At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead technical direction and build innovative digital products while coding hands-on.
- Company: Join Specsavers, a global brand with a startup vibe and innovative spirit.
- Benefits: Enjoy remote work, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with a focus on engineering excellence and career development.
- Why this job: Shape the future of digital experiences and make a real impact in tech.
- Qualifications: Experience as a Principal Engineer or similar role in a high-growth tech environment.
The predicted salary is between 66150 - 80850 £ per year.
Are you a Principal Engineer who loves being hands-on, solving complex technical problems, and building products that customers use every day?
At Specsavers, we're building something truly exciting.
Our IDOC business operates with the pace, innovation, and ownership mindset of a startup, backed by the investment and stability of a global organisation.
We're looking for a Principal Engineer to play a key role in shaping the future of our digital platform as we continue to scale and evolve our products across the US market.
This isn't a traditional leadership role where you're managing from a distance.
We're specifically looking for a highly technical engineering leader whose primary passion remains engineering.
Someone who still enjoys writing production code, solving difficult technical challenges, reviewing architecture, and working directly with teams to build great software.
You'll help define technical direction and engineering standards while remaining deeply involved in implementation, delivery, debugging, and production operations.
Our products span frontend applications, backend services, APIs, cloud infrastructure, and digital commerce capabilities.
We're particularly interested in candidates with strong frontend engineering expertise who can help drive improvements in architecture, performance, maintainability, quality, accessibility, and customer experience across our digital products.
You'll thrive in this role if you're equally comfortable discussing long-term architecture strategy and rolling your sleeves up to ship production code.
One day you might be designing platform capabilities and shaping engineering standards, the next reviewing code, troubleshooting production issues, or delivering new features alongside the team.
You'll work closely with Product, Design, Development, and Architecture leaders to turn ambitious ideas into exceptional customer experiences.
We're looking for someone who has experience as a Principal Engineer, Staff Engineer, Lead Engineer, or senior technical leader within a high-growth technology business.
You'll bring a strong track record of building and scaling modern Saa S products, deep engineering expertise across modern web technologies, and the ability to move comfortably between strategy, architecture, and hands-on delivery.
You'll also have the opportunity to support and develop a small UK engineering team.
While people leadership forms part of the role, the focus remains firmly on technical leadership, engineering excellence, product delivery, and building great software.
This role is perfect for someone who wants to lead through technical expertise rather than moving into a purely management-focused career.
If you're excited by the idea of joining a startup-like environment within Specsavers, helping shape the future of our US digital products, influencing technical strategy, and remaining at the heart of engineering delivery, we'd love to hear from you.
Join us as Principal Engineer and help build the next generation of digital experiences for our customers.
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Principal Engineer in Fareham employer: Specsavers Careers
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StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer in Fareham
✨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 Specsavers 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 Specsavers 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 Specsavers 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 Specsavers 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 in Fareham
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 Specsavers 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 Specsavers 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 Specsavers 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 Specsavers 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.
