At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead software engineering projects and drive innovation in a historic brand.
- Company: Join M&S, a beloved brand transforming into a digital-first organisation.
- Benefits: Enjoy discounts, competitive holidays, bonuses, and 24/7 wellbeing support.
- Other info: Be part of an inclusive team committed to innovation and growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on millions while shaping the future of food technology.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in software engineering and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
As part of the M&S Software Engineering team, you’ll be joining a well-loved historic brand, working on solutions that serve millions of loyal customers and thousands of colleagues.
With ethical values that run right through the company’s core and technology leaders who truly understand software engineering, it’s an exciting time as we’re redefining ourselves into a digital-first and engineering-led organisation, with the quality of our engineering team being a key differentiator.
- We are seeking a passionate
- Principal Software Engineer to join our
Food & International Food category, where you will be a driving force behind the modernisation of mission-critical systems as M&S continues to scale and transform.
Working across multiple engineering teams, you will provide technical leadership, shape engineering strategy and help build robust, scalable and reusable platforms that support critical Food and Supply Chain capabilities.
Due to high interest, this role may close earlier than advertised. We recommend applying as soon as possible.
What You'll Do
Your key accountabilities will include
- Lead technical excellence across the full software development lifecycle, from architecture and design through delivery, launch, operations and continuous improvement of strategic platforms and programmes.
- Drive technical direction and influence engineering strategy, technology investment decisions and product roadmaps while partnering with Engineering, Technology and Product leadership.
- Champion engineering excellence through Communities of Practice, promoting clean code, clean architecture, modern engineering practices and operational excellence.
- Mentor and develop senior engineers across the organisation, helping teams solve complex problems, improve engineering maturity and adopt scalable delivery practices.
- Drive innovation, Dev Ops and automation, enabling teams to improve engineering productivity, delivery quality, reliability and ownership of their services.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, engineering branding and knowledge-sharing initiatives while contributing to the broader engineering ecosystem and technical community.
Who You Are
Your skills and experience will include
- Significant experience delivering large-scale software engineering initiatives, with a proven track record of strategic thinking, technical leadership and successful execution.
- Deep expertise in software engineering best practices including clean code, design patterns, quality engineering, testing strategies and distributed system design.
- Strong experience designing secure, resilient and scalable platforms, with expertise across cloud technologies, automation, observability, reliability and performance engineering.
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders, lead technical discussions and guide engineering teams through complex technical and business challenges.
- Experience driving engineering improvements, optimising processes and mentoring senior engineers to deliver measurable outcomes and organisational growth.
- Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical audiences and align teams around shared goals.
- M&S uses a variety of technologies across the Food & International Food domain, including:
- Java, Micronaut and PL/SQL
- React JS and Next. js
- Azure Cloud and Dynatrace
- Mule, Kafka and MQ
- Experience leading engineering communities, Communities of Practice or organisation-wide engineering initiatives.
- Strong experience with Dev Ops, Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery in enterprise-scale environments.
- Experience presenting at conferences, contributing to open-source projects, technical writing or engineering thought leadership.
- Strong commercial awareness and a product mindset, with the ability to connect technology decisions to business outcomes.
- Demonstrable entrepreneurship, innovation and ownership within previous organisations.
- A passion for developing engineering talent and building high-performing technical cultures.
What’s in it for you?
Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day.
We’re inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing.
- Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:
- 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation.
- Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more.
- Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours.
- Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future.
- Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one.
- Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal.
- Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave.
- 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services.
- One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you.
- Everyone’s Welcome
We are ambitious about the future of retail.
We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era.
We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet.
Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers.
Join us and make change happen.
We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best.
We support each other and work together to win together.
If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application.
This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.
- #LI-NO1 #LI-Hybrid
- Job Info
- Job Identification
- Job Category Software Engineering
- Job Schedule Full time
- Locations Waterside House, London, W2 1NW, GB (Hybrid)
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Principal Software Engineer - Food in London employer: Marks & Spencer
Joining M&S as a Senior Technical Program Manager means becoming part of a vibrant and inclusive team dedicated to delivering exceptional customer experiences. With competitive benefits like a generous pension scheme, extensive training programmes, and a strong focus on employee wellbeing, M&S fosters a culture of growth and collaboration. Located in a dynamic environment, you'll have the opportunity to lead transformative projects while enjoying a supportive work-life balance and the chance to make a meaningful impact.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Software Engineer - Food 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 Marks & Spencer 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 Marks & Spencer.
✨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 Marks & Spencer.
✨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 Marks & Spencer 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 - Food 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 Marks & Spencer.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Marks & Spencer 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 Marks & Spencer
✨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 Marks & Spencer 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.
