At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and delivery of complex software platforms in a dynamic trading environment.
- Company: Globally recognised exchange at the forefront of industrial metals trading.
- Benefits: Competitive salary of £160k plus bonus, with opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a collaborative team focused on innovation and engineering excellence.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact on critical systems that drive global trading operations.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in Java, microservices, and cloud-native applications required.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
A globally recognised exchange and clearing house at the centre of industrial metals trading. The business operates three trading platforms totalling $18 trillion in annual volume, 178 million lots and 4 billion tonnes, with significant global physical warehouse operations across 15 countries. The Pricing Technology team develops and supports the systems that generate and distribute global reference prices and implement volatility controls across the trading venues. These systems are critical to the operation of the Exchange.
PURPOSE OF ROLE
The Principal Engineer is a senior individual contributor responsible for driving the technical direction, architecture, design and delivery of complex software platforms and applications. The role provides leadership through hands-on software engineering, technical expertise, mentoring and influence across teams, without direct people management responsibility. Success means building secure, scalable and resilient software systems, establishing engineering best practices, improving developer productivity and enabling efficient delivery of business-critical capabilities.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE
- Significant hands-on software engineering experience in Java, building and operating distributed systems
- Deep experience with microservices, APIs, event-driven architectures (Kafka) and integration patterns
- Ability to define and influence engineering strategy, architecture standards and technical roadmaps
- Design and build secure, cloud-native applications using modern engineering practices (Kubernetes)
- Strong knowledge of secure software development including authentication, authorisation, encryption and secure-by-design principles
- Experience with Kubernetes, container platforms and scalable production environments
- Practical DevOps expertise across CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, GitOps, automated testing and deployment automation
- Ability to lead technical design discussions, conduct reviews and make pragmatic engineering decisions
- Proven ability to work autonomously and drive initiatives from concept to delivery
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, influencing technical and non-technical audiences
BONUS KNOWLEDGE
- Experience in financial services, trading systems or other regulated environments
- Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) practice
- Observability tooling: Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, OpenTelemetry, Elastic
PERSONAL QUALITIES
- Analytical and pragmatic problem solver focused on outcomes, resiliency and maintainability
- Strong ownership mentality with the ability to independently lead technical initiatives
- Collaborative and influential, building trust across engineering, product, operations, security and business stakeholders
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to promote engineering best practices, drive continuous improvement and share technical knowledge effectively
Principal Engineer employer: Bourne Search
Bourne Search is an attractive employer due to its focus on complex software engineering projects that are vital to the global trading landscape. The company fosters a culture of professional growth and mentorship, allowing employees to enhance their skills while contributing to significant industry operations.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer
✨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 Bourne Search 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 Bourne Search.
✨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 Bourne Search.
✨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 Bourne Search 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
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 Bourne Search.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Bourne Search 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 Bourne Search
✨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 Bourne Search 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.
