At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build innovative software solutions in a dynamic agile team.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking tech company with a focus on collaboration and inclusivity.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, generous holiday, and a £1,000 benefits allowance.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse culture that values inclusion and continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping best practices and mentoring future engineers.
- Qualifications: Extensive Java experience and a passion for high-quality code and engineering standards.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
About the Role
As a Principal Software Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, building and running front‑end and/or back‑end software solutions in an agile delivery squad. This role is hands‑on; you will actively design, implement and run the products and services your squad owns. You will shape best practices in software engineering, coach other squad members, and ensure high‑quality solutions.
Responsibilities
- Lead the full software development lifecycle, including coding practices, frameworks, technical debt, and operations within your squad
- Collaborate with Engineers, Product Owners, Business Analysts, and Architects to design and deliver industry‑leading systems
- Influence and implement engineering standards and tools, driving adoption across squads and tribes
- Design and build software that balances commercial needs with the future tech roadmap
- Take ownership of code quality, non‑functional requirements (performance, security, scalability), and best practices for logging, monitoring, and alerting
- Drive improvements in continuous integration and deployment processes
- Identify and mitigate risks, obstacles, and issues impacting technical products
- Provide run support for technical products within your squad
- Mentor and coach other engineers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement
- Champion engineering successes internally and externally to build our brand and attract talent
- Stay ahead of the curve by understanding the external technology landscape and applying insights to enhance our engineering practices
Qualifications
- Extensive experience building, integrating, and managing complex software architectures, ideally across multi‑cloud environments
- Strong hands‑on experience with Java, AWS components, and CI/CD tools (e.g., GitLab CI)
- Proven ability to mentor and guide less experienced engineers
- Passionate about code quality, testing, and engineering best practices
- Skilled in building applications with security, reliability, scalability, and high availability from the ground up
- Excellent collaboration and communication skills
- Degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
- Comfortable sharing knowledge and stories internally and externally to strengthen our engineering brand
Benefits
- Flexible, hybrid working model
- Inclusive culture and environment
- £1,000 flexible benefits allowance
- 30 days holiday + bank holidays
- Udemy learning access
- Up to 25% discount on Very.co.uk
- Matched pension up to 6%
- More benefits can be found on our career site
Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunities
We’re building a culture of everyday inclusion, and welcome applications from anyone who believes they can do the job. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. We want our recruitment process to be accessible to everyone. If you need reasonable adjustments to apply, interview, or perform a role, let us know via talentacquisition@theverygroup.com. We’ll be happy to support you.
Disability Confidence
We’re proud to be a Disability Confident and Committed Employer and have nine brilliant colleague networks – including DAWN (Disability Awareness at Very) and Think (Neurodiversity at Very) – that are helping us make Very an even more inclusive place to work.
Principal Software Engineer - Java employer: The Very Group
At Very, we pride ourselves on being an excellent employer, offering a flexible hybrid working model and a culture that champions inclusivity and diversity. As a Principal Software Engineer, you will not only lead innovative projects but also have access to extensive learning opportunities, a generous benefits package, and a supportive environment that fosters professional growth and collaboration. Join us to be part of a forward-thinking team that values your expertise and encourages continuous improvement in software engineering practices.
