Principal Software Engineer
Principal Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

Full-Time 80000 - 100000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead technical direction and mentor teams while tackling complex engineering challenges.
  • Company: Join RELX, a global leader in information-based analytics and decision tools.
  • Benefits: Enjoy flexible work options, well-being initiatives, and generous parental leave.
  • Other info: Dynamic environment with opportunities for career growth and innovation.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of technology and make a real impact on customer experiences.
  • Qualifications: Proven experience in software architecture and leading technical outcomes across teams.

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

Are you excited to influence technical direction across teams while still contributing hands‑on to complex, high‑impact engineering challenges? Do you want to shape domain architecture, mentor senior engineers, and connect technical decisions to real customer and business outcomes?

About our Team: RX Global aims to create unforgettable experiences for attendees and exhibitors through organizing events. Innovation, creativity, and collaboration drive the company to offer exceptional services to clients.

About the Role: As a Principal Engineer, you will help teams do their best work by improving engineering practices, reducing delivery risk, and fostering a culture of trust, learning, and high standards. You will lead through influence, collaborate across disciplines, and connect technical decisions to meaningful customer and business outcomes. This role combines technical leadership, hands-on contribution, and partnership with product, engineering, and architecture leaders. We value different career paths and welcome candidates who bring varied experiences and perspectives.

Responsibilities:

  • Own the technical direction and long-term health of a critical business domain spanning multiple delivery teams.
  • Act as the senior hands-on technical authority, setting a high bar for architecture, security, reliability, and maintainability.
  • Shape and co-own a 12–24 month domain technical roadmap with Product and Engineering leadership.
  • Drive sound architectural decisions and trade-offs across scalability, resilience, cost, and time-to-market.
  • Define and evolve domain architecture, service boundaries, and integration patterns that enable team autonomy.
  • Influence and align teams through strong engineering judgement, data, and clear communication rather than authority.
  • Lead complex technical initiatives including system modernisation, risk reduction, and legacy decommissioning.
  • Raise the engineering bar by mentoring senior engineers and emerging technical leaders.
  • Take hands-on ownership of high-risk or high-impact technical work when it matters most.
  • Champion operational excellence, including reliability, observability, incident learning, and cloud cost optimisation.

Requirements:

  • Proven experience as a senior or principal engineer leading technical outcomes across multiple teams or services.
  • Deep expertise in software architecture and distributed systems design.
  • Strong engineering judgement with the ability to clearly explain and balance complex technical trade-offs.
  • Experience designing and evolving APIs, events, and data ownership in large-scale systems.
  • Track record of modernising legacy systems and moving toward cloud-native architectures.
  • Strong experience building secure, scalable, and resilient cloud-based solutions (AWS or equivalent).
  • Comfort working in a polyglot technology environment and selecting fit-for-purpose tools.
  • Experience influencing architectural change and driving alignment across engineering and product partners.
  • Solid understanding of testing strategies, CI/CD, and operational reliability practices.
  • Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Computer Science (or related field) or equivalent practical experience.

Work in a way that works for you: We promote a healthy work/life balance and provide various well-being initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance, and sabbaticals to help you meet both your immediate responsibilities and long-term goals.

About the business: RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 36,000 people over 40% of whom are in North America. The headquarters is in London. The market capitalization is about £60bn ($80bn), making it one of the 10 largest listed companies in the UK. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange, Euronext and NYSE. The company has four market segments. It develops information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers in the Risk, Scientific, Technical & Medical, Legal, and Exhibitions sectors.

We know your well-being and happiness are key to a long and successful career. We are delighted to offer country specific benefits. We are committed to providing a fair and accessible hiring process. If you have a disability or other need that requires accommodation or adjustment, please let us know by completing our Applicant Request Support Form or please contact 1-855-833-5120.

We are an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Principal Software Engineer employer: RX

At RELX, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation, collaboration, and personal growth. As a Principal Software Engineer, you will not only lead technical direction but also enjoy a healthy work/life balance with benefits such as shared parental leave, study assistance, and sabbaticals. Our London headquarters offers a dynamic environment where diverse experiences are valued, ensuring that your contributions directly impact meaningful customer and business outcomes.
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Contact Detail:

RX Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Principal Software Engineer

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, attend meetups, and engage with online communities. 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 or GitHub repository showcasing your projects and contributions. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and sets you apart from the crowd.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by practicing common technical questions and scenarios. Mock interviews with friends or using online platforms can help you feel more confident and ready to tackle those tricky questions.

✨Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our team. Plus, it’s a great way to stay updated on new opportunities that match your skills.

We think you need these skills to ace Principal Software Engineer

Technical Leadership
Software Architecture
Distributed Systems Design
API Design
Cloud-Native Architectures
AWS or Equivalent Cloud Solutions
Engineering Judgement
Mentoring Senior Engineers
Operational Excellence
CI/CD Practices
Incident Learning
Scalability and Resilience
Communication Skills
Collaboration Across Disciplines

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in software architecture and distributed systems design. We want to see how your skills align with the role of Principal Software Engineer, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant projects!

Showcase Your Leadership Skills: Since this role involves influencing technical direction and mentoring senior engineers, be sure to include examples of how you've led teams or initiatives in the past. We love seeing candidates who can connect technical decisions to real customer outcomes!

Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, clarity is key! Use straightforward language to explain your technical expertise and experiences. We appreciate a well-structured application that makes it easy for us to see your qualifications at a glance.

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy to do!

How to prepare for a job interview at RX

✨Know Your Tech Inside Out

As a Principal Software Engineer, you’ll need to demonstrate deep expertise in software architecture and distributed systems design. Brush up on your knowledge of cloud-native architectures and be ready to discuss your experience with modernising legacy systems. Prepare specific examples that showcase your technical judgement and how you've influenced architectural decisions in the past.

✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills

This role is all about leading through influence rather than authority. Be prepared to share stories about how you've mentored senior engineers or led complex technical initiatives. Highlight your ability to foster a culture of trust and collaboration across teams, as this will resonate well with the interviewers.

✨Connect the Dots

Make sure you can articulate how your technical decisions have impacted customer and business outcomes. Prepare to discuss specific projects where your architectural choices led to improved scalability, reliability, or cost optimisation. This will show that you understand the bigger picture and can align technical work with business goals.

✨Practice Clear Communication

Strong communication skills are key for this role. Practice explaining complex technical concepts in a way that’s easy to understand. You might be asked to discuss trade-offs between different architectural approaches, so being able to communicate your thought process clearly will set you apart from other candidates.

Principal Software Engineer
RX

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