Principal Software Engineer£100,000 £110,000 + 30% bonus + car allowance (up to £9,000)Hybrid Manchester (central)Were partnered with a large-scale SaaS enterprise building out a high-performing engineering function at the heart of a major platform transformation.This is a Principal-level role within an elite engineering team (Arete) a group of highly capable engineers brought together to solve the most complex technical challenges across the platform.The roleThis is not a step away from engineering. Its the opposite.80% hands-on engineering designing, building, and solving complex problems at scale 20% leadership guiding and elevating a team of Principal Engineers Driving architecture, engineering standards, and technical direction across multiple product areas Tackling high-complexity, high-impact work that sits outside the scope of standard squads Youll operate as a technical authority, influencing how systems are designed, built, and evolved across the organisation.What makes this different Youre working alongside other Principals, not carrying the standard lone architect burden A dedicated team focused on solving the hardest problems, not BAU delivery Real ownership of engineering quality, scalability, and long-term platform direction Backed by a business making serious, long-term investment in technologyWhat were looking for Deep expertise in C# / .NET (Core/modern) Strong experience building distributed, scalable systems Cloud-first mindset (Azure ideally) Proven ability to operate at Principal level influencing beyond your immediate team Comfortable leading and mentoring high-calibre engineers Someone who still loves being hands-on and close to the codeWhy this roleThis is a rare opportunity to step into a true Principal position where: You remain deeply technical You help shape engineering at scale You work with other top-tier engineers You contribute to a platform transformation that genuinely mattersIf youre operating at Principal level or ready to step into it this is the kind of role that doesnt come around often.JBRP1_UKTJ