Principal Software Engineer (SOW)

Job Description

Role Title: Principal Software Engineer (JavaScript)

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Location: Remote (occasional onsite near Reading - likely 3-4 times per month TBC)

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Engagement: Statement of Work (Outside IR35)

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Rate: Up to £550 per day

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Overview:

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We are looking for a highly skilled Principal Software Engineer to contribute to a large-scale digital modernisation programme with a leader in their respective space. This is a strategic contract engagement focused on modernising and engineering high-quality digital products for a data-driven platform.

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This is a hands-on leadership role ideal for an engineer who thrives in delivering complex, enterprise-grade solutions to high standards. You will be working with a multi-disciplinary product team to build scalable, secure, and user-centric applications.

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This is a Statement of Work (SOW) contract, where payment will be made upon the successful completion of clearly defined deliverables agreed with the client.

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Key Responsibilities:

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Engineering Delivery

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• Design and build full-stack solutions with an emphasis on quality, performance, and scalability.

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• Apply cloud- design patterns to build distributed systems aligned with modern software architecture principles.

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• Implement CI/CD, automated testing, and engineering best practices across the SDLC.

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• Ensure compliance with security, privacy, and data protection standards.

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• Collaborate with Platform Engineering to integrate internal tooling and accelerate development cycles.

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• Take accountability for the build-and-run responsibilities of the product features you own.

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Technical Leadership & Product Involvement

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• Act as a senior technical lead across a modernisation programme, ensuring consistency and standardisation across engineering teams.

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• Work closely with Product and Architecture to shape product direction and technical strategy.

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• Drive the delivery of a modern engineering stack, interfacing with SaaS platforms and custom-built services.

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• Support and mentor engineers within the product space, upskilling where needed and maintaining high delivery standards.

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• Lead initiatives around existing data and event-reporting tools to improve speed, compliance, and usability.

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Innovation & Continuous Improvement

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• Influence product and delivery strategies using modern, rapid-prototyping approaches.

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• Engage in internal innovation programmes to drive continuous value creation.

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Technical Skills & Experience:

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• 10+ years' software engineering experience

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• Strong experience with cloud- platforms

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• Solid grasp of modern application architecture patterns: API-first, microservices, 12-factor app, SOA, etc.

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• Deep experience with containerisation and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).

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• Proven hands-on experience with:

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• TypeScript, Node.js, React/Next.js or similar front-end frameworks.

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• CI/CD pipelines, DevSecOps, test automation (TDD/BDD).

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• API design and integration, including authentication and authorisation best practices.

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• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills across cross-functional teams.

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Desirable:

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• Background in data-driven platforms or analytics solutions.

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• Experience working within modern product delivery teams using agile methodologies.

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