At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the technical strategy for Allstate’s Database as a Service and modernise enterprise database platforms.
- Company: Join Allstate, a leader in innovation and engineering excellence in the insurance industry.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, hybrid work, continuous learning, and a supportive culture.
- Other info: Be part of a socially responsible organisation with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Shape the future of technology while making a real impact on critical business applications.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in database engineering and experience leading technical teams.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
At Allstate, great things happen when our people work together to protect families and their belongings from life’s uncertainties.
And for more than 90 years, our innovative drive has kept us a step ahead of our customers’ evolving needs.
From advocating for seat belts, air bags and graduated driving laws, to being an industry leader in pricing sophistication, telematics, and, more recently, device and identity protection.
Your role in the team
The Principal Engineer leads Allstate’s Database as a Service (DBaa S) organization, driving the technical strategy, adoption, and evolution of enterprise database platforms that support critical business applications across the company.
This role will help modernize Allstate’s traditional database environment while advancing next-generation database capabilities that support cloud adoption, automation, and AI-enabled business needs.
As a hands-on technical leader, this individual partners closely with engineering, security, infrastructure, architecture, and product teams to strengthen existing SQL Server and Oracle environments, expand modern database platforms, and improve developer productivity through automation, self-service, and Infrastructure as Code.
The Principal Engineer plays a highly visible role in shaping Allstate’s future data platform ecosystem, influencing senior technical leaders, and enabling scalable, resilient, secure, and AI-ready database services.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the vision, technical strategy, and execution of Allstate’s Database as a Service (DBaa S) platform across both traditional enterprise databases and emerging cloud-native capabilities.
- Serve as a hands-on technical leader and senior engineering resource for database architecture, platform modernization, and technical execution.
- Drive the stabilization, standardization, and modernization of critical SQL Server and Oracle database platforms.
- Advance Infrastructure as Code, APIs, automation, and self-service capabilities to improve database delivery, consistency, and operational efficiency.
- Help define and build next-generation database capabilities that enable AI, analytics, and future enterprise platform priorities.
- Partner with engineering, architecture, infrastructure, security, product, and senior technology leaders to align database platform investments with enterprise priorities.
- Influence highly visible technology decisions across senior technical leadership, principal engineers, officers, and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Establish metrics and KPIs focused on platform reliability, automation adoption, developer experience, performance, resiliency, and operational excellence.
- Establish enterprise standards for database security, observability, resiliency, and operational excellence.
- Mentor engineers, architects, and technical leaders while fostering a culture of engineering excellence, accountability, modernization, and continuous improvement.
- Influence vendor roadmaps and strategic technology partnerships to align platform capabilities with evolving business and engineering needs.
Skills & Capabilities
- Deep expertise in enterprise database platforms and modern data infrastructure.
- Strong understanding of platform engineering, automation, Infrastructure as Code (Ia C), APIs, and cloud-native architectures.
- Ability to influence enterprise technology strategy and drive adoption of new technologies and engineering practices.
- Proven change leadership and experience leading large-scale modernization or transformation initiatives.
- Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills across engineering, architecture, security, and business teams.
- Demonstrated people leadership experience and developing high-performing engineering organizations.
- Effective communicator capable of translating complex technical concepts into business value.
- Experience influencing vendor roadmaps and product strategies to align with future platform and business needs.
Essential Criteria
- All applicants must demonstrate they have a legal right to work in the UK for employment at Allstate. Allstate is not providing sponsorship for this vacancy
- 5+ years of experience in database engineering, platform engineering, cloud engineering, infrastructure engineering, or related technical disciplines.
- 5+ years of experience leading technical teams, mentoring engineers, and driving organizational change through influence and hands-on technical leadership.
- 5+ years leading large-scale enterprise database platforms, platform engineering initiatives, or modernization programs.
- Experience operating in large, complex enterprise environments and designing highly available, resilient, secure, and scalable platforms supporting business-critical applications.
- Deep expertise in enterprise database platforms, including significant experience with SQL Server and/or Oracle environments supporting business-critical applications, along with exposure to modern database technologies such as Postgre SQL, Mongo DB, Redis, or cloud-native database services.
- Strong experience with automation, Infrastructure as Code (Ia C), APIs, Dev Ops, and platform engineering practices.
- Experience building, transforming, or modernizing self-service platforms and operational automation capabilities.
- Proven ability to influence enterprise technology strategy, architecture decisions, engineering roadmaps, and senior technical stakeholders.
- Experience partnering with engineering, architecture, security, infrastructure, and product leaders to deliver enterprise-scale technical solutions.
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams, mentor engineers, and drive organizational change through influence and hands-on technical leadership.
Desirable criteria
- Experience building or leading Database as a Service (DBaa S) platforms.
- Experience with AWS, Azure, GCP, and cloud-native database technologies.
- Experience enabling database platforms or data infrastructure that support AI, machine learning, analytics, or emerging enterprise AI use cases; exposure to AI-enabled operations, vector databases, or LLM infrastructure is a plus.
- Experience with Kubernetes, containers, and modern cloud architectures.
- Experience leading large-scale cloud migration or enterprise database transformation initiatives.
- Understanding of Fin Ops, platform economics, operational excellence, and platform adoption metrics.
- Experience influencing vendor roadmaps and partnering with technology providers to align platform capabilities with future business and engineering needs.
- Industry certifications in cloud, database, architecture, or related disciplines.
- Supervisory Responsibilities
- This job has supervisory duties.
Job posting End Date
- Sunday 6th September 2026
- #SE1 #Hybrid
Skills
Cloud Engineering, Database As A Service (DBaa S), Enterprise Technologies, Technical Strategy
Shape the Future of Insurance with Cutting-Edge Tech and a People-First Culture
Why join us?
Allstate NI is proud to be Allstate’s European Digital Centre of Excellence, a hub for innovation and engineering excellence.
We’re recent winners of Best Place to Work in IT (100+ employees) and Best Use of Cloud Services at the Belfast Telegraph IT Awards, and we’ve been recognised for our community and sustainability impact with Platinum in the Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey.
We’re a product-driven, cloud-first organisation delivering real outcomes through modern technology, a digital product-centric talent model, and a culture rooted in engineering excellence.
Our teams work in cross-functional structures, guided by an outcome-based delivery approach that accelerates speed, agility, and value.
We also invest in you.
At Allstate NI, your career growth matters.
You’ll have access to our Continuous Learning Hub, designed to support skills development and professional advancement through tailored learning paths, certifications, and mentoring opportunities.
Whether you’re deepening technical expertise or exploring leadership roles, we provide the tools and support to help you thrive.
What do you get in return?
- As well as receiving a competitive annual salary, our reward package includes:
- Corporate bonus scheme
- Pension scheme
- Annual performance-related pay reviews
- Life assurance and income protection
- Flexible working options
- Hybrid working
- Private medical and dental insurance
- Access to an employee assistance programme
- Discounted gym membership
- Two paid volunteering days each year
- Cycle to work scheme
Be part of a high-performing, socially responsible organisation where your work has purpose, and your growth is supported every step of the way.
Principal Engineer, Database as a Service - Hybrid in Belfast employer: Allstate
Allstate in Northern Ireland is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that prioritises collaboration and innovation in cloud security. With flexible and hybrid working options, a corporate bonus scheme, and comprehensive private medical insurance, employees are supported in both their professional and personal lives, fostering growth and development within the tech industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer, Database as a Service - Hybrid in Belfast
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Allstate or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Allstate.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Allstate.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Allstate that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Engineer, Database as a Service - Hybrid in Belfast
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Allstate.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Allstate and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Allstate
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Allstate uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
