Principal Software Engineer (Platform Leadership)Manchester (Hybrid – 2 days onsite)£110k + 20% bonus + £7k car allowanceNo visa sponsorship availableThe OpportunityThis is NOT ANOTHER Principal role.This is a “Principal of Principals” position - a rare opportunity to sit at the centre of a greenfield, enterprise-scale SaaS platform that is redefining how a complex, high-volume ecosystem connects, operates, and scales.You’ll be shaping a revolutionary connected platform - bringing together multiple systems, data streams, and services into a single, intelligent, event-driven architecture designed to operate at serious scale.This is the kind of role where:The problems are realThe scale is meaningfulAnd your decisions actually shape the future of the platformWhat You’ll Be BuildingA greenfield, cloud-native SaaS platformDesigned around event-driven, distributed architectureConnecting multiple services, products, and data domains into a unified ecosystemBuilt to handle high throughput, real-time decisioning, and complex workflowsThis is not maintenance.This is platform creation at enterprise scale.Your Role in ItYou won’t just contribute — you’ll define how it’s done.Act as the technical authority across multiple teams and domainsSet engineering standards across architecture, design, and deliveryGuide and mentor other senior and principal engineersMake high-impact architectural decisions that shape the platform long-termStay hands-on where it matters — this is not an ivory tower rolePartner closely with Product and Data to solve complex, high-value problemsTech Environment.NET (core to everything)Azure cloud ecosystemEvent-driven architecture (messaging, streaming, async processing)Microservices and distributed systemsCI/CD pipelines and modern DevOps practicesHigh-performance data processing and system optimisationWhy This Role Stands OutGreenfield, done properlyNo legacy constraints - you’ll help define:ArchitecturePatternsStandardsWays of workingEnterprise scale, real impactThis isn’t theory - the platform will:Power critical business operationsProcess high volumes of data and transactionsBe used daily across multiple regionsWorld class engineering environmentYou’ll be surrounded by:Strong senior engineersModern practicesA genuine push to raise the technical barCareer-defining roleThis is the kind of role that leads to:Head of EngineeringArchitecture leadershipPlatform ownership at scaleWhat We’re Looking ForDeep experience in .NET / backend engineeringProven track record building scalable, distributed systemsExperience in enterprise SaaS or platform environmentsStrong architectural thinking — able to design for scale, resilience, and performanceSomeone who can lead technically, influence broadly, and still stay hands-onImportantNo visa sponsorship availableMust be able to work 2 days per week onsite in ManchesterThe Honest SellThis role is for someone who:Is already operating at a high levelWants to work on bigger, more meaningful problemsWants to shape a platform, not just contribute to oneStill enjoys being close to the code, but wants real influence