Principal Engineer - OS Maps in Southampton

Principal Engineer – OS Maps Application (Fulltime) – Salary – £74,781 to £87,244 (dependent on experience) – Hybrid working

Join us and you\’ll have an opportunity to make an impact and be part of an organisation committed to driving sustainable outcomes. At OS, we use location data and intelligence to help customers build more resilient societies, preserve the environment, foster healthier, happier spaces that people want to live in, and support the delivery of improved public services and critical infrastructure.

About the Team and Product

You will work as part of our Technology team working in our Consumer business unit of Ordnance Survey. The Consumer Teams goal is to provide Customers with information, products and services that make outdoor activities more enjoyable, accessible, and safe. The Consumer Team is made up of an onshore product team and predominantly offshore agile development team. The team works hybrid with occasional travel to the OS Office in Southampton.

The OS Maps mobile App is Ordnance Survey\’s flagship web-based navigation product to put mapping and navigation tools at the user\’s fingertips. The OS Maps Product is the leading outdoor app in the UK with an app store rating across IOS and Android of 4.7, and the 3rd globally by revenue generation .

About the role

We are seeking a highly experienced and commercially adept Full-Stack Principal Engineer to lead the delivery of our web estate, mobile applications (iOS and Android), and backend API platform. The ideal candidate will have extensive expertise in application development across mobile, web, and backend systems, with a proven ability to integrate technologies to create seamless and scalable service experiences. Key technical skills include Java technologies (Spring Boot, Hibernate, Jackson), Node.js, React, and proficiency with cloud and container platforms such as Azure and Kubernetes. Experience with mobile technologies is essential, and familiarity with third-party geospatial software, such as Mapbox, would be a valuable addition.

OS Maps has an ambitious growth strategy for the next 3-5 years and this role is critical to ensuring our technologies can support this. You will be required to understand cross functional business requirements and work with both onshore product team and predominantly offshore agile development team to develop the appropriate software development components for our current and future growth strategy.

The Principal Application Engineer plays a critical role in providing organisational, and domain technical leadership, and strategic direction in their chosen field.

You will be expected to work closely with the Head of OS Maps, Senior Delivery stakeholders, offshore development team, and other members of the wider Technology Leadership Team:

• Provide industry leading expertise in their field of engineering, informing, and enabling the strategic objectives of Ordnance Survey

• Lead the software development of Ordnance Survey\’s OS Map products, working with senior stakeholders across the business to develop roadmaps to address technology strategy

• Provide organisation-wide thought leadership, training, and direction, ensuring the OS Maps technology estate aligns with OS\’s broader technology ambitions

• Collaborate with Project and Delivery Managers to track the progress of technical delivery

• Provide technical assurance and direction on all software development within their domain

• Identify and deliver effective training, proactively share best practices

• Communicate goals and issues between technical teams, lead engineers, architects, delivery managers and stakeholders

• Collaborating with the Product teams to ensure Technology Roadmap supports and enables Product Strategy

• This role may require periodic international travel to off-shore development teams.

Here is a snapshot of some of the other technologies that we use

• Third-party geospatial software, such as Mapbox, ESRI Technologies and FME

What we\’re looking for

We are looking for a passionate and talented individual who can demonstrate a strong track record in the following areas

• Proficiency in Java, Mapbox, and Cloud services (AWS, Azure).

• Ability to map and define cross-functional solutions, including understanding dependencies and restrictions.

• Experience in collaborating and influencing key business and technical stakeholders.

• Proven expertise in developing technical strategies.

• Leadership in managing complex software development projects.

• Experience working with third-party suppliers in an agile environment.

• Solid understanding of Cyber Security Principles.

The Reward

We want you to love what you do. That is why our benefits package rewards a job well done. That is why our benefits package rewards a job well done.

• Salary – £74,781 – £87,244 (dependent on experience)

• Performance related bonus up to 10%

• A competitive pension scheme (OS contributes up to 12.07%)

• 28 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays on joining, (3 taken over Christmas) increasing by one day per year, to a maximum of 5 years

• Enhanced family leave, including up to 12 weeks paid partner (paternity) leave

• Free subscription to OS Maps

• Access to online learning platforms

• Coaching and Mentoring schemes

• Plus, a suite of excellent additional perks and benefits

At OS, we believe looking after your health and wellbeing means more than posters and events. We empower you to manage your work and life the way you need it by offering things like

• An extra days\’ leave for each year you work, up to 33 days

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Hybrid working

• Free onsite parking at our modern HQ in Southampton

• We adopt flexible working and can consider different working hours dependent on the role and your personal circumstances

• Eyecare Vouchers

• OS Explorers Nursery discount

• Cycle to Work scheme

• We believe that as a company we should give back wherever we can, so we give you 1 day a year to volunteer for charities that are important to you, as well as offering a match funding scheme

Location

We embrace a hybrid working model at OS and understand there is no one size fits all in relation to how we work. We have a fantastic HQ in Southampton, Hampshire where you will be based and required to spend approximately one day a month. This role may require periodic international travel to off-shore development teams.

Security

OS conducts pre-employment checks for anyone made an offer of employment, including identity, right to work, employment history and criminal record checks (via Disclosure & Barring Services (DBS).

Some of our roles may require additional security vetting. We will advise candidates during the recruitment process if additional vetting may be required for that specific role.

Closing date Sunday 03 August at 23:59

Interviews are scheduled to take place via MS Teams.

Unfortunately, we are currently unable to offer sponsorship for this role, therefore you must have the right to work in the UK, without the need for employer sponsorship.

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that people may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any during the application process.

Research indicates that women, individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ+ community members, neurodiverse individuals, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds often hesitate to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Ordnance Survey, we are dedicated to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and genuine workplace where everyone can thrive. If you\’re enthusiastic about this role but your experience doesn\’t perfectly match every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the ideal candidate for this or other roles within Ordnance Survey.