Principal Engineer

CreateFuture is fast becoming the UK’s most recognisable digital consultancy, with years of experience building digital products and services for major organisations whilst putting our people first. We have offices in the centre of Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester and London as well as remote employees located throughout the country. We are a team of creators - whether that’s code, project plans, go to market strategies, culture initiatives, marketing campaigns, large language models or people policies. And together, with our clients, we create the future.

This has seen us collaborate and partner across a multitude of industries and sectors, with the likes of PayPal, Adidas, NatWest, FanDuel and Money Saving Expert to name just a few. Our reputation as a partner determined to deliver high-quality, robust and thoughtful products has enabled us to scale to over 500 people in the last couple of years, and it is our amazing people - along with the safe, supportive and friendly culture we have built - that makes CreateFuture a great place to work. Don’t just take our word for it though, we have been recognised by Best Workplaces UK multiple years in a row - across a number of categories - and our employee exit rate is astonishingly low. Join us on our journey… Let’s create something awesome, together, today.

Role Summary

At CreateFuture, our Principal Engineer plays a pivotal role in supporting the success of our Engineers, our clients and our internal projects. Working closely with clients, you are responsible for the successful delivery of client and internal projects through building professional relationships with key client stakeholders, challenging where appropriate, and using your technical expertise to set and provide best practice advice and processes within your project team and wider capability. Alongside delivering for your client whether this is individually or as part of a team, you will also lead on best practices and standards within the capability. You will be responsible for the overall technical capabilities and skills of the engineers in your capability in your chosen technologies.

As a Principal Engineer, you are seen as a leader, both internally and externally, through your technical expertise, guidance and professionalism. You will be well known, both within your capability location and the wider industry for your expertise and you will use this to develop and identify new sales leads and revenue opportunities.

Role Details

Project teams can vary greatly depending on the requirements of the client. Therefore the roles & responsibilities for the Principal Engineer detailed below may vary according to client requirements.

• Consultancy: Applies a Growth mindset when considering our client's requirements as well as the work that we are doing internally. Looks for additional revenue opportunities on clients and works alongside the commercial team to successfully land additional work. Leads the engineering contribution to pre-sales activities, working with key stakeholders to determine client requirements through open communication and discovery. Is an Ambassador for Create Future externally, attends events and actively participates in speaking, blogging or other forms to support the growth of your capability in CreateFuture.
• Client: Sets and implements technical strategy in client projects and the capability. Has a strategic role in client projects, bringing your expertise to areas such as architecture, security and quality. Fulfils the role of a Lead Engineer when placed on a client project. Leads the Engineering work on RFPs and BIDs in a timely, effective manner by working collaboratively with our Sales team.
• Knowledge: Is seen internally and externally as a subject matter expert in chosen technologies, mentoring and guiding capability members in skill development. Defines best practice, security approaches tools and processes, ensuring they are being used throughout the capability and teams, challenging ways of working where appropriate. Works alongside the Director of Engineering and Capability Leads to identify missing and inconsistent skills within the capability, setting collective goals for all Engineers in the capability, helping with their learning and development and career aspirations. Is responsible for the overall breadth and depth of the skills contained within the capability, ensuring that these meet current client demand and future market direction. Actively leads in capability communities, collaborating with the Director of Engineering and Capability Lead to create and own initiatives that add value to CreateFuture and the Engineering Capability. Is seen as the leading authority on emerging technologies and industry trends, utilising this knowledge to drive forward the skills, knowledge and experience across the entire capability. In collaboration with the Commercial team, Director and the Capability Leads, develops location strategies, new client relationships and marketing campaigns to further develop client opportunities for Create Future. Is known as an expert and thought leader, by maintaining a high profile within the industry, through regular talks at meetups/conferences and through the use of social media.
• Leading: Leads by example, creates a culture of open, honest feedback, collaboration, ownership and accountability. Deals with ambiguity and brings stakeholders together in a shared understanding of the best way forward. Actively participates in recruitment and promotion activities, helps to identify and attract top talent. Uses their network to attract the top talent in your area to Create Future. Is a leader in CreateFuture, advocating for and celebrating your team, ensuring business communications are appropriately propagated and understood, and equally raises issues and challenges leadership where necessary and appropriate. Fosters a collaborative, inclusive and psychologically safe environment for the team that enables them to grow at CreateFuture by supporting their development journey. Champions our values and culture, being a role model for these and supporting the continual embedding of them in everything we do. Any other ad hoc related duties & projects as required.

What we’ll offer you:

We trust people to do their best work. That means flexibility over rigid rules, impact over activity, and real investment in your growth both professionally and personally. You’ll be part of a supportive, and friendly culture, surrounded by smart, curious people who care deeply about what they do. We offer flexible working, including hybrid and remote options. Our office hubs are located in Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, London and Bulgaria, with occasional travel to client sites or CreateFuture offices when needed. We trust you to manage your time balancing collaboration with client time and focused work. What matters is the impact you have, not how busy you look.

Our hiring process

We try to keep our hiring process clear, fair and respectful of your time. We aim to get back to everyone who applies and we will be upfront about where you are in the process. It usually looks like this: Call with our Talent Acquisition Team, Role specific capability interview. Depending on the role, we might also ask you to do a short presentation, a practical or technical task or have a values focused conversation. We will explain what is involved before anything happens.

Inclusion at CreateFuture

We believe diverse teams build better workplaces and better products. We want CreateFuture to be a place where people feel able to be themselves and do their best work. If you need any adjustments or support during the application process, just let us know. We will do what we can to help. We look forward to your application!