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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and optimisation of a large-scale observability platform.
- Company: Innovative tech company in Cambridge focused on cloud infrastructure.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team tackling complex engineering challenges.
- Why this job: Be the expert shaping impactful infrastructure solutions at scale.
- Qualifications: 15+ years in distributed systems, strong Golang skills, and Kubernetes expertise.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Our client is scaling a large, distributed cloud platform and is looking for a Principal Engineer to act as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) across observability and cloud infrastructure. You’ll be working at serious scale managing thousands of Kubernetes nodes, handling tens of terabytes of logs daily, and supporting millions of real-time metrics across a highly distributed environment.
The Role
This is a senior, hands-on role where you will own the technical direction and standards of the observability ecosystem. As the SME, you’ll define best practice, guide architectural decisions, and act as the go-to expert across engineering teams, ensuring scalable, cost-efficient, and high-performance systems.
Key Responsibilities
- Act as the SME for observability and cloud infrastructure across the organisation
- Lead architecture across metrics, logs, and tracing systems
- Design and optimise high-throughput data pipelines and storage layers
- Implement strategies such as sampling, aggregation, and down-sampling
- Extend and enhance open-source observability tools at scale
- Partner with engineering teams to standardise tooling and improve adoption
- Drive reliability, scalability, and cost optimisation across the platform
- Define and promote best practices aligned with OpenTelemetry and modern observability standards
- Mentor engineers and elevate engineering quality across teams
Tech Environment
- Kubernetes at scale (thousands of nodes)
- High-volume telemetry (hundreds of thousands of events per second)
- Observability stack: Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, Tempo, ELK/OpenSearch, ClickHouse
- Multi-cloud (AWS, GCP)
- Infrastructure as code (Terraform), CI/CD pipelines
What We’re Looking For
- 15+ years building and scaling distributed systems
- Strong hands-on experience with Golang (plus Python or Shell)
- Deep expertise in observability at scale
- Strong Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure experience
- Proven ability to design systems for performance, scale, and cost efficiency
- Experience with service mesh technologies (e.g. Istio/Envoy)
- Ability to operate as a technical authority and trusted advisor across teams
Nice to Have
- Open-source or CNCF contributions
- Experience using AI tools to improve engineering efficiency
Why Join
- Be the go-to expert shaping a large-scale observability platform
- Work on complex, high-impact infrastructure challenges
- Strong ownership and influence at Principal level
Principal Engineer employer: Synergetic
Contact Detail:
Synergetic Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Attend industry meetups, conferences, or even local tech events. Chatting with folks in the field can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those related to observability and cloud infrastructure. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do.
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just apply; engage! When you find a role that excites you, reach out to current employees on LinkedIn. Ask them about their experiences and share your enthusiasm for the position.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take that extra step to connect directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the Principal Engineer role. Highlight your expertise in observability, cloud infrastructure, and any relevant projects you've led. We want to see how you can bring value to our team!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about this role and how your background makes you the perfect fit. Don’t forget to mention your experience with Kubernetes and high-volume telemetry – we love that stuff!
Showcase Your Technical Skills: In your application, be sure to highlight your hands-on experience with Golang, Kubernetes, and observability tools like Prometheus and Grafana. We’re looking for someone who can hit the ground running, so let us know what you’ve done in these areas!
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 don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, we love seeing applications come in through our own channels!
How to prepare for a job interview at Synergetic
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially Kubernetes, Golang, and observability tools like Prometheus and Grafana. Brush up on your knowledge of cloud infrastructure and be ready to discuss how you've applied these technologies in real-world scenarios.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to discuss specific challenges you've faced in scaling distributed systems or optimising performance. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers, highlighting your role as a technical authority and how you’ve driven solutions across teams.
✨Demonstrate Leadership and Mentorship
As a Principal Engineer, you'll need to show that you can guide and mentor others. Be ready to share examples of how you've elevated engineering quality in previous roles, and discuss your approach to defining best practices and promoting them within teams.
✨Engage with the Interviewers
Don’t just wait for questions; engage with your interviewers by asking insightful questions about their current challenges and the tech stack they use. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you assess if the company is the right fit for you.