Principal Software Engineer

Ro; York and North Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision membership

Equity for all team members

Flexible time off

Paid parental leave

Flexible work arrangement

Well‑stocked office with snacks and bi

Job summary

Ro seeks a Principal Software Engineer to steer the long-term technical direction of our platform. You will champion scalable architectures, guide critical system health, and drive architectural decisions to enable Ro to grow safely and quickly.

You will mentor engineers and collaborate with product, design, and data teams to deliver strategic outcomes. You will translate complex problems into clear roadmaps, lead cross‑team initiatives, and advocate best practices for maintainability,

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience building scalable, maintainable software systems.
• Deep expertise in backend engineering and distributed systems.
• Strong proficiency in Python and relational databases.
• Exceptional communication skills to articulate technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Proven track record leading multiple teams and influencing technical strategy.
• Experience with metrics instrumentation and data-driven performance tuning.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the architectural vision for core systems and platforms.
• Mentor Staff, Senior, and early-career engineers across teams.
• Lead multi-team initiatives from concept to delivery, balancing tradeoffs.
• Partner with product, design, data, and leadership to align technical strategy with business goals.
• Improve system health, observability, performance, security, and reliability.

Skills

Backend engineering

Distributed systems

Python

Architectural leadership

Mentorship

Technical strategy

Communication

Leadership

System health

Tools

Datadog

Job description

• We are looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join the team at Ro
• In this role, you’ll operate as a senior technical leader across our engineering organization — helping shape the long-term technical direction of our platform, stewarding the health and evolution of critical systems, and driving architectural decisions that enable Ro to scale sustainably, safely, and quickly
• Principal Engineers at Ro operate with deep technical expertise, broad organizational awareness, and a proactive, future-facing mindset
• You will partner with teammates across engineering, product, design, and cross-functional leaders to define and deliver technical strategies that support both near‑term product goals and long‑term business outcomes
• You will identify opportunities, anticipate risks, and guide teams toward resilient, maintainable, high‑quality solutions
• Define and drive the architectural vision for key systems and platforms, ensuring scalability, reliability, resilience, and long‑term maintainability
• Evaluate and recommend foundational technologies, patterns, and practices that position Ro for future growth
• Translate complex, ambiguous problem spaces into clear technical roadmaps, identifying tradeoffs and guiding teams toward strategic solutions
• Lead organization‑wide initiatives that improve system health, observability, performance, security, and operational excellence
• Partner with product, design, data, and other teams to align technical strategy with business priorities
• Break down large, multi‑team initiatives into actionable plans and drive them from concept to delivery
• Mentor and support Staff, Senior, and early‑career engineers in both technical and strategic growth
• Foster a culture of high‑quality engineering, thoughtful design, rigorous review, and continuous learning
• Provide technical leadership in design reviews, architecture discussions, and cross‑team forums
• Act as a trusted technical advisor to engineering leadership and cross‑functional partners

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision membership
• Equity for all team members
• Flexible time off
• Paid parental leave, and flexible work arrangement
• Well‑stocked office with snacks and bi‑weekly free lunches
• Gym, learning, and development stipends

If you’re energized by system‑wide impact, solving ambiguous and complex technical challenges, and elevating the engineering organization through mentorship, thought partnership, and architectural leadership, we’d love to talkStrong architectural skills with the ability to reason about long‑term tradeoffs, system interactions, operational risks, and platform evolutionA proven track record of technical leadership across multiple teams or domains, including designing and evolving complex distributed systemsDeep expertise in backend engineering (preferably with a strong proficiency in Python) and experience with distributed systems and relational databasesExceptional communication skills with the ability to articulate technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences12+ years of experience building scalable, maintainable software systemsExperience in metrics instrumentation and data-driven performance tuning, leveraging load testing infrastructure and tools like DatadogA passion for and strong track record of developing other engineers and raising the technical bar through mentorship, coaching, and leadershipDemonstrated ability to influence technical strategy, drive alignment across multiple teams, and guide organizations through ambiguityExperience in telehealth or other highly-regulated industries