Principal Software Engineer, Fullstack/Backend Technologies (UK Remote)

Turnitin; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first culture

Health care coverage

Education reimbursement

Competitive PTO

Self-care days

National holidays

Matches for charitable contributions

Wellness/home office allowance

Employee assistance program

Retirement plan with match

Job summary

Turnitin is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join the Shared Services team and shape the technical direction of core platform capabilities used across Turnitin products. This remote-friendly role targets backend and cloud-native development at scale.

You will collaborate with engineering leaders, architects, and product teams to deliver scalable, secure solutions for millions of users worldwide, while mentoring engineers and driving architectural excellence.

Qualifications

• Significant experience building and operating large-scale backend systems.
• Strong expertise in Java and modern cloud technologies.
• Experience with AWS serverless services such as Lambda, DynamoDB, API Gateway, SNS, SQS, and EventBridge, as well as Kubernetes (K8s) and related cloud-native technologies.
• Experience with CI/CD tools, including build, deployment, and test automation.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, APIs, scalability, and software architecture.
• Experience influencing technical direction and leading complex engineering initiatives.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills within distributed teams.
• Passion for mentoring and supporting the growth of other engineers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of shared backend services and platform capabilities.
• Drive architectural decisions and technical strategy across multiple teams.
• Build scalable, highly available cloud-native solutions using Java and AWS technologies.
• Mentor engineers and promote engineering excellence throughout the organization.
• Collaborate with product, architecture, and engineering teams to solve complex technical challenges.
• Champion best practices in software quality, performance, reliability, and security.

Skills

Java

AWS cloud technologies

Kubernetes

API design

Distributed systems

CI/CD

Mentoring

Technical leadership

Tools

AWS Lambda

DynamoDB

API Gateway

SNS

SQS

EventBridge

React

Job description

Principal Software Engineer, Fullstack/Backend Technologies (UK Remote)

• Full-time

When you join Turnitin, you'll be welcomed into a company that is a recognized innovator in the global education space. For more than 25 years, Turnitin has partnered with educational institutions to promote honesty, consistency, and fairness across all subject areas and assessment types. Turnitin products are used by educational institutions and certification and licensing programs to uphold integrity and increase learning performance, and by students and professionals to do their best, original work.

Experience a remote-first culture that empowers you to work with purpose and accountability in a way that best suits you, supported by a comprehensive package that prioritizes your overall well-being. Our diverse community of colleagues are all unified by a shared desire to make a difference in education.

Turnitin is a global organization with team members in over 35 countries including the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, India, and the Philippines.

We are looking for aPrincipal Software Engineerto join our Shared Services team and help shape the technical direction of core platform capabilities used across Turnitin products.

This is a highly influential individual contributor role for an experienced engineer with deep expertise in backend development, cloud-native architectures, and large-scale distributed systems. You will partner with engineering leaders, architects, and product teams to deliver scalable, reliable, and secure solutions that support millions of users worldwide.

What You'll Do

• Lead the design and development of shared backend services and platform capabilities.
• Drive architectural decisions and technical strategy across multiple teams.
• Build scalable, highly available cloud-native solutions using Java and AWS technologies.
• Mentor engineers and promote engineering excellence throughout the organization.
• Collaborate with product, architecture, and engineering teams to solve complex technical challenges.
• Champion best practices in software quality, performance, reliability, and security.

What We're Looking For

• Significant experience building and operating large-scale backend systems.
• Strong expertise in Java and modern cloud technologies.
• Experience with AWS serverless services such as Lambda, DynamoDB, API Gateway, SNS, SQS, and EventBridge, as well as Kubernetes (K8s) and related cloud-native technologies.
• Experience with CI/CD tools, including build, deployment, and test automation.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, APIs, scalability, and software architecture.
• Experience influencing technical direction and leading complex engineering initiatives.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills within distributed teams.
• Passion for mentoring and supporting the growth of other engineers.

Nice to Have

• Experience with AI/ML technologies.
• Experience in SaaS or EdTech environments.
• Familiarity with modern frontend technologies such as React.

Total Rewards @ Turnitin

At Turnitin, we believe Total Rewards go far beyond pay. While salary, bonus, or commission are important, they’re only part of the value you receive in exchange for your work.

Beyond compensation, you’ll experience the intrinsic rewards of unleashing your potential and making a positive impact on global education. You’ll also thrive in a culture free of politics, surrounded by humble, inclusive, and collaborative teammates.

In addition, our extrinsic rewards include generous time off and health and wellness programs that provide choice, flexibility, and a safety net for life’s challenges. You’ll also enjoy a remote-first culture that empowers you to work with purpose and accountability in the way that suits you best, all supported by a comprehensive package that prioritizes your overall well-being.

Our Mission

is to ensure the integrity of global education and meaningfully improve learning outcomes.

Our Values

• Customer Centric:Our mission is focused on improving learning outcomes; we do this by putting educators and learners at the center of everything we do.
• Passion for Learning:We are committed to our own learning and growth internally. And we support education and learning around the globe.
• Integrity:Integrity is the heartbeat of Turnitin—it is the core of our products, the way we treat each other, and how we work with our customers and vendors.
• Action & Ownership:We have a bias for action. We act like owners. We are willing to change even when it’s hard.
• One Team:We strive to break down silos, collaborate effectively, and celebrate each others’ successes.
• Global Mindset:We consider different perspectives and celebrate diversity. We are one team. The work we do has an impact on the world.
• Remote First Culture
• Health Care Coverage
• Education Reimbursement*Competitive Paid Time Off
• Self-Care Days
• National Holidays
• Charitable Contribution Match
• Monthly Wellness or Home Office Reimbursement
• Access to Employee Assistance Program (mental health platform)
• Retirement Plan with match/contribution

Seeing Beyond the Job Ad

At Turnitin, we recognize it’s unrealistic for candidates to fulfill 100% of the criteria in a job ad. We encourage you to apply if you meet the majority of the requirements because we know that skills evolve over time. If you’re willing to learn and unleash your potential alongside us, join our team!

Turnitin, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer- vets/disabled.