Principal Software Engineer / Tech Lead

Parallax Agency Ltd; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech consultancy is seeking a Principal Software Engineer / Tech Lead in Leeds. This role combines technical expertise with strategic consultancy, focusing on AI applications and guiding teams through project engagements. The candidate should possess strong skills in Next.js, React, and AWS, alongside a solid understanding of DevOps practices. Hybrid work and excellent benefits are offered.

Benefits

Private medical healthcare (Bupa)

4% matched pension

Hybrid working (2 days in the office)

Flexible working

Quarterly company Hack Days

1 professional development day per month

City centre office

25 days annual leave + bank holidays + up to 5 loyalty days

Team events

Enhanced maternity leave

Enhanced paternity leave

2 streaming services or gym membership subsidised

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience delivering or building AI applications.
• Strong experience with Next.js, React, and AWS.
• Ability to balance leadership with hands-on software development.
• Strong quality assurance mindset including test-driven development.

Responsibilities

• Define and develop long-term software architecture strategy.
• Lead technical discovery workshops with stakeholders.
• Balance strategic oversight with hands-on coding.
• Oversee CI/CD pipelines and automated testing.
• Champion test-driven development and code reviews.

Skills

Experience with AI applications

Next.js or equivalent JS framework

React

AWS experience

DevOps and CI/CD pipelines

Agile/Scrum methodologies

Test-driven development

Excellent communication skills

Software architecture principles

Job description

Principal Software Engineer / Tech Lead

Department: Software Engineering

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Leeds - Hybrid

Reporting To: Tech Director

Description

We're hiring a Principal Software Engineer/Tech Lead to help shape the future of our most ambitious client projects.

This is a senior, hands‑on role that blends deep technical expertise with strategic consultancy. You’ll be working at the earliest stages of client engagements - helping uncover the real problems, defining the right approach, and proposing commercially viable, technically sound solutions without needing to escape for support. You’ll represent Parallax with confidence, pitch ideas persuasively, and guide both clients and internal teams from initial scoping through to architecture, delivery and optimisation. Equally comfortable in the code and leading client workshops, you’ll set the technical direction while working in squads to build products for our clients.

Our clients are diverse, operating across multiple sectors and geographies, often targeting global audiences. You must be able to adapt your technical approach to fit existing technology stacks and standards - or define new ones entirely. Working at a strategic level, you will influence project roadmaps, craft Statements of Work and contribute directly to winning new engagements.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Strategy & Architecture: Define and develop the long‑term software architecture strategy; establish and maintain best‑practice design patterns, coding standards and technical guidelines across multiple projects.
• Discovery & Requirements: Lead technical discovery workshops with senior stakeholders, unpicking complex requirements, mapping system dependencies and aligning solutions to business objectives.
• Hands‑On Development & Delivery: Balance strategic oversight with hands‑on coding—designing, building and deploying critical features; conducting code reviews; and ensuring high performance, security and scalability.
• DevOps & Operational Excellence: Oversee CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, automated testing and monitoring to drive operational resilience and rapid iteration.
• Quality Assurance & Best Practice: Champion test‑driven development, continuous integration, automated testing frameworks and peer review processes to uphold code quality.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Work closely with UX designers, product managers and QA specialists to deliver quality outcomes
• Thought Leadership: Represent our Technology Practice internally and externally—presenting at client meetings, industry events and contributing to the broader engineering community on emerging trends and innovations.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Demonstrable experience delivering or building AI applications.
• Strong Next.js or equivalent Javascript framework, React and AWS experience.
• Balance leadership with hands‑on software development, working with teams to create and ship high‑quality solutions.
• Identify strategic opportunities and contribute to proposals, estimates and Statement of Work scoping.
• A deep understanding of software architecture principles, design patterns and system integration.
• Solid experience with DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, containerisation and automation tooling.
• Expertise in Agile/Scrum methodologies and iterative delivery practices.
• Strong quality assurance mindset, including test‑driven development and peer code reviews.
• Ability to unpick and resolve complex technical problems, architecting scalable, maintainable solutions.
• Exceptional communication skills, comfortable presenting technical concepts and recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Ability to establish and evolve technical standards, guidelines and reusable component libraries.
• High emotional intelligence and consultancy mindset for managing client relationships and expectations.

• You possess a strong strategic mindset and outstanding interpersonal skills, enabling effective collaboration at all organisational levels.
• You excel under pressure, managing multiple complex workstreams while inspiring and guiding your team.
• You are self‑motivated, highly organised and eager to challenge the status quo, driving continuous improvement in your own work and that of others.
• You have a deep passion for software engineering, meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to delivering solutions that drive tangible business outcomes.
• You show pragmatism around balancing the need for process and achieving outcomes.

We welcome people from under‑represented backgrounds at Parallax. Similarly, if you don’t tick all of the boxes please still apply!

Benefits

• Private medical healthcare (Bupa)
• 4% matched pension
• Hybrid working (2 days in the office)
• Flexible working
• Quarterly company Hack Days
• 1 professional development day per month
• City centre office
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays + up to 5 loyalty days
• Team events
• Enhanced maternity leave (12 weeks full pay, followed by 27 weeks of SMP)
• Enhanced paternity leave (3 weeks at 90% salary)
• 2 streaming services or gym membership subsidised