At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the re-architecture of a high-performance trading platform and design scalable systems.
- Company: Dynamic tech firm in Newcastle with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, private medical insurance, and generous leave.
- Other info: Mentorship opportunities and a culture of continuous improvement await you.
- Why this job: Shape the future of trading technology and make a real impact in finance.
- Qualifications: Strong experience in scalable systems and technical leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
- Principal Engineer
- Hybrid role in Newcastle upon Tyne
Up to 110k max.
The Role
We are looking for an experienced and technically driven
Principal Engineer to play a key role in shaping the future of a high-performance trading platform.
You will lead major platform re-architecture and modernisation initiatives, helping to design and deliver scalable, resilient and low-latency systems for real-time trading environments.
Working closely with Product, Operations and Engineering teams, you will have significant influence over technical strategy and the future direction of the platform.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead platform re-architecture and modernisation initiatives.
- Design scalable, resilient and high-performance distributed systems.
- Develop and evolve low-latency, event-driven architectures for real-time trading environments.
- Drive key architectural decisions while balancing scalability, technical debt, delivery and commercial priorities.
- Improve platform performance, automation, monitoring and deployment processes.
- Work closely with Product and Operations teams to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
- Provide technical leadership and help shape the wider engineering roadmap.
- Champion high standards around code quality, testing, observability, security and scalability.
- Mentor and support engineers through technical guidance, coaching and peer reviews.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives and encourage the adoption of modern technologies and engineering practices.
- Support post-incident reviews and help embed learnings into future engineering processes.
What We're Looking For
- Strong experience designing and building scalable, distributed systems.
- Experience with real-time and low-latency platform architecture.
- Proven experience leading platform modernisation, migration or re-architecture projects.
- Strong understanding of event-driven systems, APIs, cloud-native technologies and CI/CD.
- Excellent knowledge of scalability, resilience, performance and operational best practices.
- Strong technical leadership skills with the ability to influence engineering and business stakeholders.
- Experience mentoring engineers and raising technical standards across teams.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly.
Desirable Experience
- Experience or a strong understanding of financial markets technology.
- Exposure to electronic trading, OTC markets, FX, fixed income or similar trading environments.
- Understanding of trading workflows, pricing, execution platforms and post-trade processes.
- Awareness of risk, compliance, security and auditability requirements within financial services.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary
- 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
- Discretionary performance bonus
- Flexible working
- Private Medical Insurance
- Life Insurance – 5x salary
- Pension scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Salary Sacrifice Bike to Work Scheme
- Salary Sacrifice Electric Car Scheme
Principal Engineer employer: Ronald James Careers
As a Principal Engineer at our Newcastle upon Tyne location, you will join a forward-thinking team dedicated to innovation in high-performance trading platforms. We pride ourselves on a collaborative work culture that fosters continuous learning and professional growth, offering competitive salaries, flexible working arrangements, and comprehensive benefits including private medical insurance and a pension scheme. With opportunities to lead significant architectural initiatives and mentor fellow engineers, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our technology while enjoying a supportive environment that values your contributions.
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 Ronald James Careers 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 Ronald James Careers.
✨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 Ronald James Careers.
✨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 Ronald James Careers 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
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 Ronald James Careers.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Ronald James Careers 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 Ronald James Careers
✨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 Ronald James Careers 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.
