Principal Software Engineer (AWS)

Location: Hybrid working with a minimum of 2 days per week in the Bristol office, United Kingdom

Company

hirify.global is a UK investment platform helping private investors save and invest for the future.

What you will do

• Define and document high-level solution architectures, including trade-offs, risks, dependencies, and future-state considerations.
• Establish architectural principles, best practices, and documentation standards such as Architectural Decision Records, Solution Memos, and C4 diagrams.
• Guide cloud architecture decisions involving AWS, Kubernetes, ECS, Docker, Lambda, SQS, and DocumentDB.
• Champion observability, logging, security, networking, event-driven architecture, and cost forecasting.
• Improve Developer Experience through tooling and frameworks while supporting engineering teams with mentoring, pairing, and skills development.
• Partner with Product and Engineering Managers to align priorities and delivery approaches.

Requirements

• Leadership experience in legacy technology transformation and enterprise systems modernization.
• Strong expertise in modern architectural patterns, cloud-native design, and container orchestration.
• Deep understanding of design patterns, security, networking, observability, and system flows.
• Ability to balance technical trade-offs, costs, and constraints and communicate effectively across the organisation.
• Experience coaching teams toward engineering and architecture best practices and producing clear architectural documentation.
• Employment sponsorship is not available.

Nice to have

• Previous experience as a Solution Architect or Enterprise Architect.
• Familiarity with PHP and/or Java.
• Experience with Developer Experience optimisation tools and frameworks.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time hybrid working with flexible working options.
• Annual discretionary bonus and pay review.
• 25 days of holiday plus bank holidays and an additional Christmas closure day.
• Enhanced parental leave, pension contributions of up to 11%, income protection, life insurance, and private medical insurance.
• Health screening, mental health counselling, remote GP access, fitness and wellbeing support, and commuter schemes.
• Two paid volunteering days per year.

Hiring process

• 30-minute introductory conversation with the recruitment team.
• 30-minute virtual first-stage interview with a Senior Engineering Manager.
• Two-hour virtual structured technical and competency interview.