At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead technical direction and translate designs into actionable engineering work.
- Company: Join a collaborative, product-focused engineering team.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic, non-hierarchical environment with excellent career advancement opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by mentoring teams and delivering innovative software solutions.
- Qualifications: Strong experience in agile software delivery and back-end development on Java.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.
We’re looking for an experienced Principal Engineer to provide strong technical leadership within a collaborative, product-focused engineering environment. In this role, you’ll set technical direction, translate architectural designs into actionable engineering work, and ensure high technical quality across team deliverables. You’ll work closely with delivery leadership to define, prioritise, estimate and refine technical backlogs, so strong agile software delivery experience is essential.
What you’ll be doing:
- Translate architectural designs into clear, prioritised engineering backlogs
- Identify where technical spikes are required to de-risk delivery and define the optimal delivery sequence
- Form hypotheses on potential technical approaches to complex problems
- Design and deliver experimental spikes using cloud-native services and bespoke code
- Define technical tasks and estimate implementation effort
- Present evidence-based outcomes to enable data-driven decisions for future product team approaches
What you’ll bring:
- Write clean, maintainable, high-quality code
- Champion agile best practices and Continuous Delivery
- Work hands‑on as part of a delivery team building innovative software
- Mentor and support other engineers
- Collaborate effectively with QAs, BAs and architects
- Build strong working relationships across disciplines
- Facilitate problem‑solving and guide teams from idea to delivery
- Thrive in a dynamic, collaborative, transparent and non‑hierarchical environment
About you:
You’re an enthusiastic and experienced Principal Engineer with a strong technical background and the ability to inspire delivery teams through hands‑on leadership. You are:
- T‑shaped, with deep technical expertise and the flexibility to support across the team when needed
- Comfortable stepping outside your normal scope to help unblock delivery
- An open‑minded, quick learner, happy to pick up new technologies (including legacy systems where required)
- Very comfortable with back‑end development on the Java platform, with testing experience using Bruno
- Experienced in agile, product‑centric software delivery
Essential experience:
- Hands-on technical planning, task breakdown, estimation and prioritisation
- Build tooling, CI and CD pipelines and modern delivery approaches
- Agile engineering practices including TDD, pair or collaborative programming, and continuous delivery
Desirable experience:
- Key technical skills: Java / Spring microservices
- Kubernetes on AWS
- REST APIs
- Hibernate
- Debezium
- Messaging technologies (SNS / SQS or similar)
- AWS RDS (Postgres)
- AWS OpenSearch
- AWS API Gateway
- Jenkins
- Git version control
- Docker
- React
- GDS Design System
- Node.js
- Storybook
- AWS native services (e.g. Lambda and related services)
Principal Engineer - SC Cleared in London employer: Searchability
Join a forward-thinking company that values innovation and collaboration, where as a Principal Engineer, you will thrive in a dynamic environment that encourages hands-on leadership and technical excellence. With a strong focus on employee growth, we offer opportunities for mentorship and skill development, alongside a culture that champions agile practices and teamwork. Located in a vibrant area, our workplace fosters creativity and provides access to cutting-edge technologies, making it an ideal setting for those seeking meaningful and rewarding employment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer - SC Cleared 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 Searchability 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 Searchability.
✨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 Searchability.
✨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 Searchability 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 - SC Cleared in London
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 Searchability.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Searchability 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 Searchability
✨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 Searchability 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.
