Principal Engineer

Ryanair Group Holdings; Swords; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounted travel

Defined Contribution Pension Scheme

Death in Service Benefit

20–25 days annual leave

Job summary

Ryanair Labs, the technology brand of Ryanair, is seeking a Solution Architect/Principal Engineer to design and evolve complex cloud-based software systems for Europe’s Largest Airline Group. You will lead delivery teams, mentor engineers, and collaborate with product owners to refine requirements and plan incremental delivery.

The role focuses on scalable, secure solutions with modern engineering practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, and observability.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience as a Solutions Architect/Principal Engineer in large-scale enterprise or aviation-related projects.
• Bachelor’s degree in IT or equivalent industry 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).
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and evolve complex cloud-based software systems, shaping solution architecture through hands-on development.
• Write and maintain high-quality production code, setting standards for design, testing, performance, and reliability.
• Utilise cloud platforms to build scalable, resilient, and cost-effective solutions.
• Lead engineering practices, CI/CD, automated testing, and observability.
• Act as a technical leader within delivery teams, mentoring engineers.
• Collaborate with product owners, analysts, and stakeholders to refine requirements and plan delivery.
• Evaluate and integrate third-party services and platforms for PoCs and integrations.
• Design secure, compliant, and resilient solutions with data protection and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Solutions Architecture

Cloud platforms

CI/CD

Leadership

API integration

Security/compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in IT or equivalent

Tools

APIs

Middleware

Job 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
• 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

• 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

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