At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead engineering for digital experiences impacting millions; set the technical direction and standards.
- Company: Join a leading UK FinTech, member-owned and focused on doing right by customers.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, annual bonus, generous leave, pension contributions, and private medical insurance.
- Other info: Hybrid work model with a collaborative culture and commitment to training and development.
- Why this job: Shape the future of digital experiences and drive innovation in a modern engineering environment.
- Qualifications: Deep engineering expertise, experience with enterprise CMS, and strong leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 61500 - 81500 £ per year.
Are you looking for a senior role where you can be responsible for setting the engineering north star for digital experiences seen by millions of people every month? Our client's public websites and digital journeys are their digital branches — the front door for members, brokers, prospects and online visitors who come to self-serve for products, services and support. Their Design System keeps the experience consistent, accessible and intuitive across every product and platform they build. This is a brand-new Principal Engineer role at the heart of that work, and it's a genuine seat at the senior technical table.
Why this role matters
You'll own the engineering tenets, patterns and roadmap that the Digital Experience Platform — and the teams who build on it — depend on every day. You'll set the technical direction across an enterprise content management platform, the Design System, and the wider stack (with various systems built across .Net, React, React Native & Java), and you'll make small, safe, frequent changes the norm rather than the exception. In short: you shape how the team build, deploy and operate — and you raise the bar for everyone around you.
What you'll be doing
- Help set the engineering north star. Define the patterns, guardrails and architectural boundaries that let teams ship with low lead times, high deployment frequency, low change-failure rate and fast recovery.
- Own the Golden Path. Design and evolve secure-by-default, policy-as-code CI/CD, progressive delivery and on-demand, data-ready environments.
- Drive Value–Flow–Quality. Improve delivery flow, embed quality inside CI, strengthen test automation, and build release-linked observability that ties every deployment to real signals.
- Mature use of the enterprise CMS and Design System — maximising platform capabilities, lifting developer experience, and giving front-end and web engineering first-class foundations.
- Be a multiplier. Coach and mentor engineers, functionally lead a cohort within the platform, run Communities of Practice, raise the hiring bar, and improve decisions through clear technical narratives.
- Shape how AI accelerates engineering — from flow, code quality and testing through to deployment — and help set the direction for how we adopt it well.
What you'll bring
- Deep, modern engineering craft — secure-by-design, cloud-native architecture, distributed systems, API/event patterns, resilience engineering, IaC and policy-as-code CI/CD.
- Enterprise CMS experience — strong experience with an enterprise / cloud content management platform is what matters here. Adobe Experience Manager (AEM/AEMaaCS) would be highly desirable but is not essential.
- Stack adaptability — the platform is partly Java-based and partly Microsoft (.NET), so transferable engineering judgement matters far more than any single language. You move comfortably across stacks.
- Delivery physics mastery — a proven track record of shortening lead time and increasing safe, fast deployment frequency.
- Front-end & web expertise — accessibility, site performance, technical optimisation and cross-platform UI consistency.
- People leadership — real experience coaching, mentoring and developing engineers, and building a high-performance culture where psychological safety and high standards co-exist.
- Cross-functional influence — you partner seamlessly with Architecture, Platform Ownership, UI Design, DevSecOps, Environments, Release, QE, Risk and Audit, balancing speed with compliance-as-code.
A note on titles: you might currently be a Principal Engineer, Engineering Manager, Tech Lead or Software Architect. What matters is that your actual scope and impact match to the role.
Where you'll work
Hybrid, based at newly refurbished, collaborative head office in North Yorkshire. The business works to anchor days (so on-site time is purposeful collaboration, not attendance for its own sake), with flexibility around start and finish times. Three days a week on-site, with Tuesday as a likely fixed anchor.
What's in it for you
- A starting salary of between £61,500 – £81,500
- Annual discretionary bonus scheme
- 25 days' annual leave + bank holidays, rising one day per year of service to a maximum of 30
- Holiday trading scheme — buy and sell additional annual leave
- Matching employer pension contribution (up to 10% per annum)
- Colleague mortgage (conditions apply)
- Salary sacrifice scheme for hybrid & electric cars
- Private medical insurance for all colleagues
- 3 paid volunteering days per year
- Inclusive colleague networks to join, including our Carers and Pride Alliance groups
- Wellbeing benefits including cycle-to-work and discounted gym membership
- A genuine commitment to training and development
About the organisation
Our client is one of the UK's leading financial services companies — proudly member-owned rather than answerable to shareholders. That ownership shapes everything: every decision is about doing the right thing for customers and colleagues. Whatever your background or ambitions, they'll help you grow, thrive and shape a better future. This is a genuinely modern engineering organisation, partway through a real transformation around platform ownership, flow and delivery effectiveness — and you'd be central to it.
Ready to make an impact?
This search is being led exclusively by James Westwood at WRK digital, who is handling all initial conversations and shortlisting on behalf of WRK digital. For a confidential discussion about the role, the team and the wider engineering transformation underway, get in touch directly.
Our client is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all backgrounds.
Principal Engineer in York employer: WRK digital
Join a forward-thinking FinTech company in Yorkshire, where you'll play a pivotal role as a Principal Engineer in shaping the digital experiences of millions. With a strong commitment to employee growth, a collaborative work culture, and a range of benefits including generous annual leave, private medical insurance, and a focus on wellbeing, this is an excellent opportunity for those looking to make a meaningful impact in a supportive environment.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer in York
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry on LinkedIn or at local meetups. A friendly chat 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 and contributions. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do beyond your CV.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to the role. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to boost your confidence.
✨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 our team.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Engineer in York
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 digital platforms, engineering practices, and any relevant technologies mentioned in the job description. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills:Since this role involves mentoring and leading teams, don’t forget to include examples of how you've coached or influenced others in your previous positions. We love seeing candidates who can inspire and elevate their peers!
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make your achievements stand out. We appreciate clarity and want to quickly understand your strengths!
Apply Through Our Website:For the best chance of getting noticed, apply directly through our website. It helps us track your application better and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy to do!
How to prepare for a job interview at WRK digital
✨Know Your Tech Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, like .NET, React, and Java. Brush up on your knowledge of cloud-native architecture and API patterns, as these will likely come up during technical discussions.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples that highlight your experience in coaching and mentoring engineers. Be ready to discuss how you've built high-performance cultures and fostered psychological safety within teams, as this is crucial for the role.
✨Understand the Business Impact
Think about how your engineering decisions can drive value and improve delivery flow. Be prepared to discuss specific instances where you’ve shortened lead times or increased deployment frequency, as this aligns with the company’s goals.
✨Engage with Their Vision
Familiarise yourself with the company's mission and values. During the interview, express how you can contribute to their engineering north star and the transformation they are undergoing. This shows you’re not just looking for a job, but genuinely want to be part of their journey.
