Principal Software Engineer in Newbury

Principal Software Engineer in Newbury

Newbury Full-Time 80000 - 100000 ÂŁ / year (est.) Home office possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead and innovate in software engineering, focusing on COBOL development and infrastructure modernization.
  • Company: Join Rocket Software, a diverse and inclusive tech company with a passion for innovation.
  • Benefits: Enjoy remote work, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
  • Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on mentorship and technical excellence.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of mission-critical technologies and make a global impact.
  • Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering with expertise in systems-level development and leadership.

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

It's fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what they're doing!

The Infrastructure Modernization business unit is seeking a highly experienced Principal Software Engineer to join our engineering organization and provide deep technical leadership across our COBOL development ecosystem and our Enterprise Server application replatforming products. This is a hands-on, strategic role focused on designing, building, and evolving mission‑critical infrastructure used by global enterprises running high‑volume, high‑reliability systems.

In this role, you will influence architecture across multiple product lines, guide engineering best practices, and help define the future of our platform as customers modernize decades‑old workloads into more agile, distributed environments. You will partner closely with senior engineering leaders, product managers, and domain experts to drive innovation at scale.

What You’ll Do

  • Technical Leadership
    • Architect, design, and implement core components within our COBOL development tools, runtime environments, and mainframe replatforming infrastructure.
    • Provide technical direction across multiple engineering teams building compilers, runtimes, middleware, and large-scale distributed systems.
    • Drive modernization strategies for legacy application ecosystems, including cloud migration, workload transformation, and hybrid deployment scenarios.
  • Hands-On Engineering
    • Own complex technical domains end-to-end, from design through production, balancing long‑term architecture with immediate product needs.
    • Build highly reliable, scalable, and secure infrastructure software used in mission‑critical enterprise environments.
    • Conduct deep code reviews, troubleshoot production issues, and mentor engineers in system-level design and performance optimization.
  • Cross-Functional Impact
    • Collaborate with product management to shape roadmap priorities and translate customer challenges into technical solutions.
    • Work with System Test, DevOps, and release engineering to ensure high-quality, low‑risk releases across a diverse product portfolio.
    • Introduce and champion engineering excellence practices, including automated testing, performance benchmarking, observability, and maintainability.

What We’re Looking For

  • Required Experience
    • 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including leadership over complex, multi‑team technical initiatives.
    • Deep expertise in systems-level software development, such as compilers, runtimes, operating systems, or infrastructure‑level platforms.
    • Strong background in mission-critical, high‑availability software (e.g., financial services, telecom, government, or core enterprise platforms).
    • Demonstrated experience with COBOL, PL/I, C, or C++—or significant experience in other lower-level languages with a willingness to dive into COBOL domain internals.
    • Proven track record building or modernizing enterprise-grade tooling, middleware, or distributed systems.
    • Ability to decompose legacy architectures, assess modernization paths, and design scalable solutions.
  • Preferred Qualifications
    • Experience with mainframe-to-cloud migration, workload replatforming, or runtime compatibility layers.
    • Familiarity with Azure, AWS, or hybrid cloud architectures.
    • Understanding of static and dynamic language runtimes, compiler pipelines, and virtual machine internals.
    • Prior technical mentorship or architectural leadership spanning multiple scrum teams.
    • Strong diagnostic skills for debugging low-level performance, memory, concurrency, or runtime issues.

Who You Are

  • A pragmatic engineer who balances ideal architecture with real-world constraints.
  • Passionate about long-term maintainability and operational excellence.
  • Comfortable working with legacy systems and excited about evolving them for the future.
  • A collaborator who elevates teams through mentorship and cross-functional alignment.
  • Someone who thrives in a technically rich, complex domain where your expertise has large-scale impact.

Why Join Us?

  • Influence the future of mission‑critical modernization technologies used worldwide.
  • Work with a highly experienced engineering organization with deep domain expertise.
  • Opportunity to shape architecture and product direction across multiple major portfolios.
  • A culture that values technical depth, thoughtful engineering, and long-term product stewardship.

Principal Software Engineer in Newbury employer: Rocket Software Development India

At Rocket Software, we foster a dynamic and inclusive work environment where innovation thrives and every team member's expertise is valued. As a Principal Software Engineer, you'll have the opportunity to lead transformative projects that modernise mission-critical technologies, while enjoying a culture that prioritises technical excellence and employee growth. With a commitment to diversity and a focus on collaboration, we empower our engineers to make a significant impact in a supportive and engaging atmosphere.
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Contact Detail:

Rocket Software Development India Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Principal Software Engineer in Newbury

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend meetups, and engage in online forums. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.

✨Tip Number 2

Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your projects, especially those related to COBOL or infrastructure modernization. This will give potential employers a taste of what you can bring to the table.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by brushing up on technical questions and scenarios relevant to the role. Practice explaining your thought process and solutions clearly, as communication is key in technical leadership roles.

✨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, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team.

We think you need these skills to ace Principal Software Engineer in Newbury

Technical Leadership
COBOL Development
Systems-Level Software Development
High-Availability Software
Cloud Migration
Workload Transformation
Distributed Systems
Code Review
Performance Optimization
Architectural Design
Mainframe-to-Cloud Migration
Azure
AWS
Debugging Skills
Technical Mentorship

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Passion: When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for the role shine through! We want to see that you truly believe in what you're doing and are excited about the opportunity to influence mission-critical modernization technologies.

Tailor Your Experience: Make sure to highlight your relevant experience in systems-level software development and COBOL. We’re looking for someone who can demonstrate a strong background in high-availability software, so don’t hold back on showcasing your achievements!

Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application clear and to the point. We appreciate well-structured applications that make it easy for us to see your qualifications and how they align with our needs. Avoid jargon unless it’s relevant to the role!

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team!

How to prepare for a job interview at Rocket Software Development India

✨Know Your COBOL Inside Out

As a Principal Software Engineer, you'll need to demonstrate your deep expertise in COBOL and related technologies. Brush up on your knowledge of COBOL development tools and be ready to discuss your experience with legacy systems and how you've modernised them in the past.

✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills

This role requires strong technical leadership. Prepare examples of how you've guided engineering teams, influenced architecture decisions, and implemented best practices. Be ready to discuss specific projects where you took the lead and the impact it had on the team and product.

✨Prepare for Technical Challenges

Expect to face technical questions that assess your problem-solving skills and understanding of systems-level software. Review concepts related to compilers, runtimes, and distributed systems. Practise explaining complex technical topics clearly, as you may need to mentor others during the interview.

✨Align with Company Values

Research Rocket Software's culture and values. Be prepared to discuss how your passion for long-term maintainability and operational excellence aligns with their mission. Show enthusiasm for collaborating across teams and how you can contribute to their vision of modernising mission-critical technologies.

Principal Software Engineer in Newbury
Rocket Software Development India
Location: Newbury

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