Principal Engineer - iGaming

xdesign; United States; Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

35 days leave (incl. bank holidays)

Private medical insurance

Enhanced parental and adoption leave

Financial coaching

Pension match 5%

40 hours learning & development

Job summary

xdesign is seeking a Senior Technical Owner for a major iGaming engagement covering sportsbook, casino and gaming platforms. You will oversee engineers and tech leads, shape teams and architecture, and provide decisive technical guidance while remaining hands-on to earn credibility with engineers and clients.

You will set technical direction across teams, line-manage leads, and build trusted client relationships, applying AI to engineering work and balancing delivery pace with enterprise-grade

Qualifications

• Extensive principal-level software engineering experience with architecture focus.
• Hands-on leadership with ability to guide leads while coding when needed.
• Experience in iGaming, sportsbook, casino, or gaming platforms.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction across multiple engineering teams and own outcomes.
• Size and shape work, form teams, review approaches early and maintain an engineering bar.
• Line-manage technical leads and mentor engineers with clear feedback.
• Build trusted client relationships and communicate trade-offs in business terms.
• Apply AI fluently to engineering work and enable teams.
• Balance delivery pace with quality gates and enterprise controls.

Skills

Principal-level software engineering

Architecture

Systems thinking

Production delivery

Technical judgement

AI-enabled engineering

Job description

Role overview

Serve as the senior technical owner for a major iGaming engagement covering sportsbook, casino and gaming platforms. You will oversee a group of engineers and technical leads, own the quality and delivery of their work, shape teams and architecture, and provide decisive technical guidance while remaining sufficiently hands‑on to earn credibility with engineers and clients.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction across multiple engineering teams and take accountability for the systems and outcomes they deliver.
• Size and shape work, form effective teams, review approaches early and maintain a consistent engineering bar across delivery.
• Line‑manage technical leads, coach them to make sound decisions and help engineers grow through clear feedback and mentoring.
• Build trusted client relationships, act as a subject‑matter expert and communicate technical trade‑offs in commercially meaningful terms.
• Apply AI fluently to engineering work, including context preparation, specification, implementation support, review and team enablement.
• Balance delivery pace with the quality gates, safety controls and engineering discipline expected in enterprise environments.

Requirements

• Principal‑level software engineering experience with strong foundations in architecture, systems thinking, production delivery and technical judgement.
• Direct experience working in iGaming, ideally across sportsbook, casino or gaming platforms.
• A hands‑on leadership style: able to steer teams and manage leads without becoming detached from code and technical detail.
• Outcome‑focused, pragmatic decision‑making, with the ability to work effectively amid uncertainty and changing constraints.
• Strong communication and stakeholder‑management skills, including the confidence to challenge decisions with evidence and change your mind when appropriate.
• Practical fluency with AI‑assisted engineering tools, together with sound judgement about quality, security and operational guardrails.

Benefits and work setup

The role involves working closely with clients and includes on‑site engagement to build trusted relationships. Flexible hybrid and remote arrangements are available alongside travel to client or office locations. Listed benefits include 35 days of leave including bank holidays, private medical insurance, enhanced parental and adoption leave, financial coaching, a 5% pension match and 40 hours of paid learning and development.