Principal Engineer (Scala or Java)

Principal Engineer (Scala or Java)
Manchester (Hybrid) | Permanent
Up to £140,000 + 20% Bonus

Lead the Future of AI Engineering

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a rapidly growing, global AI technology scale-up as their next Principal Engineer.

Based in Manchester, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping the engineering function of an innovative business delivering cutting-edge AI solutions to customers around the world. This is an opportunity to combine strategic leadership with technical excellence, helping to scale both technology and teams during a period of significant growth.

The Opportunity

As Senior Staff Engineer, you will lead a talented, small high-performing team of software engineers and technical specialists. You'll be responsible for setting the engineering direction, driving best practices, and ensuring the successful delivery of robust, scalable products that support the company's ambitious global growth plans.

Working closely with senior stakeholders across the business, you'll help define the technology roadmap, foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, and create an environment where engineers can thrive.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor and develop a small team of software engineers and technical professionals.
• Define and execute the engineering strategy in alignment with business objectives.
• Drive the delivery of high-quality, scalable software solutions.
• Champion engineering excellence, modern development practices and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with Product, Data and Leadership teams to shape product direction and technical priorities.
• Support recruitment, succession planning and capability development as the organisation scales.
• Ensure operational resilience, security and performance across engineering platforms.

About You

You'll be an experienced engineering leader who enjoys building empowered teams and delivering impactful technology solutions within fast-paced environments.

You'll bring:

• Previous experience leading and developing software engineering teams.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• A strategic mindset balanced with a hands-on understanding of modern software development.
• Experience working within high-growth technology businesses, ideally within a scale-up environment.

Desirable Technical Experience

Experience with the following technologies would be highly advantageous:

• Scala or Java or Python
• TypeScript
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Exposure to AI, machine learning platforms, data-intensive applications or cloud-native architectures would also be beneficial.

What's on Offer?

• Salary up to £140,000
• 20% annual bonus
• Hybrid working based in Manchester
• The opportunity to influence the future direction of a global AI scale-up.
• A collaborative, entrepreneurial culture where your ideas can make a real impact.
• Excellent opportunities for professional growth and leadership development.