Principal Software Engineer

Role Title: Principal Software Engineer (JavaScript) Location: Remote (occasional onsite near Reading – likely 3-4 times per month TBC) Engagement: Statement of Work (Outside IR35) Rate: Up to £550 per day Overview: We are looking for a highly skilled Principal Software Engineer to contribute to a large-scale digital modernisation programme with a leader in their respective space. This is a strategic contract engagement focused on modernising and engineering high-quality digital products for a data-driven platform. This is a hands-on leadership role ideal for an engineer who thrives in delivering complex, enterprise-grade solutions to high standards. You will be working with a multi-disciplinary product team to build scalable, secure, and user-centric applications. This is a Statement of Work (SOW) contract , where payment will be made upon the successful completion of clearly defined deliverables agreed with the client. Key Responsibilities: Engineering Delivery Design and build full-stack solutions with an emphasis on quality, performance, and scalability. Apply cloud-native design patterns to build distributed systems aligned with modern software architecture principles. Implement CI/CD, automated testing, and engineering best practices across the SDLC. Ensure compliance with security, privacy, and data protection standards. Collaborate with Platform Engineering to integrate internal tooling and accelerate development cycles. Take accountability for the build-and-run responsibilities of the product features you own. Technical Leadership & Product Involvement Act as a senior technical lead across a modernisation programme, ensuring consistency and standardisation across engineering teams. Work closely with Product and Architecture to shape product direction and technical strategy. Drive the delivery of a modern engineering stack, interfacing with SaaS platforms and custom-built services. Support and mentor engineers within the product space, upskilling where needed and maintaining high delivery standards. Lead initiatives around existing data and event-reporting tools to improve speed, compliance, and usability. Innovation & Continuous Improvement Influence product and delivery strategies using modern, rapid-prototyping approaches. Engage in internal innovation programmes to drive continuous value creation. Technical Skills & Experience: 10 years' software engineering experience Strong experience with cloud-native platforms Solid grasp of modern application architecture patterns: API-first, microservices, 12-factor app, SOA, etc. Deep experience with containerisation and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes). Proven hands-on experience with: TypeScript, Node.js, React/Next.js or similar front-end frameworks. CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps, test automation (TDD/BDD). API design and integration, including authentication and authorisation best practices. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills across cross-functional teams. Desirable: Background in data-driven platforms or analytics solutions. Experience working within modern product delivery teams using agile methodologies.

Location: Reading, GB

Posted Date: 6/15/2025