Principal Software Engineer (Digital Platforms) - Global Retailer - Up to £126k + Bonus + Car allowance + 10% Pension (matched)

A leading global retailer is hiring a Principal Engineer to sit between architecture and delivery across its consumer digital platforms: app, web, loyalty and click and collect, used by millions of customers every day.

This is a senior individual-contributor role. There’s no people management and no day-to-day coding. Your value is technical judgement: making sure what gets designed is realistic, well built and delivered.

You’ll be the trusted intermediary between architecture and engineering, championing designs that are bold enough to move the platform forward and practical enough for teams to build.

What you’ll own

• Technical ownership of core platforms, including the loyalty platform and mobile app
• Turning architectural designs into solutions teams can build
• Key build decisions: which technologies, how things are built, and realistic timelines
• The engineering metrics and productivity tooling that help teams deliver well

Why it’s worth a look

• A Principal-level technical career path, without being pushed into management
• Direct influence on platforms that drive revenue
• A modern stack: .NET, Azure, React/ TypeScript, native iOS and Android, and best-in-class engagement, promotions and CMS platforms
• A growing function, heading towards 200 people, including a nearshore team scaling from 70 to 100 engineers

What you’ll bring

• Experience as a Principal, Staff or Lead Engineer, having chosen the technical path
• A software delivery background in mobile, web or platform engineering
• An understanding of how a full stack fits together end to end
• A track record of making designs deliverable
• A pragmatic, get-it-done approach

Package

• Up to £126k base, plus a £6.3k car allowance
• Bonus: 15% on target, up to 30%
• Pension matched up to 10%
• Private healthcare
• Share incentive plan
• 33 days’ holiday
• 35-hour week

This role is 3 days on site in their Hertfordshire office

You’ll join a household-name brand that is investing heavily in technology, with a function growing towards 200 people and an engineering team that continues to scale, so there’s real room to grow your influence as the platform grows

This is a very exciting opportunity!