Principal Backend Software Engineer - Auth & Identity in London

Principal Backend Software Engineer - Auth & Identity in London

London Full-Time 80000 - 100000 £ / year (est.) Hybrid
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the design and development of critical AI systems and authentication infrastructure.
  • Company: Radiant, a pioneering company redefining AI infrastructure with a collaborative culture.
  • Benefits: 25 days annual leave, private medical insurance, gym membership, and learning time.
  • Other info: Embrace diversity and enjoy a supportive environment focused on growth and innovation.
  • Why this job: Join a team shaping the future of AI with cutting-edge technology and impactful projects.
  • Qualifications: Expertise in Golang, cloud-native development, and identity management technologies.

The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.

Company Overview: Radiant is redefining how AI infrastructure is built. We design and operate AI-native cloud platforms engineered for sovereignty, performance, and scale. Our infrastructure powers GPU-native workloads, multi-tenant control planes, and high-performance AI systems designed for the most demanding environments. We are not building a generic cloud. We are building purpose-built AI infrastructure - from powered land, to compute, to software.

As we scale our platform and expand our engineering organisation, we are looking for leaders who can build strong teams, uphold high standards, and deliver reliably at pace.

What You’ll Do:

  • As a Software Engineer at Radiant, you’ll be a hands-on technical leader, driving the design and development of our most critical systems, including our GPU orchestration layer, inference-serving infrastructure, and core platform APIs.
  • You’ll set the standard for engineering excellence across the team, working closely with other principal engineers to align on strategy and drive technical leadership.
  • You’ll partner with peers in infrastructure and machine learning to deliver high-performance AI systems, and mentor engineers across multiple squads.
  • Design and build proprietary identity federation, authentication, and authorization infrastructure that securely connects cloud services, customer tenants, and external identity providers (Azure AD, Okta, Google Workspace, etc.) across the Radiant AI cloud platform.
  • Architect and develop native IAM, federation, and role-based access control systems that enable secure interoperability between cloud services, customer tenants, and third-party identity providers.
  • Build foundational identity federation and authorisation technologies beyond cloud-managed integrations.
  • Develop and maintain authentication and authorization services, including OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, and custom token-based solutions.
  • Collaborate on backend engineering design efforts, including architecture reviews and system evolution strategies.
  • Maintain high standards for backend code quality, observability, and maintainability through code reviews and engineering best practices.
  • Identify and resolve security issues, performance bottlenecks, or reliability challenges within your domain.

What You Bring:

  • Proven expertise in Golang and cloud-native backend development.
  • Deep knowledge of OAuth2, OIDC, SAML, JWT.
  • Understanding of cryptography fundamentals (TLS, PKI, key rotation, secrets management).
  • Experience implementing RBAC and Zero-Trust principles.
  • Experience with Postgresql or other RDMS databases.
  • Experience designing scalable, low-latency microservices for authentication and authorization.
  • A bias for action, accountability, and leading by example.

Preferred Skills (Nice to Have):

  • Experience with Kubernetes and cloud-native services.
  • Experience with Auth0 and/or Keycloak.
  • Familiarity with confidential computing and zero-trust networking.
  • Knowledge of compliance frameworks like SOC2, HIPAA, FedRAMP, or GDPR.

Qualities we look for:

  • Set the standard: Every single day, you spot opportunities to constructively shake things up.
  • Inspire the change: There's no blueprint for the future. You’ll embrace challenges and change.
  • You’re real and you’re true to yourself: We cherish and celebrate diversity so you’ll feel right at home whoever you are and whoever you’re talking to, you treat everyone the same.

Why should you join us?

What sets us apart is our blend of modern technology, competitive benefits, and an open, welcoming work culture that enables our people to thrive. Here are just some of the great things you can expect from us:

  • 25 days of annual leave: we value your peace of mind. With 30 days off (excluding public holidays) and access to mental health resources, we make sure you're as strong mentally as you are professionally.
  • A culture that emphasises results over hierarchy, process & ego: we place great emphasis on the quality, ingenuity and creativity of work.
  • Open communication, regular feedback: we value smooth collaboration, direct and actionable feedback, and believe that leading with empathy and a growth mindset makes us better together.
  • Learning Time: we all have dedicated learning time to focus on new skills, projects or interests that lay outside of your day-to-day job.
  • Health & Wellbeing: we want everyone to feel healthy and happy, so we offer private medical insurance via Bupa.
  • Cycle to Work Scheme: we're committed to building a sustainable business, so we encourage cycling to work.
  • Gympass subscription to a variety of gyms and wellbeing apps.
  • Participation in the company shares program.
  • Enhanced parental pay & leave.

Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Belonging: We are an equal opportunity employer and we strive to reduce unconscious bias throughout our hiring process. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, veteran, neurodiversity status or disability status. To ensure our recruitment processes provide an equal opportunity for all applicants to succeed, we encourage you to let us know if there are any adjustments that we can make.

Principal Backend Software Engineer - Auth & Identity in London employer: Radiant

Radiant is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in East London where cutting-edge technology meets a collaborative culture. As a Datacentre Operations Engineer, you'll have the opportunity to work with advanced GPU and AI infrastructure while being part of a founding team that values technical excellence and continuous learning. With a focus on employee growth and a commitment to operational excellence, Radiant provides a unique platform for you to make a meaningful impact in the rapidly evolving field of high-performance computing.

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Contact Details:

Radiant Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Principal Backend Software Engineer - Auth & Identity 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 Radiant 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 Radiant.

✨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 Radiant.

✨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 Radiant 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 Backend Software Engineer - Auth & Identity in London

Golang
Cloud-native Backend Development
OAuth2
OIDC
SAML
JWT
Cryptography Fundamentals

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 Radiant.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Radiant 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 Radiant

✨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 Radiant 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.