Principal Software Engineer – Platform Architecture & Scalability

Monolith; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology firm in Manchester is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to drive architectural transformation and lead the migration to a distributed, AI-agentic platform. The successful candidate will have over 12 years of experience in software engineering, with strong expertise in Python and distributed system design. Responsibilities include mentoring engineers, designing core components, and collaborating with leaders to align engineering initiatives with the company's strategy. This position offers a unique opportunity to influence the platform's future and drive impactful change.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of software engineering experience with 2+ years in leadership roles.
• Hands-on experience in building and maintaining production systems at scale.
• Exceptional communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the migration from monolithic to distributed architecture.
• Design and implement core platform components for AI integrations.
• Mentor mid-level and senior engineers.

Skills

Expert Python development

Distributed systems design

Kubernetes management

Workflow orchestration (e.g., Temporal, Airflow)

AWS familiarity

Large-scale data frameworks (e.g., Spark, Athena)

Architectural leadership

Excellent communication skills

Job description

We’re looking for a Principal Software Engineer to shape the next generation of our platform architecture as we scale to meet increasing demand from some of the world’s leading engineering companies.

This is a high-impact, hands‑on technical leadership position where you’ll partner closely with the VP of Engineering to define and deliver the long‑term architectural roadmap — evolving our system into a fully distributed, AI‑agentic platform designed to support the next wave of intelligent applications.

The Opportunity :

You’ll take a key role in driving architectural transformation, influencing everything from infrastructure design to scalability strategies, while also mentoring engineers and ensuring technical excellence across the team. You’ll blend strategic thinking with practical, hands‑on development—setting standards for reliability, performance, and modern distributed design.

What You’ll Do :

Architectural Leadership

• Lead the migration from a monolithic to distributed architecture to enable scalability and modularity.
• Design and implement core platform components to make the system AI‑agentic ready for future AI integrations and MCP server connectivity.
• Balance short‑term business priorities with long‑term architectural integrity and scalability.

Hands‑On Engineering

• Write production‑grade Python code across core services and critical infrastructure.
• Build and tune distributed compute and workflow orchestration systems for high performance.
• Implement robust patterns for deployment, orchestration, and system resilience.

Team Development & Collaboration

• Mentor and coach mid‑level and senior engineers, fostering technical growth and best practices.
• Establish and maintain architectural principles, coding standards, and review processes.
• Collaborate with product and business leaders to align engineering initiatives with company strategy.
• Contribute to technical hiring and onboarding as the team grows.

What You Bring : Core Experience :

• 12+ years of software engineering experience, including at least 2 years in Principal or Staff‑level leadership roles.
• Expert Python developer with experience building and maintaining production systems at scale.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems design and implementation.
• Strong Kubernetes experience managing production workloads.
• Proficiency with workflow orchestration frameworks such as Temporal, Airflow, or similar.
• Hands‑on experience with AWS (Azure familiarity is a plus).
• Exposure to large‑scale data frameworks such as Spark, Athena, or equivalents.
• Proven success leading significant architectural evolutions in fast‑growing environments.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to a range of stakeholders.

Who You Are :

• Technical Visionary : You see the big picture and design systems that will scale with the company’s growth.
• Pragmatic Builder : You balance architectural ambition with the need to deliver real value fast.
• Leader & Mentor : You elevate others, sharing knowledge and fostering a culture of engineering excellence.
• Owner & Operator : You take full accountability for outcomes and drive initiatives through to completion.
• Customer‑Focused Engineer : You understand that the platform exists to serve users — and measure success accordingly.