Principal Software Engineer, Fullstack/Backend Technologies (UK Remote)

Overview

As Principal Software Engineer in Turnitin’s Shared Services, you shape core platform capabilities for millions of users. You drive architectural direction and deliver scalable, secure cloud-native backend services using Java and AWS. You mentor engineers and partner with product and architecture teams to solve complex technical challenges. You work in a remote-first, collaborative environment that prioritizes education integrity and impactful, reliable software.

Pay / Benefits

• Remote-first culture
• Health care coverage
• Education reimbursement
• Competitive paid time off
• Self-care days
• National holidays and Founder Days observance

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of shared backend services and platform capabilities
• Drive architectural decisions and technical strategy across multiple teams
• Build scalable, highly available cloud-native solutions using Java and AWS technologies
• Mentor engineers and promote engineering excellence
• Collaborate with product, architecture, and engineering teams to solve complex technical challenges
• Champion best practices in software quality, performance, reliability, and security

Key requirements

• Significant experience building and operating large-scale backend systems
• Strong expertise in Java and modern cloud technologies
• Experience with AWS serverless services (Lambda, DynamoDB, API Gateway, SNS, SQS, EventBridge) and Kubernetes
• Experience with CI/CD tools and deployment/test automation
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, APIs, scalability, and software architecture
• Experience influencing technical direction and leading complex engineering initiatives
• Excellent collaboration and communication in distributed teams
• Passion for mentoring and supporting growth of other engineers

• collaboration
• communication
• mentoring
• Java
• cloud-native architectures
• AWS (Lambda, DynamoDB, API Gateway, SNS, SQS, EventBridge)

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