Senior / Principal Software Engineer (Java, AWS & Distributed Systems)

We are seeking an exceptional Senior Software Engineer to join a high-calibre technology organisation where engineering excellence, intellectual curiosity, and innovation are central to success.

This role sits within a highly talented team responsible for building and evolving large-scale distributed systems that support complex, business-critical workflows. You’ll work alongside accomplished engineers, technologists, and business stakeholders to design elegant solutions to challenging technical problems in an environment that values both academic rigour and real-world impact.

This is an ideal opportunity for someone who enjoys combining deep technical expertise with leadership responsibilities, while operating in a fast-moving environment where technology plays a pivotal role in driving business outcomes.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Design and build highly scalable, low-latency distributed applications that operate with demanding performance and reliability requirements.
• Lead the architecture and development of modern cloud-native systems using Java, Spring Boot, microservices, and AWS technologies.
• Partner directly with business users and domain experts to understand complex requirements and deliver innovative technical solutions.
• Own systems throughout their lifecycle, from architecture and development through production support, optimisation, and continuous improvement.
• Drive engineering quality through best practices in software design, testing, scalability, observability, and operational excellence.
• Contribute to the evolution of platform architecture, application frameworks, and technical standards across the engineering organisation.
• Mentor and develop a high-performing team of engineers, providing technical leadership while fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning.
• Lead the delivery of strategic technology initiatives that have a direct impact on the organisation’s growth and success.

What We’re Looking For

We’re particularly interested in candidates who combine strong software engineering expertise with outstanding academic foundations and intellectual problem-solving ability.

Essential Experience

• 8+ years of software engineering experience developing and delivering large-scale enterprise applications.
• Strong academic credentials, ideally in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a similarly rigorous quantitative discipline.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree from a leading university with a strong record of academic achievement.
• Expert-level Java development skills, including extensive experience with Spring Boot and modern microservices architectures.
• Deep understanding of computer science fundamentals including algorithms, data structures, distributed systems, concurrency, and software design.
• Strong SQL and database design experience, particularly within data-intensive applications.
• Proven ability to design, build, and scale resilient distributed systems in production environments.
• Experience leading technical teams and mentoring engineers while remaining hands-on with architecture and development.
• Cloud-native architecture experience with AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, and containerised environments.
• Exposure to messaging systems, event-driven architectures, and asynchronous processing frameworks.
• Experience with Redis, NoSQL databases, and large-scale distributed data platforms.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, observability, monitoring, and production support.
• Linux systems knowledge and experience working within highly available production environments.
• Prior experience delivering business-critical systems within fast-paced, technology-driven organisations.

Why Apply?

• Work alongside highly accomplished engineers and technology leaders from leading global universities and technology organisations.
• Solve complex technical problems at scale using modern technologies and engineering practices.
• Significant technical ownership and influence over architecture and platform direction.
• Competitive compensation and strong long-term career progression opportunities.
• Collaborative environment that values intelligence, innovation, and engineering excellence.
• Exposure to large-scale distributed systems, cloud technologies, and high-impact business challenges.