, architecture, and tooling.
• Oversee code quality, CI/CD pipelines, and monitoring platform reliability and scalability .
• Participate in hiring, onboarding, and building a strong engineering culture .

This is an individual contributor role – as well as leadership you will write code, contributing to the design, build and operation of the platform along with the rest of the team.

Your profile

• P assion for solving ecological challenge s.
• D elivering products in an agile team - covering multiple different team structures and product maturity stages
• Experience leading or managing technical teams.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python and SQL
• Proven track recor d designing, building and operating analytical platforms .
• Deep knowledge of geospatial tools, formats and platforms.
• Experience working with domain expert s and supporting complex modelling, statistical or machine learning pipelines in production.
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), containerisation , in frastructure as code (e.g. Terraform) and CI tools (e.g. GitHub Actions)
• E xcellent communication skills, able to collaborate and influence across technical and non-technical teams .

Why us?

If you are passionate about leading engineering teams to build scalable data platforms that make a real environmental impact across diverse activities, we want to hear from you! Apply now and join Zulu Ecosystems on our mission to regenerate the planet.
Hybrid working environment in London.

• Competitive salary benchmarked on level of experience plus equity.
• Mission-driven work restoring nature at scale.
• 25 days of annual leave + bank holidays , private healthcare, and workplace pension .
• £1,000 annual learning & development budget.
• Collaborative team culture blending tech, science, and impact.
• New Macbook Pro or choice o f equipment

About us

Before you apply:
We will only use the personal data you provide to process your application. By emailing us your CV and covering letter, you consent to Zulu Ecosystems using the information you have provided for recruitment purposes. Interested applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

Equal Employment Opportunity:
Zulu Ecosystems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.