At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a team to build and scale back-end services for an innovative grid modelling platform.
- Company: Join a dynamic non-profit tech startup focused on energy transition.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible working, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on creativity and problem-solving.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the energy sector while developing cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in back-end development with strong Python skills and team management experience.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
We are looking for an experienced Principal Back-End Engineer to lead the team building and scaling the infrastructure behind Scenario Builder, our electricity grid modelling platform. Scenario Builder is an in-browser platform that currently provides capacity expansion and dispatch modelling through an accessible no-code interface. The vision for Scenario Builder is to expand into power flow modelling to create a fully integrated grid modelling platform with the features and functionality needed to enable users to develop bankable scenarios that support energy investment decisions.
You will line-manage a small team of engineers while remaining a highly active individual contributor. You will own the technical shape of engineering work on the back-end team — leading planning, architecture, and code quality. You will work closely with the wider product and engineering team to design, develop, and maintain the back-end services that power our platform. This hybrid role is based out of our London office near Waterloo Station and reports to the Head of Platform.
Responsibilities
- Back-end development & architecture
- Design, develop, and maintain scalable back-end services and APIs using Python and modern frameworks (FastAPI).
- Design and build high-performance API endpoints to handle complex hierarchical data queries and multi-dimensional aggregations for grid modelling computations.
- Ensure system reliability, performance, and security through best practices in code quality, testing, and monitoring.
- Collaborate with front-end engineers to design and implement RESTful APIs that support our web application.
- Collaborate with data engineers and domain experts on the evolving core data model.
- Infrastructure & DevOps
- Manage and optimise cloud infrastructure (GCP) to support our computational workloads.
- Implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines to enable rapid, reliable deployments.
- Monitor system health and performance, proactively identifying and resolving issues.
- Implement and maintain infrastructure-as-code.
- Technical leadership & collaboration
- Participate and lead in code reviews, architectural discussions, and technical planning sessions.
- Own technical planning: break down roadmap items into well-scoped engineering work, lead estimation, and drive architectural decision records (ADRs).
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product, data engineering, and modelling, to deliver impactful features.
- Set and uphold the team's technical standards — code quality, testing strategy, API design — through direct example and code review.
- People & line management
- Line-manage a team of 3–5 engineers: run regular 1:1s, support career development, and provide timely, constructive feedback.
- Partner with the Head of Platform on performance reviews and personal development plans.
- Act as the first point of escalation for day-to-day technical blockers.
About You
You should have a long-term commitment to advancing the energy transition and be driven to build robust, scalable systems that power our grid modelling platform. Passionate about creating highly performant back-end services, you understand the technical challenges associated with building niche B2B products that handle complex computational workloads. In addition to seeking out people with a proactive, problem-solving attitude and an eye for detail, as a growing organisation, collegiality and empathy for our coworkers are a requisite. While we are a rapidly growing tech startup, we are also a non-profit, so a high level of adaptability and willingness to approach challenges with creativity and curiosity is essential.
Skills & Experience
Essential
- 7+ years of experience in back-end software development, with strong proficiency in Python.
- Experience designing and building RESTful APIs and microservices architectures.
- Strong understanding of database technologies (PostgreSQL, Redis, Firestore), ORMs and data modelling principles.
- Experience with cloud platforms (preferably GCP) and containerisation technologies (Docker).
- Solid understanding of software engineering best practices, including testing, code review, and documentation.
- Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work independently on complex technical challenges.
- Experience line managing or formally mentoring engineers, with confidence running 1:1s and supporting career development.
- Understanding of OAuth and web security best practices.
- Experience with AGILE/Scrum based ways-of-working.
Desirable
- Experience in the energy sector or with computational modelling/simulation software.
- Familiarity with scientific computing libraries (NumPy, Pandas) and optimisation frameworks.
- Experience with generative AI/LLMs in applied engineering contexts.
- Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, Terragrunt) and GitOps practices.
Principal Software Engineer (Back-End) in London employer: United States Digital Space LLC
Join us as a Principal Software Engineer in our London office, where you'll lead a dynamic team dedicated to revolutionising the energy sector through innovative grid modelling solutions. We pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and inclusive work culture that prioritises employee growth, offering ample opportunities for professional development and mentorship. With a strong commitment to sustainability and a focus on impactful projects, we provide a unique environment where your contributions will directly support the energy transition while enjoying the benefits of a hybrid work model.
Contact Details:
United States Digital Space LLC Recruitment Team
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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 United States Digital Space LLC.
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How to prepare for a job interview at United States Digital Space LLC
✨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 United States Digital Space LLC 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.
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