At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design of scalable, cloud-native systems and mentor engineering teams.
- Company: Join Collinson, a leader in tech for travel and financial services.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, generous parental leave, and career development opportunities.
- Other info: Inclusive culture that values diversity and supports personal growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of global technology while making a positive impact.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in architecting distributed systems and leading engineering teams.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
At Collinson, we don’t just build technology — we power the experiences behind some of the world’s most recognised travel, financial services, and retail brands. Our solutions help global brands acquire, engage, and retain millions of customers worldwide. Our flagship product is Priority Pass, the world’s leading airport experiences programme, trusted by travellers across more than 170 countries.
Our mission is focused on doing good beyond profit, which for us means we seek out opportunities for our people to share in our success and that we give back to the communities and people within which we work. The success of our business is delivered through the diverse and talented team of over 2,200 global colleagues.
We are now looking for a visionary Principal Engineer to help define the next generation of our platform.
Why this role matters: This is more than a leadership position. It’s an opportunity to influence the architecture, scalability, and future direction of a truly global technology ecosystem. You’ll lead the technical vision for one of the most critical pillars in our Engineering organisation, our API platform, driving innovation across synchronous and asynchronous services built with REST, GraphQL, Kafka, and cloud-native technologies.
What you will be doing:
- Defining the architectural vision for our API ecosystem
- Leading the design and development of scalable, cloud-native distributed systems
- Building high-throughput event-driven services using Kafka
- Driving engineering excellence across security, observability, performance, and maintainability
- Mentoring and coaching engineers and technical leaders across multiple squads
- Collaborating closely with Product, Delivery, and Engineering leadership to shape strategic technical decisions
- Championing modern development practices including TDD, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, and automated testing
- Exploring and embedding AI-powered engineering capabilities into our workflows and platform
Our technology stack: You’ll be working with a modern, forward-thinking stack including: TypeScript (Node.js & React), AWS (EKS, Lambda, Aurora RDS), Kubernetes, GraphQL & REST APIs, Kafka, Terraform & Helm, GitHub Actions, DataDog, Salesforce integrations.
What we are looking for: You’re a technically exceptional engineering leader who still loves being close to the code.
What you bring:
- Proven experience architecting large-scale distributed systems in the cloud
- Deep expertise in APIs, event-driven architectures, and containerised applications
- Strong knowledge of AWS and modern DevOps practices
- Experience leading engineering teams and influencing technical direction across squads
- A passion for software craftsmanship, clean architecture, and scalable design
- A mentoring mindset and a collaborative leadership style
- Curiosity around AI and emerging engineering technologies
- Experience with Salesforce or enterprise CRM ecosystems is a strong advantage.
What Collinson Offers:
- Flexible and hybrid working options
- Work from anywhere – 8 weeks a year
- Generous parental leave and family-friendly policies
- Career development, mentorship, and training
- A supportive, inclusive culture with employee resource groups and diversity initiatives.
Collinson is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes differences in all their forms including: colour, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, neurodivergence, family status, age, individuals with disabilities and people from all backgrounds, cultures and experiences as we strongly believe this contributes to our on-going success.
We are focused on continually evolving our purpose driven, high performing culture, providing an environment where our people have the opportunity to achieve their full potential and do interesting and meaningful work. Our company values are: Take Action, Do the right thing, One team and Be insight led. These help guide everything we do internally in terms of how we think, act and interact, right through to how we deliver value to our customers and clients.
In your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example - she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc). If you need any extra support throughout the interview process, then please email us at ukrecruitment@collinsongroup.com.
Principal Software Engineer in London employer: Collinson Group
Collinson Group is an excellent employer that fosters a welcoming and inclusive work culture in the heart of Greater London. With a focus on employee growth and development, we offer flexible part-time roles that allow you to balance your personal commitments while contributing to a dynamic team. Join us to be part of a diverse environment where your contributions are valued and recognised.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Software Engineer in London
✨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 Collinson Group 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 Collinson Group.
✨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 Collinson Group.
✨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 Collinson Group 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 Software Engineer in London
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 Collinson Group.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Collinson Group 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 Collinson Group
✨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 Collinson Group 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.
