At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative software projects and shape the future of digital solutions.
- Company: Join Hippo, a dynamic digital consultancy with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible benefits, and generous holiday allowance.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on organisations and society through cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Expertise in modern programming languages and experience leading delivery teams.
Hippo is a rapidly growing digital consultancy passionate about building and delivering transformative digital solutions for a diverse range of Public and Private sector clients. We are recruiting for a Principal Software Engineer to join our Hippo Herd. Our collaborative and agile culture empowers our teams to make a genuine impact.
As a Principal Software Engineer, you will play an important role in making Hippo the best Consultancy out there. You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team combining data, design, product, delivery, analysis and engineering to deliver bespoke digital services that make a positive and meaningful impact on organisations and society. You will act as a Principal Consultant to deliver Software Engineering services to our clients. Principal Software Engineers at Hippo are strategic leaders who shape the technical direction of projects, drive innovation across the consultancy, and oversee multiple delivery streams within the Hippo engineering community.
Our solutions empower our customers to build and support secure, scalable, and well-engineered systems beyond traditional boundaries. We leverage deep data insights and continuous innovation to deliver awesome platforms that allow our customers to understand and get the most from their data and digital services. The Principal Software Engineer will be a key player and implementer in this mission.
Your Role in a Nutshell
- Provide strategic technical guidance across multiple squads as a high-level SME to ensure user-centred software follows best practice.
- Oversee and optimise the design and management of complex software development and deployment pipelines, removing strategic bottlenecks.
- Drive strategic relationships with key stakeholders, ensuring that systemic engineering challenges are overcome.
- Drive the recruitment strategy for engineering and lead high-level professional development, coaching, and succession planning.
- Champion Hippo’s Engineering Herd globally through thought leadership, workshops, and industry conferences.
Skills and experience that you need
Essential Experience
- Mastery of multiple modern programming languages and extensive engineering experience across diverse technology stacks (Python, Java, Node, etc.)
- Expert track record of leading multiple delivery teams to deliver enterprise-scale, high-quality, and technology-agnostic solutions.
- Strategic mastery in coaching and guiding senior engineers and leads to achieve optimal results.
- Expert knowledge of the full development lifecycle for user-centred digital solutions at scale.
- Mastery of agile methodologies and their application across large, distributed teams.
- Enterprise-level expertise in Infrastructure as Code and public cloud architecture (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
Desirable Experience
- Significant experience delivering high-profile GOV/NHS or enterprise-scale consultancy projects.
- Proven track record of shaping organisational engineering standards or cultures.
What makes us great
Alongside working with some of the most talented people out there and on-top of a competitive salary, which we’re transparent about from the outset, you can also expect a range of benefits:
- Contributory Pension Scheme (Hippo 6% & Employee 2%)
- 25 Days Holiday plus UK Public Holidays
- Perkbox access for a wide range of discounts
- Critical illness cover
- Life assurance and death in service cover
- Volunteer days
- Cycle-to-work scheme for the avid cyclists
- Salary sacrifice electric vehicles scheme
- Season ticket loans
- Financial and general wellbeing sessions
- Flexible benefits scheme with options of:
- Private health cover
- Private dental cover
- Additional company pension contributions
- Additional holidays (up to an extra 2 days)
- Wellbeing contribution
- Charity contributions
- Tree planting
Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Hippo
At Hippo, we’re dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that works for everyone. Only by building a community of diverse perspectives, cultures and socio-economic backgrounds can we create an environment where all can contribute and thrive.
We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups including women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent and people with disabilities. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process that reflects our workplace culture. We are a registered Disability Confident Employer, Mindful Employer, Endometriosis Friendly Employer and a member of the Armed Forces Covenant. Hippo continually strives to remove barriers, provide accommodations and offer reasonable adjustments to ensure equity throughout our practices.
Hi, we’re Hippo
At Hippo, we design with empathy and build for impact. We do this by combining data-informed evidence, human-centred design and software engineering. We're a digital services partner who is genuinely invested in helping our clients thrive as modern organisations. Our delivery methodology is truly agile, from concept to reality, supporting innovation and continuous improvement to achieve your desired outcomes.
We firmly believe that technology should serve humanity, not the other way around. We take a human-centred approach to everything we do because we understand that complex problems require a service design approach. Our combination of data, design, and engineering delivers bespoke digital services that make a positive and meaningful impact on organisations and society.
We're on the lookout for top talent nationwide but you need to be located within reasonable travelling distance from one of our offices. Given the dynamic nature of a consulting business, you may be required to work on-site at a Hippo office or at an in/out of town client location for a number of days per week (client dependent) and therefore candidates will need to be open/flexible to travel and working on one of those sites at least 2 days per week. We offer a generous relocation support package of up to 8,000 (please ask for terms and conditions) to help make your move a smooth one.
Location: Leeds
Advertising Salary: 81,400 - 100,000 + Benefits
Vacancy Type: Permanent
Division: Software Engineering
Level:
Principal Software Engineer (Fully Remote) in Manchester employer: Hippo Digital
Hippo Digital is an exceptional employer located in the vibrant city of Manchester, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, you will have access to flexible working arrangements and a contributory pension scheme, making it an ideal place for those seeking meaningful and rewarding employment in product management.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Software Engineer (Fully Remote) in Manchester
✨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 Hippo Digital 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 Hippo Digital.
✨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 Hippo Digital.
✨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 Hippo Digital 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 (Fully Remote) in Manchester
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 Hippo Digital.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Hippo Digital 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 Hippo Digital
✨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 Hippo Digital 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.
