Principal Software Engineer in Manchester

Principal Software Engineer in Manchester

Manchester Full-Time 43200 - 72000 Β£ / year (est.) No home office possible
Go Premium
D

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead architectural direction and evolve cloud-native systems for a major fintech platform.
  • Company: Join a leading UK fintech provider shaping digital customer journeys.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, hybrid work model, and opportunities for professional growth.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on technology choices and engineering culture in a dynamic environment.
  • Qualifications: Strong background in cloud systems, containerisation, and mentoring technical teams.
  • Other info: Explore emerging technologies and drive innovation in a collaborative setting.

The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 Β£ per year.

We're partnering with a dominant UK fintech platform provider. Their solution is enabling faster product launches, smarter decisions, and fully digital customer journeys, at scale. They are now looking to appoint a Principal Engineer to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of their platform and engineering culture.

This is a senior technical leadership role for someone who enjoys operating at system-wide level, influencing architecture, engineering standards, and long-term technical strategy. You'll work across multiple product teams and domains, acting as a technical authority and multiplier, helping evolve a complex estate from legacy and on-prem foundations into resilient, modern, cloud-first platforms. You'll partner closely with product, delivery, and engineering leadership to ensure technology choices are scalable, pragmatic, and aligned to commercial outcomes.

What You'll Be Doing

  • Setting architectural direction across a large, multi-product B2B platform used by financial institutions at scale
  • Designing and evolving distributed, cloud-native systems with a strong focus on resilience, performance, and security
  • Leading cross-cutting technical initiatives that span teams, services, and domains
  • Defining and embedding best practices around APIs, cloud design, DevOps, and automation
  • Acting as a coach and mentor to senior engineers and technical leads, raising capability across the organisation
  • Driving consistency in patterns, tooling, and approach across services and codebases
  • Championing observability, continuous delivery, and 'build it, run it' ownership
  • Proactively identifying systemic risks and improvement areas
  • Exploring and evaluating emerging technologies (including AI-enabled tooling) to improve productivity and platform efficiency
  • Contributing to improvements in engineering effectiveness

What We're Looking For

  • A senior, hands-on technical leader with strong architectural judgement and delivery focus
  • Strong background in containerised environments (Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Experience with at least one high-performance language (e.g. Go)
  • Proven track record designing and evolving distributed, cloud-native systems
  • Solid understanding of API-first design, event-driven architectures, and microservices
  • Strong DevOps mindset ie CI/CD, infrastructure as code, automation by default
  • Comfortable influencing across teams without direct authority
  • A natural mentor who enjoys developing others and shaping engineering culture
  • Pragmatic and commercially aware β€” able to balance technical quality with business impact
  • Strong belief in operability, monitoring, and ownership from day one
  • Curiosity around how AI and modern tooling can enhance engineering outcomes

Principal Software Engineer in Manchester employer: dcoded. | B Corp TM pending

As a Principal Software Engineer at our leading UK fintech platform provider in Manchester, you'll be part of a dynamic and innovative work culture that prioritises collaboration and technical excellence. We offer competitive benefits, a hybrid working model, and ample opportunities for professional growth, allowing you to influence the future of our engineering practices while working with cutting-edge technologies. Join us to make a meaningful impact in a supportive environment that values your contributions and fosters continuous learning.
D

Contact Detail:

dcoded. | B Corp TM pending Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🀫

We think this is how you could land Principal Software Engineer in Manchester

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the fintech space and let them know you're on the lookout for a Principal Software Engineer role. You never know who might have the inside scoop on opportunities or can refer you directly.

✨Tip Number 2

Show off your skills! Consider building a portfolio of projects that highlight your experience with cloud-native systems, APIs, and DevOps practices. This will give potential employers a tangible sense of what you can bring to the table.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for those interviews! Brush up on your architectural judgement and be ready to discuss how you've influenced engineering standards in past roles. Use real examples to demonstrate your impact and leadership style.

✨Tip Number 4

Don't forget to apply through our website! We’re always on the lookout for talented individuals like you. Plus, it’s a great way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves.

We think you need these skills to ace Principal Software Engineer in Manchester

Architectural Judgement
Cloud-Native Systems Design
Containerised Environments (Docker, Kubernetes)
High-Performance Programming Languages (e.g. Go)
API-First Design
Event-Driven Architectures
Microservices
DevOps Mindset (CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code)
Automation
Mentoring and Coaching
Technical Leadership
Cross-Team Collaboration
Observability
Continuous Delivery
Emerging Technologies (AI-enabled Tooling)

Some tips for your application 🫑

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Principal Software Engineer role. Highlight your experience in cloud-native systems, containerised environments, and any leadership roles you've held. We want to see how you can shape our engineering culture!

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about this role and how your background makes you the perfect fit. Don’t forget to mention your experience with APIs, DevOps, and mentoring others – we love a good story!

Showcase Your Technical Skills: In your application, be sure to highlight your technical expertise, especially in high-performance languages like Go and your experience with Docker and Kubernetes. We’re looking for someone who can influence architecture and drive technical initiatives, so let us know how you’ve done this in the past!

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join our team at StudySmarter!

How to prepare for a job interview at dcoded. | B Corp TM pending

✨Know Your Architecture

Make sure you understand the architectural principles that underpin the role. Brush up on cloud-native systems, microservices, and API-first design. Be ready to discuss how you've influenced architecture in your previous roles.

✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills

As a Principal Software Engineer, you'll be expected to lead and mentor. Prepare examples of how you've coached others and driven technical initiatives. Highlight your experience in influencing teams without direct authority.

✨Demonstrate Your Technical Expertise

Be prepared to dive deep into your technical skills, especially around containerised environments like Docker and Kubernetes. Discuss your experience with high-performance languages, particularly Go, and how you've applied them in real-world scenarios.

✨Emphasise Your Pragmatic Approach

This role requires balancing technical quality with business impact. Think about times when you've made decisions that benefited both the engineering team and the business. Show that you can think commercially while maintaining a strong technical focus.

Principal Software Engineer in Manchester
dcoded. | B Corp TM pending
Location: Manchester
Go Premium

Land your dream job quicker with Premium

You’re marked as a top applicant with our partner companies
Individual CV and cover letter feedback including tailoring to specific job roles
Be among the first applications for new jobs with our AI application
1:1 support and career advice from our career coaches
Go Premium

Money-back if you don't land a job in 6-months

D
Similar positions in other companies
UK’s top job board for Gen Z
discover-jobs-cta
Discover now
>