At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the engineering of AI-powered solutions for a top legal collaboration platform.
- Company: Join Thomson Reuters, a global leader in legal technology and innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible work arrangements, competitive pay, and comprehensive health benefits.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse culture that values inclusion and community impact.
- Why this job: Make a real-world impact while working with cutting-edge AI technologies.
- Qualifications: Proficient in Java and Python with experience in complex software systems.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Thomson Reuters is hiring a Principal Engineer for HighQ, our enterprise collaboration platform for the legal industry, used by leading law firms worldwide to deliver digital services to their clients. This is a senior individual contributor role. The Principal Engineer sets technical direction across HighQ's most significant engineering work, owns outcomes from design through production, and is directly accountable for raising the engineering bar across the organisation. The role partners closely with directors, architects, and Staff engineers, and operates as a senior technical voice in decisions that span multiple teams.
About The Role
- Evaluate and introduce new technologies and engineering practices that improve how the organisation builds and delivers software.
- Architect and design complex systems that are scalable, performant, and maintainable.
- Take technical ideas from concept to production, aligned with business priorities and technical strategy.
- Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams, raising the standard of work across the organisation.
- Contribute as a hands‑on engineer. Write production code and review the work of others to hold the technical bar.
- Work with product, architecture, and engineering peers to turn business requirements into sound technical designs.
- Lead the engineering work behind HighQ's integration with modern AI and agent platforms, including the technical surfaces through which HighQ provides context and capability to AI systems.
- Drive reliability, scalability, and performance improvements on a platform serving demanding enterprise customers with significant data and workflow commitments.
About You
- Track record of designing, building, and delivering complex software systems in production.
- Operates effectively as a senior individual contributor, drives results independently, and is accountable for outcomes.
- Proficiency in Java and Python coupled with broad fluency across modern backend ecosystems including containerised services, relational databases, and distributed systems patterns.
- Deep command of software engineering fundamentals and how they apply in practice.
- Demonstrated ability to set architectural direction across multiple teams and be accountable for the outcome.
- Experience driving reliability, scaling, or performance work in production systems.
- Familiarity with AI/LLM integration patterns, including the engineering practices that make AI features dependable in production (evals, monitoring, context management).
- Generates and advances technical ideas that produce meaningful business outcomes.
- Strong communicator. Articulates complex technical ideas clearly to engineering and non‑engineering audiences alike.
What’s in it For You?
- Hybrid Work Model: We’ve adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2-3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office‑based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.
- Flexibility & Work‑Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset.
- Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow’s challenges and deliver real‑world solutions.
- Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two company‑wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
- Culture: Globally recognized, award‑winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work‑life balance, and more.
- Social Impact: Make an impact in your community with our Social Impact Institute. We offer employees two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro‑bono consulting projects and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
- Making a Real‑World Impact: We are one of the few companies globally that helps its customers pursue justice, truth, and transparency.
Equal Employment Opportunity
As a global business, we rely on the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all employees to deliver on our business goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug‑free workplace. We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law.
Principal Engineer: AI-Powered Enterprise Platform employer: Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment that champions flexibility and work-life balance through its hybrid model and supportive policies. With a strong focus on career development, employees are empowered to grow their skills in an AI-driven landscape while enjoying comprehensive benefits and a culture that values inclusion and social impact. Join us to make a meaningful contribution to the legal industry and be part of a team that upholds justice and transparency worldwide.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer: AI-Powered Enterprise Platform
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the industry, especially those at Thomson Reuters. A friendly chat can sometimes lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you’ve got a portfolio or GitHub with projects that highlight your expertise in Java, Python, or AI integration, make sure to share it during interviews. It’s a great way to demonstrate your hands-on experience.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical discussions! Brush up on your software engineering fundamentals and be ready to discuss how you’ve tackled complex systems in the past. This will show you’re not just a thinker but a doer.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining the team at Thomson Reuters.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Engineer: AI-Powered Enterprise Platform
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Principal Engineer role. Highlight your experience with AI, Java, and Python, and how you've driven results in previous projects. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Showcase Your Technical Leadership:In your application, emphasise any instances where you've set architectural direction or mentored other engineers. We’re looking for someone who can raise the engineering bar, so let us know how you've done that in the past!
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use clear language to articulate your technical ideas and experiences. Remember, we appreciate strong communicators who can bridge the gap between technical and non-technical audiences.
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 Thomson Reuters
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in Java and Python, as well as the modern backend ecosystems mentioned in the job description. Brush up on your knowledge of containerised services and distributed systems patterns, so you can confidently discuss how these technologies can be applied to improve HighQ's platform.
✨Showcase Your Architectural Skills
Prepare to discuss your experience in setting architectural direction across multiple teams. Think of specific examples where you’ve designed scalable and maintainable systems, and be ready to explain how those decisions impacted the overall project outcomes.
✨Communicate Clearly and Effectively
As a Principal Engineer, you’ll need to articulate complex technical ideas to both engineering and non-engineering audiences. Practice explaining your past projects in simple terms, focusing on the business outcomes they achieved, to demonstrate your strong communication skills.
✨Demonstrate Your Leadership Qualities
Be prepared to talk about how you’ve provided technical leadership and mentorship in previous roles. Share examples of how you’ve raised the standard of work within your teams and contributed to a culture of continuous learning and improvement.