Principal Engineer - .Net/Azure

Job Title: Principal Engineer - .Net/Azure

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Edinburgh

Working style: Hybrid 50% home/office based

Closing date: 26th May 2025

We have a unique opportunity for an experienced Principal Engineer to lead and guide a group of software and quality engineers and lead complex, large scale technology initiatives. The role is fundamentally a leadership position, focused on planning, executing, and executing activity that align with both the product vision and organisational goals while adhering to budget constraints.

Within this position you will oversee delivery activity and guide staff to ensure the engineering teams execute engineering activity on time and within budget whilst adhering to agreed engineering standards and principles.  You will also have accountability for the engineering resource assigned to your team and will work closely with the Head of Engineering to ensure the appropriate capabilities are in place to support your area of responsibility.  In addition, you will have accountability for governance and stakeholder management to support successful delivery outcomes. 

Collaborating across relevant teams with a growing scope of ownership, the Principal Engineer will drive successful technology delivery within their domain. Additionally, they will act as an escalation point for complex issues, maintaining a focus on resolving delivery challenges and ensuring technology success within their value stream or platform.

Within this position you will ensure that all costs associated with the Technology and Change teams are transparent and managed effectively (including cloud FinOps) and that all software assets are managed effectively to maximise cost efficiency

About the role  

• Lead engineering projects and teams within value streams and shared platforms, executing multiple projects to stay within budget and time constraints.
• Coordinate day-to-day delivery to ensure effective service execution to ensure effective service delivery through robust validation plans and process improvements
• Develop and implement engineering strategies to enhance company performance, drive innovation, and establish best practices.   Thereafter, work with the Engineering Enablement team to industrialise and roll out any new practices/frameworks introduced.
• Oversee the creation of team goals, implementation plans, and research and design tasks.
• Possess a rare blend of engineering expertise and exceptional leadership skills. Focus on maximizing team potential through coaching, mentoring, and creating a supportive work environment. Advocate for team needs, provide necessary resources, and ensure a positive work culture
• Responsible for managing performance evaluations, pay increases, and bonuses. Assess individual and team performance, align rewards with contributions, and ensure equitable compensation practices
• Partner with stakeholders to manage and adjust resources flexibly, handling personnel movement both internally and externally to optimise delivery outcomes
• Serve as the owner of specific applications’ lifecycles, overseeing their health and performance. Implement and maintain Business As Usual (BAU) practices, ensuring prompt resolution of operational issues and efficient change management
• Working with the procurement team, negotiate contracts with vendors, manage engineering budgets, and oversee financial targets.
• Liaise with key stakeholders across the RL Group, providing expert advice and support. Stay updated on technical standards and legislation, demonstrating strong leadership and problem-solving skills
• Manage role-specific risks, oversee the control framework, and integrate elements of the Risk Management System (RMS) as needed.

• Provide leadership and mentorship to engineers and technicians, offering guidance and training to enhance their capabilities

About you 

 A highly skilled practitioner with expert knowledge of engineering practices and processes who can work with and influence senior stakeholders across the RL Group in an efficient and effective manner. 

Proven technical skills across the following areas: 

• Cloud based platforms (e.g. Azure)
• Development languages (e.g. C#, .Net, SQL)
• Software development and testing tool (e.g. Gherkin)
• Container orchestration tools (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes)
• CI/CD Tools (e.g. GitHub)
• Product / Platform operating model  
• FinOps  
• Software Delivery Lifecycle
• Secure/resilient development techniques
• UI/UX Concepts
• Data & AI architecture
• Change methods (e.g. agile, iterative, waterfall)

Qualifications/Knowledge 

• Proven leadership and teambuilding skills 
• Proven people management skills 
• Proven engineering skills 
• High level influencing skills 
• Excellent communication both written and verbal 

About Royal London

We’re the UK’s largest mutual life, pensions and investment company, offering protection, long-term savings and asset management products and services.

Our People Promise to our colleagues is that we will all work somewhere inclusive, responsible, enjoyable and fulfilling. This is underpinned by our Spirit of Royal London values; Empowered, Trustworthy, Collaborate, Achieve.

We've always been proud to reward employees by offering great workplace benefits such as 28 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays, an up to 14% employer matching pension scheme and private medical insurance. You can see all our benefits here - Our Benefits

Inclusion, diversity and belonging

We’re an Inclusive employer. We celebrate and value different backgrounds and cultures across Royal London. Our diverse people and perspectives give us a range of skills which are recognised and respected – whatever their background.