At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of a global payment platform and mentor engineers.
- Company: Join Ticketmaster, the world's largest live entertainment company, connecting fans to events.
- Benefits: Enjoy remote work, a diverse culture, and opportunities for personal growth.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of transforming live event experiences with innovative technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in software engineering, particularly with Java, Kotlin, and cloud-native systems.
- Other info: Inclusive environment encouraging authenticity and professional development.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
Location: Remote, United Kingdom
Division: Technology – Payments
Contract Terms: Full-Time, Permanent
THE TEAM
Ticketmaster Payments (TMPayments) is a global initiative delivering a modern, scalable payment platform that powers millions of transactions daily across the Ticketmaster ecosystem. Our team of experienced engineers collaborates to architect and implement secure, high-performance solutions that enable seamless transactions for fans around the world.
THE JOB
As a Principal Engineer I on the TMPayments team, you will play a key role in architecting and delivering our next-generation global payment platform. You’ll join a collaborative team of principal engineers to lead the development of secure, scalable, and cloud-native systems designed to integrate with major payment providers and gateways. This is an exciting time to join Ticketmaster as we transform the way fans experience live events across the globe. You will be at the forefront of designing systems that power high-volume financial flows, improve customer experience, and drive platform reliability and innovation. You’ll have the opportunity to lead a distributed team, mentor engineers, and shape our engineering standards and practices at scale.
WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING
- Architect and evolve a globally scalable, fault-tolerant payment platform integrating with providers such as Braintree, PayPal, Adyen, and Chase.
- Provide hands-on leadership in technologies such as Java, Kotlin, Spring Boot, Spring Batch, and Spring Cloud Gateway.
- Champion cloud-native solutions using AWS, Kubernetes (EKS), Terraform, and GitLab CI/CD pipelines.
- Embed security, resilience, and observability into all parts of the platform architecture.
- Oversee the platform’s end-to-end performance, ensuring high availability and robust monitoring.
- Design and implement auto-remediation strategies and reduce on-call incidents to critical-only escalations.
- Lead a distributed engineering team of full-time staff and contractors, driving best practices in DevOps and continuous delivery.
- Collaborate closely with Product, UX, and cross-functional teams to define scope, prioritise work, and deliver features on time.
- Mentor team members in architectural principles, TDD, and coding standards.
- Align architectural strategy across multiple initiatives with fellow principal engineers.
- Participate in PI planning, retrospectives, and continuous improvement cycles.
- Facilitate clear documentation, code guidelines, and platform onboarding for new engineers.
- Ensure the platform meets operational and compliance standards such as PCI.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (or TECHNICAL SKILLS)
- Proven years building production-grade software at scale, preferably in a high-traffic or financial context.
- Expertise in Java, Kotlin, Spring Boot (classic/reactive), Spring Batch, and Spring Cloud Gateway.
- Strong grasp of concurrency, JVM tuning, advanced OOP, and robust testing (unit, integration, capacity).
- Experience with cloud-native systems using AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, and microservice design.
- Familiarity with frontend technologies including ReactJS, NextJS, Material-UI, and GraphQL is a plus.
- Proven delivery of secure, scalable web apps with backend-for-frontend architecture and CDN integration.
- Proficiency with monitoring and observability tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, and OpenSearch.
- Deep understanding of CI/CD practices, GitLab pipelines, infrastructure as code, and centralized monitoring.
- Track record of mentoring and coaching engineers in distributed teams.
- Experience in payment platforms or finance technologies is advantageous but not essential.
YOU (BEHAVIOURAL SKILLS)
- Vision and Adaptability: Proactively anticipates challenges and adapts technical solutions to changing business needs.
- Ownership and Accountability: Takes end-to-end ownership of platform health, security, and performance.
- Collaboration and Communication: Works cross-functionally with global teams and communicates clearly with technical and non-technical audiences.
- Leadership and Mentorship: Builds high-trust environments, nurtures team growth, and leads by example.
- Composure Under Pressure: Stays calm under critical incidents, delivers clear resolutions, and ensures lasting platform improvements.
LIFE AT TICKETMASTER
We are proud to be a part of Live Nation Entertainment, the world’s largest live entertainment company. Our vision at Ticketmaster is to connect people around the world to the live events they love. As the world’s largest ticket marketplace and the leading global provider of enterprise tools and services for the live entertainment business, we are uniquely positioned to successfully deliver on that vision. We do it all with an intense passion for Live and an inspiring and diverse culture driven by accessible leaders, attentive managers, and enthusiastic teams. If you’re passionate about live entertainment like we are, and you want to work at a company dedicated to helping millions of fans experience it, we want to hear from you.
Our work is guided by our values:
- Reliability: We understand that fans and clients rely on us to power their live event experiences, and we rely on each other to make it happen.
- Teamwork: We believe individual achievement pales in comparison to the level of success that can be achieved by a team.
- Integrity: We are committed to the highest moral and ethical standards on behalf of the countless partners and stakeholders we represent.
- Belonging: We are committed to building a culture in which all people can be their authentic selves, have an equal voice and opportunities to thrive.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
We are passionate and committed to our people and go beyond the rhetoric of diversity and inclusion. You will be working in an inclusive environment and be encouraged to bring your whole self to work. We will do all that we can to help you successfully balance your work and home life. As a growing business, we will encourage you to develop your professional and personal aspirations, enjoy new experiences, and learn from the talented people you will be working with. It's talent that matters to us, and we encourage applications from people irrespective of their gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability status or caring responsibilities.
Principal Engineer (Remote, United Kingdom) employer: Live Nation
Contact Detail:
Live Nation Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer (Remote, United Kingdom)
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the specific technologies mentioned in the job description, such as Java, Kotlin, and AWS. Being able to discuss your experience with these tools in detail will show that you're not only qualified but also genuinely interested in the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Highlight any previous experience you have with payment platforms or financial technologies. Even if it's not essential, demonstrating knowledge in this area can set you apart from other candidates.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss your leadership and mentoring experiences. Since the role involves leading a distributed team, showcasing your ability to nurture talent and drive best practices will be crucial.
✨Tip Number 4
Research Ticketmaster's culture and values, particularly their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Being able to align your personal values with theirs during discussions can demonstrate that you’re a good fit for the team.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Engineer (Remote, United Kingdom)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience and skills that align with the job description. Focus on your expertise in Java, Kotlin, and cloud-native systems, as well as any leadership roles you've held.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: In your cover letter, express your passion for live events and how your technical skills can contribute to Ticketmaster's mission. Mention specific projects or achievements that demonstrate your ability to lead and mentor teams.
Showcase Technical Skills: Clearly outline your technical skills in your application. Include your experience with AWS, Kubernetes, and CI/CD practices, as well as any familiarity with frontend technologies like ReactJS, which could set you apart.
Highlight Soft Skills: Don't forget to mention your behavioural skills such as collaboration, leadership, and adaptability. Provide examples of how you've successfully worked in cross-functional teams and mentored others in previous roles.
How to prepare for a job interview at Live Nation
✨Showcase Your Technical Expertise
As a Principal Engineer, you'll need to demonstrate your deep understanding of technologies like Java, Kotlin, and cloud-native systems. Be prepared to discuss specific projects where you've successfully implemented these technologies, focusing on the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
✨Emphasise Leadership and Mentorship Skills
Highlight your experience in leading distributed teams and mentoring engineers. Share examples of how you've fostered a collaborative environment and helped team members grow, as this aligns with the company's values of teamwork and leadership.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving abilities under pressure. Prepare scenarios where you've had to make critical decisions regarding platform health or security, and explain your thought process and the outcomes of those decisions.
✨Align with Company Values
Familiarise yourself with Ticketmaster's core values such as reliability, integrity, and belonging. During the interview, weave these values into your responses to show that you not only have the technical skills but also fit well within their culture.