Principal Software Engineer

Overview

In this role you lead technical direction for Vitality’s Engineering function, shaping standards and architecture across enterprise platforms and customer-facing solutions. You work across multiple teams with senior stakeholders and partners to deliver integrated software that drives customer journeys and business growth. You’ll own large-scale technical initiatives, ensure quality and resilience, and foster a culture of engineering excellence. This is a high-impact, cross-team leadership position at a purpose-driven insurance brand.

Pay / Benefits

• bonus schemes
• pension up to 12% (6% matched)
• Vitality health insurance
• life assurance (4x salary)
• flexible working
• career opportunities

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of software solutions across the full development lifecycle with quality, reliability and performance at the core
• Own complex technical challenges, driving RCAs and improving resilience, scalability and stability of critical platforms
• Provide technical leadership across engineering teams, shaping architecture and promoting best practices
• Design and deliver integrated solutions across diverse technology landscapes in line with architecture, security, and business goals
• Drive continuous improvement through governance, code reviews, and modern development practices
• Build strong relationships with business and technology stakeholders, translating requirements into practical technical solutions
• Collaborate with architects, product teams, delivery managers and third-party partners to ensure aligned delivery
• Coach and mentor engineers to build capability and foster a culture of learning and excellence

Key requirements

• Enterprise-scale Java/JEE development with focus on performance and engineering best practices
• Experience with AWS cloud technologies (e.g., S3, Redis) to build resilient solutions
• PostgreSQL and SQL proficiency for data-driven applications
• Experience integrating complex systems and authentication technologies (LDAP, certificates)
• Event-driven architectures and messaging (Kafka, AMQP)
• Object-oriented design and SOLID principles
• DevOps and containerisation tools (Jenkins, Kubernetes, Docker)

• Stakeholder management
• Strong communication
• Mentoring and coaching
• Java/JEE enterprise development
• AWS cloud services (S3, Redis)
• PostgreSQL/SQL

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