Principal Engineer (London)

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide. At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Together, we help audiences stay better informed and deepen their understanding of the world around them.

Our Product & Tech teams drive us forward in an ever-evolving digital landscape, delivering cutting-edge products to over one million digital subscribers daily. Our growth relies on a diverse, dedicated and dynamic group of product, tech, delivery and data specialists. With a supportive culture, entrepreneurial spirit and opportunities at every turn, there are no limits to where your FT career can take you.

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion: We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.

The role: We’re looking for a Principal Engineer (Senior Engineering Manager) to join the technical leadership team in our Customer Products Group, which is responsible for the FT’s award-winning website, iOS and Android apps. This is a senior technical leadership role reporting to the Technology Director. You’ll lead and grow teams of engineers, support their career development, and ensure successful delivery of technical and product goals. Working closely with other leaders, you’ll help set strategic direction and foster a collaborative environment that prioritises engineering excellence and business impact.

• Team Leadership and People Management

• Lead, manage, mentor, and develop 3-5 teams of engineers, supporting both individual growth and team effectiveness.
• Set clear objectives for individuals and teams, monitor performance, and promote accountability.
• Guide your teams through challenges by facilitating discussions, offering support, and providing broader context.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, psychological safety, and continuous improvement.
• Lead on recruitment efforts and contribute to hiring guidelines, technical assessments, and shared candidate pipelines.
• Oversee the full operational lifecycle of your teams' products and services, ensuring reliability, robust monitoring, and effective incident response.

• Collaborate with other leaders to define and deliver on long-term team and business goals.
• Set direction and scope for technical initiatives and work closely with engineers and external vendors on implementation.
• Prioritise work in alignment with product and business objectives, considering team capacity and evolving priorities.
• Ensure delivery of high-quality solutions through efficient processes and adherence to technical standards.
• Maintain visibility over team progress, communicating updates and offering strategic guidance when needed.
• Proactively identify potential issues or blockers and support the team in finding solutions.
• Manage relationships with third-party vendors or suppliers to align their services with FT’s strategy.

• Support teams in resolving technical challenges while ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
• Collaborate closely across departments, building strong relationships with peers and stakeholders.
• Communicate a clear vision and roadmap to the team, enabling informed decision-making.
• Provide senior leadership with regular progress updates, tailored to the audience.
• Champion an inclusive and collaborative culture where knowledge is shared and diverse perspectives are valued.

• Proven experience leading and developing engineering teams, with a strong focus on coaching and feedback.
• Strong track record of delivering technical initiatives that support strategic business outcomes.
• Deep understanding of the software development lifecycle, operational excellence, and incident management practices.
• Experience navigating competing priorities and keeping teams focused and aligned.
• Expertise in managing end-to-end delivery processes and improving team workflows.
• Effective communicator across technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership.
• Strong vendor management skills, with experience selecting and collaborating with external partners.
• Excellent problem-solving capabilities and a solutions-focused mindset.
• A collaborative leadership style that supports inclusive team dynamics and fosters knowledge sharing.
• Familiarity with modern engineering practices and tooling, and a strong grasp of technical fundamentals.

The technology: Here are some of the technologies you’ll encounter in our stack. Experience with all of them isn’t required, we value adaptability and curiosity.

• Node.js, TypeScript
• Handlebars; Sass; Webpack; Preact
• Elasticsearch; Neo4j; Redis; GraphQL
• Heroku; AWS: Mainly Lambda, Kinesis, Dynamo
• Fastly and VCL
• GitHub; CircleCI
• Swift, Kotlin, Kotlin-Multiplatform

What’s in it for you? Our benefits vary by location, but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here.

We’ve embraced a 50% hybrid working model (averaging two to three days onsite) that fosters trust and remote adaptability while encouraging in-person camaraderie and peer learning. Additionally, we are open to accommodating specific flexible working pattern requests for all roles where feasible.

Accessibility: We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email talent@ft.com and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Further information: At the FT, we embrace innovation and the use of technology and appreciate that individuals may leverage AI tools as part of their job application process. Whilst we are happy for you to use AI to assist with your application, it is essential that all information provided is authentic and accurately represents your skills, experience, and qualifications.

Candidates should be aware that the use of AI throughout the application process may be monitored to ensure a fair and transparent hiring process for all.