At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape the architecture of a next-gen banking platform and lead technical design reviews.
- Company: Fast-growing Banking SaaS provider with a collaborative culture.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, 25 days holiday, family health insurance, and EMI share options.
- Other info: Remote-first work with quarterly London meetings and excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in fintech with high autonomy and influence.
- Qualifications: Experience in Node.js, .NET, or Java; strong architectural leadership skills.
The predicted salary is between 100000 - 120000 £ per year.
We are looking for a highly experienced Principal Software Engineer with strong backend engineering expertise and a passion for scalable distributed systems. You will play a key role in shaping architecture, engineering standards, and technical direction across the platform. Join a fast-growing Banking SaaS provider building next generation core banking technology.
You will work directly on customer problems, understand the business context and own solutions end-to-end. From concept and design through to development, release, monitoring and operational support. You will join a team building a modern, scalable core banking platform. This requires intellectual curiosity, discipline, and deep architectural thinking to build technology capable of evolving alongside regulatory and technological change.
Location: Remote-first but UK-based for essential company events. Travel to London will be required on a quarterly basis for team meetings, with 2 companywide annual meetings offsite.
Salary: £100,000 To £120,000 (Based on Experience) plus Benefits including 25 days holiday + bank holidays, Family Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Regular social events.
What You'll Work On:
- The environment is primarily Node.js and Go but strong engineers from .NET/C# or Java backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
- Integrating with payment platforms, banking infrastructure, FX/crypto providers, and card processors.
- Driving architectural decisions across distributed systems and cloud infrastructure.
- Leading technical design reviews and influencing engineering best practices.
- Mentoring engineers and helping scale a high-performing engineering culture.
- Designing and optimising SQL and NoSQL data models.
- Developing APIs, asynchronous workflows, and event-streaming pipelines.
- Deploying secure, high availability services across AWS, GCP, and Azure.
How Engineering Works:
- We heavily utilise agentic coding and AI-assisted development workflows, including Claude Code, to accelerate engineering productivity.
- Principal Engineers play a key role in technical strategy, architecture governance and engineering direction.
- Engineers focus on solving complex technical and domain challenges rather than repetitive boilerplate development.
- Collaborative engineering culture with involvement in architecture, design discussions, and domain modelling.
- End-to-end ownership of features from development and testing through to deployment, monitoring, and production support.
Experience Required:
- Degree educated.
- Development experience in either Node.js with JavaScript & Typescript, .NET, C# or Java.
- AWS experience preferred (Azure, GCP also welcomed).
- Strong understanding of relational databases, ideally MySQL.
- Interest in agentic engineering workflows and AI-assisted development.
- Experience designing APIs and distributed systems.
- Proven experience designing and scaling complex distributed systems.
- Strong architectural leadership experience.
- Experience mentoring or leading senior engineers/teams.
- Ability to influence technical direction across multiple workstreams.
- Experience operating within high-scale or regulated environments.
Nice to have:
- Expertise in AWS Lambda, Fargate, SQS/SNS, DynamoDB and cloud – native architectures.
- Client-facing experience.
- Ideally experience within Fintech, Banking or enterprise SaaS.
Why Join:
- Opportunity to shape the architecture of a next-generation banking platform.
- High level of technical autonomy and influence.
- Ability to help define engineering practices in an AI-assisted development environment.
- Enjoy the freedom of remote-first work with regular in-person meetings.
- High trust, low bureaucracy and a culture of respect & accountability.
- Competitive salary, benefits, and a company that celebrates your success.
Perks: 25 days holiday + bank holidays; Family Health Insurance, Life Cover, EMI Share Options (you will share in their success), Remote working environment (quarterly meetings in London).
Principal Software Engineer in London employer: Zorba Consulting Limited
Join a forward-thinking Banking SaaS provider that champions innovation and technical excellence in a remote-first environment. With a strong emphasis on employee growth, you will have the opportunity to shape the architecture of a next-generation banking platform while enjoying a culture of respect, accountability, and minimal bureaucracy. Benefit from competitive salaries, comprehensive health insurance, and the chance to collaborate with talented professionals during quarterly meetings in London.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Software Engineer in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the tech industry, especially those who work in fintech or SaaS. A personal referral can make all the difference when you're aiming for that Principal Software Engineer role.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your projects, especially those involving Node.js, TypeScript, or distributed systems. This is your chance to demonstrate your architectural thinking and problem-solving abilities.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your knowledge of cloud services like AWS, GCP, and Azure. Be ready to discuss your experience with APIs and distributed systems, as these are key areas for the role.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to connect directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Software Engineer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV highlights your experience with Node.js, TypeScript, or any relevant tech stack mentioned in the job description. We want to see how your skills align with what we're looking for, so don’t hold back on showcasing your backend engineering expertise!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about scalable distributed systems and how your previous experiences have prepared you for this role. We love seeing genuine enthusiasm and a clear understanding of our mission.
Showcase Problem-Solving Skills:In your application, highlight specific examples where you've tackled complex technical challenges. We’re keen to know how you approach problem-solving and how you’ve contributed to architectural decisions in past projects.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take that extra step!
How to prepare for a job interview at Zorba Consulting Limited
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in Node.js, TypeScript, and any other relevant technologies mentioned in the job description. Brush up on your knowledge of distributed systems and cloud infrastructure, as these will likely be hot topics during your interview.
✨Showcase Your Architectural Thinking
Prepare to discuss your experience with architectural decisions and how you've influenced engineering best practices in previous roles. Be ready to share specific examples of how you've designed scalable systems and tackled complex technical challenges.
✨Demonstrate Your Mentorship Skills
Since mentoring is a key part of this role, think of instances where you've guided junior engineers or led teams. Highlight your approach to fostering a high-performing engineering culture and how you’ve helped others grow in their careers.
✨Understand the Business Context
Familiarise yourself with the banking and fintech landscape. Be prepared to discuss how your technical solutions can address customer problems and align with business goals. This shows that you’re not just a techie but also understand the bigger picture.
