Principal Software Engineer - Java

The-Very-Group; Liverpool; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible, hybrid working model

Inclusive culture and environment

£1,000 flexible benefits allowance

30days holiday + bank holidays

LinkedIn learning access

Up to 25% discount on Very.co.uk

Matched pension up to 6%

Job summary

The Very Group, a leading digital retailer, is seeking an experienced principal/lead software engineer. You will provide technical leadership, shape engineering strategy, and drive architectural decisions across multiple squads.

You’ll balance code ownership with influence on standards and best practices, delivering scalable, high-quality systems for millions of customers. Join a role that combines hands-on coding with strategic direction, mentoring engineers, and collaborating with Product and

Qualifications

• Experience building modern software solutions in Java and AWS.
• Track record designing and evolving large-scale systems.
• Mentoring engineers and raising technical standards.
• Strong communication and ability to explain complex ideas to non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and direction within multiple squads.
• Influence engineering standards across the wider organisation.
• Drive architectural decisions and tackle complex integration challenges.
• Champion best practices in software quality, reliability and security.
• Coach and mentor engineers to reach their potential.
• Collaborate with Product, Architecture and Engineering teams to turn ideas into products.

Skills

Java

AWS

Systems design

Mentoring

Communication

Emerging tech

Tools

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Internal use only - Grade E

About us.

We’re the team behind digital retailer Very.

Our purpose, helping families get more out of life, powers everything we do.

And we want our people to get more out of life too! If you’re high-performing, ambitious and make the most of every opportunity, we want to hear from you. In return, you’ll enjoy heaps of flexibility, great perks and benefits, and the freedom to be yourself, keep learning and take your career wherever you want it to go.

If you love making a difference, you’ll love making it sparkle for millions of Very customers.

About The Teams

We are currently hiring for multiple roles within our FS, Retail and Logistics and Fulfilment Squads. You will get the opportunity to meet with members of each squad throughout our process and we will decide which area we think your skills would fit best.

About the role.

This is one of the most influential engineering roles within Very.

You'll be the person teams turn to for technical leadership, guidance and direction. Working closely with Product Managers, Architects, Engineering Managers and fellow Engineers, you'll help shape both what we build and how we build it.

You'll have the opportunity to tackle challenges that don't exist in smaller organisations. From highly scalable customer-facing applications to complex integrations and cloud-native platforms, you'll be solving problems that have a tangible impact on the business and the customers we serve.

What makes this role particularly exciting is the balance of ownership and influence. You'll remain close to the code while helping define engineering strategy, champion best practices and drive technical excellence across multiple teams.

This is a chance to leave a lasting impact on our technology, our teams and the way we engineer products at Very.

You’ll be helping shape the future of engineering at Very by

• Designing and building software that delivers exceptional experiences for millions of customers
• Leading technical decision-making within your squad while influencing engineering standards across the wider organisation
• Solving complex architectural challenges and balancing today's business needs with tomorrow's opportunities
• Driving improvements in software quality, reliability, scalability and security
• Championing modern engineering practices that help teams deliver faster and with greater confidence
• Working closely with Product, Architecture and Engineering teams to turn ambitious ideas into brilliant products
• Enhancing our CI/CD capabilities and helping to create a culture of automation and continuous improvement
• Coaching and mentoring engineers, supporting their development and helping them achieve their potential
• Identifying technical risks early and guiding teams toward practical, sustainable solutions
• Sharing your knowledge both internally and externally, helping strengthen our engineering community and reputation

About you

You’ll be an experienced software engineer who enjoys solving difficult problems and helping others succeed.

You may already be operating as a Principal Engineer, or perhaps you're a Senior Engineer who naturally provides technical leadership and is ready for a bigger challenge.

You’ll bring deep technical expertise alongside the ability to influence, collaborate and inspire. You're passionate about engineering excellence and care just as much about the people around you as the technology itself.

We’re particularly interested in engineers who have:

• Strong hands‑on experience building modern software solutions using Java and AWS
• A track record of designing and evolving complex systems at scale
• A passion for clean code, quality engineering and continuous improvement
• Experience mentoring engineers and raising technical standards across teams
• Strong communication skills and the ability to explain complex ideas in a simple way
• A curiosity for emerging technologies and a desire to continually learn and evolve

Most importantly, you'll enjoy being the person who makes teams stronger, products better and technology more impactful.

Some of our benefits

• Flexible, hybrid working model
• Inclusive culture and environment
• £1,000 flexible benefits allowance to suit your needs
• 30days holiday + bank holidays
• LinkedIn learning access
• Up to 25% discount on Very.co.uk
• Matched pension up to 6%

More benefits can be foundon our career site

What happens next?

Our Talent Acquisition team will be in touch if you’re successful so keep an eye on your emails! We’ll arrange a short call to learn more about you, as well as answer any questions you have.

For this role after meeting our Talent Acquisition Team you can expect a 2 stage process.

First Stage -

A Take Home Technical Interview.

Second Stage -

Behavioural and Technical Interview, this interview focuses on your technical and softer skills, how you like to work as part of a Software Engineering Team (60 minutes onsite).

If you'd like to know more about our interviews, you can find out here.

Diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities

We’re building a culture of everyday inclusion, and welcome applications from anyone who believes they can do the job. We don’t discriminate based on age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

We want our recruitment process to be accessible to everyone. If you need reasonable adjustments to apply, interview, or perform a role, let us know via [e-mail]. We’ll be happy to support you.

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer and have nine brilliant colleague networks - including DAWN (Disability Awareness at Very) and Think (Neurodiversity at Very) - that are helping us make Very an even more inclusive place to work.