Principal Engineer

Principal Engineer

Full-Time 63000 - 77000 £ / year (est.) Remote
R

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead architectural oversight and empower teams to deliver high-quality software solutions.
  • Company: Join Ripjar, a tech leader combating financial crime with innovative software.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, generous leave, private healthcare, and the latest tech.
  • Other info: Dynamic team culture with opportunities for growth and innovation.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in the fight against financial crime while working remotely.
  • Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering with experience in distributed systems.

The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.

  • Join to apply for the
  • Principal Engineer role at
  • Ripjar

Ripjar specialises in the development of software and data products that help governments and organisations combat serious financial crime.

Our technology is used to identify criminal activity such as money laundering and terrorist financing, and enables organisations to enforce sanctions at scale to help combat rogue entities and state actors.

We are a remote first team, with a head office based in Cheltenham.

This position is open to UK wide candidates.

If you are based near Cheltenham, you are more than welcome to work from our office at any time.

Team Mission

Ripjar’s Engineering team builds software products that make the world safer.

We work together, mixing creativity with technology and engineering excellence to solve problems that nobody else can.

What we build

Our Labyrinth Intelligence platform provides users with cutting‑edge tools for data ingest, analysis and visualisation, powered by built‑in AI, a first‑class RPA workflow engine and world‑leading data security model.

Global financial institutions, corporations and big tech companies rely on our Labyrinth Screening product to monitor millions of client records, counterparties and prospects for sanctions, AML/CTF and other risks against billions of data points in near‑real time.

Ripjar’s unique approach to name and adverse media screening – using AI risk profiles – provides our customers with world leading capability, recognised by Chartis as a Category Leader in KYC Solutions.

We continue to innovate at pace the compliance sector, pioneering the responsible use of AI with our Digital Assistant.

What you’ll be doing

As a Principal Engineer, you’ll provide technology leadership and architectural oversight to our product and platform engineering teams.

As a senior technologist you’ll be central to Ripjar’s technical leadership.

You’ll report directly to the CTO.

  • You’ll work closely with senior leaders and colleagues across the organisation, and you’ll play a key role in collaborating with our customers and partners.
  • As an engineer with breadth and depth of experience you’ll be in your element designing and delivering scalable software in the cloud and on‑premise, articulating software designs and tradeoffs, communicating with engineers, technology and product leaders, senior leadership and customers.
  • You’re a key individual contributor and natural technical leader, comfortable guiding engineering teams through uncertainty, unravelling complexity and providing a clear vision.

You’ll work with our engineering managers and staff/senior engineers to empower engineers to deliver high quality software.

  • You’ll play a leading role in shaping our technology priorities.

You’ll also be actively engaged with our product team, and you’ll engage with product managers and key customers to understand their needs and develop an effective combined product and technology roadmap.

Key Tasks

  • Architectural oversight of Ripjar’s software platforms.
  • Leading contribution to product design and development.
  • Empowering Staff and Senior engineers to own key elements of the product and architecture.
  • Empowering technology and product leaders and teams to design and deliver high quality software products.
  • Take a leading role in Ripjar’s engineering organisation: contributing to standards, design patterns and technology approaches across our technical teams.
  • Ensure consistent application of architectural decisions and guidelines across Ripjar's software products.

Requirements

  • Key Skills
  • You have deep and broad experience in building and designing software: you are an engineer and a natural technical leader.

As a guideline, you’ll have at least 10 years’ experience building software.

  • You have proven experience developing distributed data‑intensive systems and running them in production.
  • You have experience deploying software both into the cloud and on‑premise.
  • You’ve built production systems based on Open Search/Elasticsearch, Mongo DB and/or Apache Kafka.
  • You have a good understanding of Dev Ops fundamentals.
  • You have proven experience introducing and implementing change.
  • You can quickly comprehend complex scenarios, unravel uncertainty and ambiguity and articulate the architecture of complex systems.
  • You can communicate clearly - written, verbal, and visually - in the right level of detail for any audience.
  • Bonus Skills
  • Experience with microservices architectures.
  • Experience with Kubernetes.
  • Domain experience in National Security, cyber security or financial crime compliance.
  • You have previous experience within a scaling business.
  • You have experience with large scale data processing systems or working with data at scale.

Why we think you’ll enjoy it here

  • Competitive base salary up to 140k.
  • 25 days annual leave + your birthday off rising to 30 days after 5 years of service
  • Life assurance
  • Pension salary sacrifice
  • Private Family Healthcare
  • Employee Assistance Programme
  • Company contributions to your pension
  • Enhanced maternity/paternity pay
  • The latest tech including a top of the range Mac Book Pro
  • Offices equipped with well‑stocked pantries with food, snacks and drinks when in the office
  • Seniority level
  • Director
  • Employment type
  • Full‑time
  • Job function
  • Engineering and Information Technology
  • Industries
  • Software Development, Technology, Information and Media, and IT Services and IT Consulting
  • #J-18808-Ljbffr

Principal Engineer employer: Ripjar

RipJar is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture, perfect for those looking to make a significant impact in the global SaaS marketing landscape. With a focus on employee growth and development, we offer ample opportunities for professional advancement while working remotely from the picturesque town of Cheltenham. Join us to be part of a forward-thinking team that values creativity and strategic thinking in driving meaningful change within the financial crime and compliance sectors.

R

Contact Details:

Ripjar Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer

✨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 Ripjar 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 Ripjar.

✨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 Ripjar.

✨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 Ripjar 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

Software Architecture
Cloud Computing
Distributed Systems
OpenSearch/Elasticsearch
MongoDB
Apache Kafka
DevOps 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 Ripjar.

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

✨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 Ripjar 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.