At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead technical direction and modernise engineering practices for a global application portfolio.
- Company: Join TJX Companies, a Fortune 100 leader in off-price retail with a vibrant culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Inclusive culture with global collaboration and excellent career advancement opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by driving innovation and efficiency in a collaborative environment.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering with mainframe expertise and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
At TJX Companies, every day brings new opportunities for growth, exploration, and achievement. You’ll be part of our vibrant team that embraces diversity, fosters collaboration, and prioritizes your development. Whether you’re working in our four global Home Offices, Distribution Centers or Retail Stores—TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Homegoods, Homesense, Sierra, Winners, and TK Maxx, you’ll find abundant opportunities to learn, thrive, and make an impact.
ROLE OVERVIEW
Provide technical leadership for a global application portfolio that supports business growth and operational efficiency across TJX. Drive modern engineering practices, strengthen delivery effectiveness, and evolve mainframe capabilities to meet changing business needs.
What you will discover:
- An inclusive culture with opportunities for career growth
- A global IT organization that collaborates across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia
- A challenging, collaborative, and team-based environment
What you will do:
- Set technical direction for the Strategic Growth application portfolio and translate business priorities into scalable, secure, and resilient solutions.
- Lead the evolution of mainframe engineering and delivery practices to improve efficiency, stability, quality, and speed to value.
- Partner with product, architecture, and cross-ART teams to design solutions and deliver complex business capabilities.
- Break down complex problems into clear, actionable steps while maintaining a strong focus on product quality, security, and operational excellence.
- Influence architecture decisions and engineering standards across teams, balancing near-term delivery needs with long-term platform health.
- Mentor engineers, develop technical talent, and foster a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and improvement.
- Support production stability through sound incident, change, and problem-management practices.
What you will bring:
The ideal candidate combines deep mainframe expertise, strategic technical leadership, and a passion for delivering business value through technology. Success in this role requires the ability to influence across disciplines, develop engineering talent, and improve customer and business outcomes.
Minimum qualifications:
- 10+ years of software engineering experience in a relevant technical domain, including substantial experience with mainframe technologies such as COBOL, IMS, DB2, CICS, and JCL.
- Demonstrated success defining technical strategy, leading technical direction, influencing cross-functional teams, and delivering complex business or platform outcomes.
- Proven experience designing, building, and supporting scalable, high-performance applications.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, mentor, and influence geographically distributed engineering teams.
- Experience setting clear expectations, fostering accountability, and supporting the growth of engineers at multiple levels.
- Strong knowledge of agile delivery methods and a demonstrated agile mindset.
- Commitment to continuous improvement and learning.
- Experience with incident and change management principles and best practices.
Preferred qualifications:
- Exposure to and experience with mainframe modernization practices.
- Knowledge of and experience with DevSecOps practices.
- SAFe Agile certification.
- Experience working across a diverse application portfolio.
Benefits include Associate discount; 401(k) match; medical/dental/vision; HSA; health care FSA; life insurance; short/long-term disability; paid holidays/vacation/sick/bereavement/parental leave; EAP; incentive programs for management; auto/home insurance discounts; tuition reimbursement; scholarship program; adoption/surrogacy assistance; smoking cessation; child care/cell phone discounts; pet/legal insurance; credit union; referral bonuses. All benefits are subject to applicable plan or program terms (including eligibility terms) and may change from time to time.
In addition to our open door policy and supportive work environment, we also strive to provide a competitive salary and benefits package. TJX considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity and expression, marital or military status, or based on any individual's status in any group or class protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. TJX also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local law.
This position has a starting salary range of $142,500.00 to $185,300.00 per year. Actual starting pay is determined by a number of factors, including relevant skills, qualifications, and experience. This position is eligible for an annual incentive as well as long-term incentives.
Principal Engineer in Watford employer: Marshalls
At Marshalls plc, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer, offering a supportive and inclusive work environment where your contributions are valued. With a strong focus on personal and professional development, our Mechanical Maintenance Engineers benefit from competitive salaries, generous holiday allowances, and a range of health and wellbeing initiatives. Located in Sandy, you will be part of a team that drives innovation and sustainability, ensuring that together we build a better tomorrow for our communities.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer in Watford
✨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 Marshalls 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 Marshalls.
✨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 Marshalls.
✨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 Marshalls 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 Engineer in Watford
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 Marshalls.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Marshalls 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 Marshalls
✨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 Marshalls 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.
