At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead technical innovation and shape the future of travel technology.
- Company: Join a vibrant team at On the Beach, transforming holiday experiences.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days holiday, discounts on trips, and flexible working hours.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on millions of travellers while advancing your career.
- Qualifications: Experience in software engineering, especially with Kotlin or Java.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
We're On the Beach. Since 2003, we've been rewriting the rules of how people discover, book, and experience their perfect getaway. What started as connecting people to short-haul beach holidays has evolved into something much bigger - premium beach destinations, long-haul adventures, and vibrant city breaks. We send around two million holidaymakers on their dream breaks every year. Powered by our deep-rooted entrepreneurial spirit, proprietary tech, curiosity and our incredible people, we're accelerating - delivering best in class technology, the ultimate holiday app, and experiences that keep our customers coming back for more.
As a Principal Engineer, you'll play a key role in transforming how millions of people discover, book, and experience travel through our platforms. This is an opportunity to drive technical innovation at scale while working with cutting-edge technologies across our full stack. You'll architect and influence technical decisions that extend beyond individual teams, shaping the foundation of our technology platform. Your work will directly impact the experiences of our customers while building scalable, reusable patterns that accelerate development across the business. This role is pivotal in supporting our Head of Engineering to define and deliver the next phase of our technology strategy. You'll help lead transformation initiatives, modernise legacy systems, and enhance our search functionality — ensuring performance, scalability, and innovation across the platform.
What you’ll be doing day to day:
- Partner with the VP of Product Engineering to define the technical strategy, architectural direction, and transformation roadmap.
- Lead the design and optimisation of search systems, ensuring relevance, scalability, and reliability.
- Oversee the evolution of existing systems — maintaining and refactoring C# codebases while building and migrating services in Kotlin or Java.
- Champion engineering best practices across security, performance, testing, and continuous delivery.
- Provide architectural leadership across multiple teams, establishing standards and reusable patterns that scale.
- Mentor and empower engineers to grow their technical and leadership capabilities.
- Collaborate closely with Product, Data, and Platform teams to deliver complex change with measurable impact.
- Lead transformation and modernisation initiatives, balancing technical ambition with business priorities.
You’ll be a great addition to our team if you have the following skills, knowledge and experience:
- Experienced in shaping technical direction and influencing engineering outcomes at scale.
- Skilled in designing and optimising search technologies (e.g., Elasticsearch, Solr, OpenSearch, or similar).
- Proficient in Kotlin or Java, and comfortable modernising C# legacy systems.
- Knowledgeable in distributed systems, cloud-native architectures (AWS preferred), and modern web technologies.
- Adept at leading teams through change and transformation, promoting collaboration and continuous improvement.
- A clear and confident communicator, capable of translating complex technical concepts for diverse audiences.
What to expect from our interview process:
We’ll run a multiple stage interview process, one stage of which may be an in-person interview at our fabulous Aeroworks office in Manchester city centre. We want to make sure everybody has the opportunity to perform at their best. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the interview process please let the Talent Acquisition team know and they will be happy to assist.
Ways of working:
Our full time hours are 37.5 per week, but we don’t have rigid working hours so you can find the working pattern that’s right for you. We have core working hours between 10am - 4pm, so we can collaborate and enjoy the social side of work. We also have hybrid working so we all work from home and from our Aeroworks office in Manchester City Centre. You’ll be in the office one day every two weeks, and you’re more than welcome to come in more if you’d like.
Our benefits:
We offer a competitive benefits package, known as our Beach Perks, to all On the Beach colleagues. These include:
- 25 days holiday plus your birthday off
- Generous discount on holidays, plus you will receive 2 extra days annual leave on top of your holiday allowance to use whilst you’re away on your On the Beach package holiday
- Access to Learnerbly learning platform, plus workshops, courses and professional qualifications
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, shared parental leave and adoption pay, plus other family friendly support
- Employee Assistance Programme and free access to counselling
- Simplyhealth Optimise Health Plan
- Company Sick Pay scheme
- Regular wellbeing events
- Gym discount
- Share Incentive Plan (SIP)
- Death in Service cover
- Onsite subsidised coffee shop
- The Sandbox (our very own bar)
- Food and drink discounts across a number of venues in Manchester City Centre
- Regular social events
- Cycle to Work scheme
Diversity and Inclusion:
You’ll find diverse teams at OTB, reflective of the world we live in and the customers we serve. We believe strongly that difference, not uniformity, is critical to our success. We know that better decisions happen when they are made by a range of voices, perspectives and experiences. As an equal opportunity employer, we value and welcome applications from all sections of the community.
Principal Engineer in Manchester employer: On the Beach
On the Beach is an exceptional employer that champions innovation and collaboration within its new AI Discovery team in Manchester. With a strong focus on employee growth, flexible work patterns, and a culture that encourages experimentation, team members are empowered to make a meaningful impact while working on cutting-edge AI solutions. The vibrant work environment not only fosters creativity but also prioritises direct engagement with customers, ensuring that every voice is heard in the development process.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer in Manchester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with people on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews! Research the company, understand their tech stack, and be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their needs. Practise common interview questions and have your own questions ready to show your interest.
✨Tip Number 3
Show off your skills! If you’ve got a portfolio or GitHub, make sure it’s up to date. Share projects that highlight your expertise in search technologies or cloud-native architectures. This is your chance to shine!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our team at On the Beach.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Engineer in Manchester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Travel:When you're writing your application, let your love for travel shine through! Share any personal experiences or insights that connect you to the role and our mission at On the Beach. We want to see how your passion aligns with what we do.
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Principal Engineer position. Highlight your relevant skills and experiences that match the job description. We appreciate when candidates take the time to show us why they’re a perfect fit!
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Use clear language and avoid jargon unless it’s relevant to the role. We want to understand your qualifications without having to decipher complex terms!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure it gets into the right hands. Plus, you’ll find all the details you need about the role and our company there!
How to prepare for a job interview at On the Beach
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially Kotlin, Java, and C#. Brush up on your knowledge of search technologies like Elasticsearch or Solr. Being able to discuss your experience with these tools will show that you're ready to hit the ground running.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Principal Engineer, you'll be expected to lead and mentor others. Prepare examples of how you've successfully led teams through technical transformations or changes. Highlight your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, as this will be crucial in your role.
✨Understand the Business Impact
Be ready to discuss how your technical decisions can drive business outcomes. Think about how your previous work has improved performance, scalability, or user experience. This will demonstrate that you understand the bigger picture and can align tech strategies with business goals.
✨Prepare for Collaboration
Collaboration is key in this role, so think of examples where you've worked closely with product, data, or platform teams. Be prepared to discuss how you’ve navigated challenges in cross-functional settings and how you can foster a collaborative environment at On the Beach.
