Principal Software Engineer (Belfast) – Financial Services Technology

Vantage Point; Belfast; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services consultancy is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead a high-performing engineering team in Belfast. This role entails designing and delivering innovative software solutions for internal and customer-facing systems while ensuring alignment with business requirements and best practices. Ideal candidates will have over 8 years of experience in software engineering, strong expertise in .NET, and proficiency in cloud technologies. The position offers a dynamic work environment and opportunities for professional development.

Qualifications

• 8+ years’ experience in software engineering roles, ideally in Financial Services Technology.
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performance teams.
• Strong expertise in .NET Framework and .NET Core (C#).
• Experience designing cloud-native systems and APIs.
• Hands-on experience with AWS or Azure.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a cross-functional engineering team.
• Ensure solutions align with the organization's IT vision.
• Drive continuous improvement with new technologies.
• Foster a culture of quality through automation and testing.

Skills

Software engineering

.NET Framework

AWS

API design

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Tools

MSSQL

MySQL

Event-driven systems

Job description

Vantage Point Global (VP) is a talent consultancy established in 2014 to support top-tier clients in building their talent pipeline. VP provides opportunities for all, hiring exceptional, diverse talent who are supported and developed throughout their career journey at VP, enabling them to be highly effective in their roles.

We partner with our clients to create opportunities for individuals to launch into fulfilling and rewarding careers in the industries we serve and deliver a future‑ready workforce to our clients.

Our unique model delivers continuous formal training, personal development and mentoring to create a driven, high‑calibre, highly skilled workforce that is empowered to add value to our clients from the outset.

Our head office is in London, but we work with clients globally. We currently have teams in London, Manchester, Newcastle, Belfast, Warsaw, Wroclaw and are expanding into the US and Asia.

Vantage Point Global is a fully committed inclusive employer. We are passionate about attracting diverse talent, and welcome applications regardless of ethnicity, culture, age, gender, nationality, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

Principal Software Engineer – Financial Services Technology

Are you a hands‑on engineering leader with a passion for building innovative, business‑critical software? Do you have the technical expertise and leadership skills to deliver scalable, high‑quality solutions in financial services technology? If so, this opportunity could be your next career‑defining move.

About the Role

Our client, a leading global financial services institution, is looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join their Technology division. You’ll lead a high‑performing engineering team responsible for delivering solutions that power both internal broking platforms and external customer‑facing systems. Operating within an Agile environment, you will collaborate across regions, shape engineering standards, and drive continuous improvement—ensuring solutions are robust, scalable, and aligned to the organisation’s long‑term technology strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a cross‑functional engineering team, delivering innovative Front Office solutions for Rates & FX business lines.
• Partner with principal engineers across global regions to set and implement standards for engineering excellence.
• Collaborate with Solution Architects and Enterprise Architecture to ensure solutions align with the organisation’s IT vision and strategy.
• Take ownership of solution design, development, and delivery, ensuring software meets business requirements, adheres to best practices, and is delivered on time.
• Drive continuous improvement by evaluating new technologies and methodologies, ensuring the best approach for each initiative.
• Ensure effective communication of progress, raising risks or impediments early to minimise delivery impact.
• Foster a culture of quality through automation, robust testing frameworks, and strong development practices.

What You’ll Bring

Essential Skills & Experience

• 8+ years’ experience in software engineering roles, ideally within Financial Services Technology.
• Proven track record of building and leading high‑performance, cross‑functional teams in an Agile environment.
• Strong expertise in .NET Framework and .NET Core (C#).
• Experience designing and developing distributed, event‑driven, cloud‑native systems.
• Proficiency in API design and development (REST, GraphQL).
• Solid background in relational database design and optimisation (MSSQL, MySQL, etc.).
• Hands‑on experience deploying and managing assets in AWS or Azure.
• Strong understanding of the full SDLC, from design to release and post‑implementation support.
• Ability to balance pragmatism and innovation, using POCs to validate approaches and drive solutions forward.
• Exceptional problem‑solving ability with a structured, detail‑oriented mindset.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with experience influencing and collaborating at all levels.
• Proven experience building automated testing solutions for complex systems.

Preferred

• Proficiency in WPF application development.
• Experience working with financial markets, trading platforms, or FIX protocol.
• Advanced knowledge of AWS services.
• Exposure to Java, JavaScript, or React.
• Familiarity with microservices, serverless architecture, and modern development practices (TDD, BDD).

Vantage Point Global is fully committed to being an Equal Opportunities, inclusive employer. We are passionate about attracting diverse talent, and welcome applications regardless of ethnicity, culture, age, gender, nationality, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

Things you need to know

• To apply, you’ll need to provide us with a CV and answer a few initial questions.
• We’d like to make you aware that if you have not heard back from us within three weeks of the date of application that we will not be progressing your application.