Principal Software Engineer

BBC Studios Distribution Limited; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

35‑hour week

25 days leave + 5 days option

Defined pension scheme

Health, dental and gym discounts

Job summary

BBC Studios Distribution Limited is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the Graphics & Automation team, shaping architecture and guiding long-term technical direction across on‑prem and cloud platforms. You will drive engineering excellence, observability, and collaboration with product and architecture to align priorities for broadcast graphics and automation systems.

The role requires strong experience in front-end React/TypeScript, Node.js/TypeScript or Java, and familiarity with

Qualifications

• Provide technical leadership across Graphics & Automation teams.
• Shape architecture and guide long-term technical direction.
• Drive engineering excellence including observability and reliability.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering and Architecture to align priorities.
• Experience with React/TypeScript, Node.js/TypeScript or Java.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across the Graphics & Automation team.
• Shape architecture and guide long-term technical direction.
• Drive engineering excellence, including observability, reliability and operational practices.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering and Architecture to align technical and product priorities.

Skills

React

Node.js / TypeScript

Java

Kubernetes

Tools

Viz Artist

Viz Engine

CasparCG

Sofie

Viz Mosart

Ross Overdrive

Helm

Kubernetes

Job description

Join the BBC's Graphics & Automation team as a Principal Software Engineer, shaping the systems and services that power the BBC's real-time and post-production graphics for News, Sport, iPlayer, Sounds, Streams and more, as well as studio and gallery automation systems that drive hundreds of hours of live output every day. You will lead technical direction across the software development team, ensuring graphics scenes can be hosted, managed and controlled at scale both on-premises and in the cloud, and play a key role in evolving the platforms that deliver the BBC's iconic brand across daily live broadcasts, large scale events, and social media.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

You'll be working at the heart of a brilliant team with a passion for broadcast and graphics, at a time where we're delivering huge value to the BBC by transitioning the graphics estate to an in-house HTML based solution, GSAAS (Graphics Scenes As A Service). The team is spread across the country and offers plenty of opportunity to visit our studios and galleries as we integrate our software with automation solutions and newsroom systems. We also support operators in key large-scale events such as elections, where our graphics systems deal with the ingest of data and the control of driving data-driven graphics to air.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

• Provide technical leadership across the Graphics & Automation team
• Shape architecture and guide long-term technical direction across Graphics & Automation
• Drive engineering excellence, including observability, reliability and operational practices
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering and Architecture to align technical and product priorities
• Strong experience writing front-end applications using react + typescript, microservices with nodejs + typescript, or back-end applications with Java
• Experience using or integrating with one or more broadcast graphics system such as Viz Artist / Viz Engine, Ross XPression or CasparCG
• Experience using or integrating with one or more studio automation system such as Sofie, Viz Mosart, or Ross Overdrive
• Experience building broadcast graphics with HTML and CSS
• Experience using kubernetes and managing deployments of services on kubernetes clusters using Helm

DESIRABLE

• Experience influencing technical direction and engineering practices across development teams
• Proven ability to collaborate across teams and influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Experience building broadcast graphics with HTML and CSS
• Experience of CI/CD workflows using github actions
• Experience of deploying to the cloud, particularly EKS

Location: BBC Group and Public Services, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, United Kingdom, W1A 1AA. BBC Studios Distribution Limited, company no: 01420028, registered address: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, United Kingdom W12 7FA.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

LIFE AT BBC

Here you will benefit from:

• Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.
• Excellent career and professional development.
• Support in your working life, including flexible working which you can discuss with us at any point during the application, selection or offer.
• A values-based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis or on an orchestra conditions contract.

Learn more about life at the BBC and our values in our candidate pack.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.

Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.

Disability confident

Disclaimer This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved. Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.