Principal Software Architect / Engineering Manager
- Principal-level architecture and engineering leadership role
- .NET, cloud-native (Azure/AWS), Kubernetes, event-driven systems
- Belfast, hybrid working
- Competitive salary plus leadership bonus
- Genuine ownership of a major platform transformation, not an advisory seat
About the Company
Our client is a technology organisation in the middle of a genuine platform transformation, moving away from complex legacy systems towards a modern, cloud-native architecture. They’re investing seriously in engineering leadership to make that shift happen, both technically and culturally, and are building out teams across Belfast and international sites.
The Role
This is a senior leadership position that combines architectural ownership with people leadership. You’ll define the long-term technical direction for the platform, guide teams through significant legacy modernisation, and raise the engineering bar across the wider organisation. Reporting into the CTO / Head of Engineering, you’ll work closely with senior stakeholders to ensure every architecture decision supports both product ambition and future scale. This isn’t a consultancy brief… you’ll own the outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
- Define and own the target architecture, leading the transition from legacy systems to modern, cloud-native platforms
- Drive the decomposition of monolithic systems into modular services, APIs, and event-driven components
- Lead platform evolution initiatives including cloud migration, containerisation, and CI/CD automation
- Provide architectural oversight across multiple teams and applications
- Establish and run architecture governance through review boards and technical working groups
- Lead and mentor engineering managers and senior engineers
- Champion software craftsmanship, testing strategies, and design patterns
- Collaborate with frontend and backend leaders to ensure scalability, performance, and consistency across the platform
- Work with product, infrastructure, and senior leadership to define architectural roadmaps
- Communicate architectural decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
What You’ll Need
Essential
- 10+ years of professional software engineering experience
- Strong .NET background with modern cloud-based architecture experience
- Proven track record leading large-scale platform modernisation
- Experience operating at Principal Engineer, Architect, or Engineering Manager level
- Deep understanding of distributed systems, APIs, and event-driven architectures
- Hands-on experience with Azure or AWS and container platforms such as Kubernetes
Nice to have
- Java or Python experience for architectural experimentation and prototyping
- Experience scaling engineering teams across multiple sites
Why Apply?
- Competitive salary plus leadership bonus
- Hybrid working from Belfast
- Real ownership and genuine influence over technical direction, not a seat at the table… the head of it
- Lead a major platform transformation with long-term, visible impact
- Clear progression paths across Principal, Head of Engineering, and Enterprise Architecture
- A supportive engineering culture built on quality, trust, and delivery
- Work alongside experienced engineers and leaders who care about doing things properly
Get in Touch
For a confidential conversation, reach out to Ryan Quinn directly on LinkedIn or apply via the link below.
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Benefits:Bonus
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