Principal Engineer

Ryanair Group Holdings; Dublin; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Discounted and unlimited travel

Defined Contribution Pension – 5% or €

Death in Service – up to 2x basic

20–25 days annual leave

Unpaid leave options

Cycle to Work Scheme

Unrivalled career progression

Job summary

Ryanair Labs is recruiting a Solution Architect/Principal Engineer to shape and deliver cloud‑based software for Europe’s Largest Airline Group. You will lead hands‑on architecture, drive modern engineering practices, and mentor delivery teams across AWS, .NET stacks, and API integrations.

Join a fast‑paced environment focused on scalable, resilient solutions with AI‑assisted development tools, while aligning with regulatory and data‑protection standards in aviation.

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience as a Solutions Architect/Principal Engineer in large-scale enterprise or aviation-related projects.
• IT Bachelor’s degree or equivalent industry experience
• Vast .NET Development experience
• Expert level AWS experience
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills
• Experience working on large applications and their underlying databases.
• Experience in system integration (APIs, middleware, data flows).
• Problem solver – the ability to come up with unique solutions to unique problems
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with ability to translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Drive technical excellence within engineering teams.
• Background in aviation, aerospace, or heavy engineering environments, knowledge of MRO systems (aircraft/engine maintenance, inventory, work package management) or familiarity with airline platforms would be a distinct advantage.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and evolve complex cloud‑based software systems, shaping solution architecture through hands‑on development.
• Write, review, and maintain high‑quality production code, setting the standard for clean design, testability, performance, and reliability.
• Leverage cloud platforms and infrastructure to build scalable, resilient, and cost‑effective solutions.
• Break down complex business problems into working software, identifying opportunities for automation and digital improvement.
• Lead by example in modern engineering practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, observability, and performance optimisation.
• Utilise AI‑assisted development tools to accelerate delivery, improve code quality, and enhance developer productivity, while promoting responsible and effective usage.
• Act as a technical leader within delivery teams, pairing, mentoring, and unblocking engineers through active contribution.
• Collaborate closely with product owners, analysts, and stakeholders to refine requirements, estimate effort, and plan incremental delivery.
• Evaluate, integrate, and build against third‑party services and platforms, contributing directly to proofs‑of‑concept and integrations.
• Design and implement secure, compliant, and resilient solutions, ensuring adherence to data protection, regulatory, BCP, and DR requirements.
• Continuously improve codebases and engineering workflows, reducing technical debt and increasing delivery confidence and speed.

Skills

Cloud architecture

AWS

NET development

Leadership

Mentoring

CI/CD

API integration

Observability

Data security

Aviation domain

Education

IT Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Company Description

Ryanair Labs are currently recruiting for a Solution Architect/Principal Engineer to join Europe’s Largest Airline Group! This is a very exciting time to join Ryanair as we look to expand our operation to 800 aircraft and 300 million guests within the next 10 years. Ryanair Labs is the technology brand of Ryanair. Labs is a state of-the-art digital & IT innovation hub creating Europe’s Leading Travel Experience for our customers.

Job Description

The Role:

• Design, build, and evolve complex cloud‑based software systems, shaping solution architecture through hands‑on development.


• Write, review, and maintain high‑quality production code, setting the standard for clean design, testability, performance, and reliability.


• Leverage cloud platforms and infrastructure (e.g. IaaS, PaaS, containerisation, serverless) to build scalable, resilient, and cost‑effective solutions.


• Break down complex business problems into working software, identifying opportunities for automation and digital improvement.


• Lead by example in modern engineering practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, observability, and performance optimisation.


• Utilise AI‑assisted development tools to accelerate delivery, improve code quality, and enhance developer productivity, while promoting responsible and effective usage.


• Act as a technical leader within delivery teams, pairing, mentoring, and unblocking engineers through active contribution.


• Collaborate closely with product owners, analysts, and stakeholders to refine requirements, estimate effort, and plan incremental delivery.


• Evaluate, integrate, and build against third‑party services and platforms, contributing directly to proofs‑of‑concept and integrations.


• Design and implement secure, compliant, and resilient solutions, ensuring adherence to data protection, regulatory, BCP, and DR requirements.


• Continuously improve codebases and engineering workflows, reducing technical debt and increasing delivery confidence and speed.

Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience as a Solutions Architect/Principal Engineer in large-scale enterprise or aviation-related projects.


• IT Bachelor’s degree or equivalent industry experience


• Vast .NET Development experience


• Expert level AWS experience


• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment


• Strong problem solving and analytical skills


• Experience working on large applications and their underlying databases.


• Experience in system integration (APIs, middleware, data flows).


• Problem solver – the ability to come up with unique solutions to unique problems


• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with ability to translate business needs into technical solutions.


• Drive technical excellence within engineering teams.


• Background in aviation, aerospace, or heavy engineering environments, knowledge of MRO systems (aircraft/engine maintenance, inventory, work package management) or familiarity with airline platforms would be a distinct advantage.

Additional Information

• Competitive salary


• Discounted and unlimited travel to over 250 destinations


• Defined Contribution Pension Scheme – Matched up to 5% or €5,000


• Death in Service Benefit – Up to 2 times of annual basic salary


• 20 Days Annual Leave – Increasing to 22 days after 12 months and 25 days after 3 years of continuous service.


• Option for up to 5 additional unpaid leave days per year


• Cycle 2 Work Scheme


• Unrivalled career progression