At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative software projects and shape the future of technology with AI integration.
- Company: Join KPMG, a global leader in audit and consulting with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team committed to inclusivity and personal development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by driving engineering excellence and innovation in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Proven software engineering experience and strong leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 72000 - 88000 £ per year.
The Principal Software Engineer will be accountable for shaping the technical direction for a portfolio of products and services within Technology & Solutions. This role will leverage deep engineering expertise, experience in managing engineering teams, and desire to learn, grow, and innovate. The successful candidate will be accountable for delivery of high-quality, enterprise-grade software products, embedding the use of AI across the software delivery lifecycle, and developing a culture of learning and excellence amongst the team.
Responsibilities
- Provide accountability and engineering direction for a portfolio of products and delivery teams.
- Lead by example through hands-on technical contribution and solving critical technical challenges.
- Establish, evolve, and enforce engineering standards, coding practices, quality gates, and governance frameworks that enable safe, scalable, and effective AI-native software delivery.
- Champion engineering excellence across the full software delivery lifecycle, driving secure-by-design development, comprehensive observability, modern testing practices, resilient deployment strategies, and operational excellence at scale.
- Ensure solutions are designed and delivered to enterprise-grade standards, embedding security, performance, resilience, scalability, and operational readiness from inception through to production.
- Represent engineering in portfolio intake and triage discussions.
- Collaborate with solution architects to ensure solutions align with broader architectural patterns and standards.
- Champion and scale AI-native, specification-driven development practices across engineering teams.
- Establish and embed the use of standards, frameworks and tooling for AI-augmented development across SDLC.
- Champion the adoption of GitHub Copilot, Claude Code and other approved AI coding assistants as core development tools.
- Drive technical innovation through proof-of-concepts and evaluating emerging AI engineering tools and platforms.
- Demonstrate measurable improvements in delivery velocity, quality, or efficiency through AI adoption based on production use cases.
- Coach and develop engineering teams, fostering a culture of excellence, learning, and AI adoption.
- Foster collaboration across teams, breaking down silos and promoting knowledge sharing.
Experience and Knowledge Requirements
- Software engineering experience with demonstrable progression to senior technical roles.
- Proven experience in delivering enterprise-scale cloud solutions on Microsoft Azure.
- Strong track record in managing and coaching engineering teams.
- Experience with AI-native software delivery and specification-driven development.
- Experience in microservices architecture, distributed systems, and RESTful API development and integration.
- Experience in Git, GitHub, and modern CI/CD practices including automated testing and deployment pipelines.
- Hands-on experience with Agile software development methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) and DevOps practices.
- Strong database design, data modelling, and development expertise across relational and NoSQL platforms.
- Demonstrated ability to balance technical execution with people management and product accountability.
- Proven problem-solving skills and analytical thinking with ability to tackle complex technical challenges.
- Strong decision-making capabilities with ability to evaluate trade-offs and make pragmatic choices under pressure.
- Familiarity with agentic AI frameworks and architectures.
- Experience architecting for scalability, performance, security, and operational excellence.
- Experience with Databricks, data engineering, or analytics platforms.
- Familiarity with Node.js, and Typescript backend development.
- Knowledge of modern frontend build tools, CSS frameworks, and responsive design principles.
- Background in professional services, consulting, or client-facing technical delivery.
- Contribution to open-source projects or active participation in engineering communities.
KPMG in the UK is part of a global network of firms that offer Audit, Legal, Tax and Advisory services. We aim to be universally recognised as a place for great people to do their best work. A firm known for our collaborative and inclusive culture, using technology to empower and equip our people to deliver outstanding work with real flexibility.
We’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where all colleagues thrive and reach their full potential, whatever their identity or background.
Senior Manager - Principal Software Engineer in Birmingham employer: KPMG Careers
KPMG is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment where creativity and insight thrive. With a strong focus on employee growth, we provide ample opportunities for professional development and mentorship within our leading Indirect Tax practice. Located across the UK, our collaborative culture fosters innovation and strong client relationships, making KPMG a rewarding place to build a meaningful career in financial services.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Manager - Principal Software Engineer in Birmingham
✨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 KPMG Careers 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 KPMG Careers.
✨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 KPMG Careers.
✨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 KPMG Careers 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 Senior Manager - Principal Software Engineer in Birmingham
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 KPMG Careers.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at KPMG Careers 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 KPMG Careers
✨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 KPMG Careers 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.
