Principal Software Engineer

Job Description

At OVO, we are on a mission to solve one of humanity's biggest challenges, the climate crisis. And we know it takes all of us to change the world. That's why we need diverse people from all abilities, gender identities, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, life experiences and backgrounds to join us.

Teamworking for the planet

Everything we do here spins around Plan Zero. So, naturally, the team you'll be joining plays a gigantic role in making that happen. Here's how:

This role requires deep expertise in software engineering, a strong understanding of emerging industry trends, and the ability to define and execute a long-term technical vision. You'll mentor lead engineers, influence company-wide technology and ensure the organisation remains at the forefront of technical innovation.

This role in a nutshell

Principal Software Engineers are trusted technical leaders who help shape our long-term engineering strategy and drive innovation across multiple teams or areas of the business. In this role, you'll use your deep expertise in software engineering to guide architectural decisions, influence technology choices, and keep us aligned with emerging industry trends. You'll play a key role in mentoring lead engineers, supporting their growth, and helping OVO stay ahead of the curve. This is a high-impact role for someone who's passionate about building inclusive, forward-thinking technology and shaping the future of how we work.

Your key outcomes will be

• Technical Vision and Strategy: Develop and communicate a long-term technical vision aligned with OVO's goals. Drive adoption of emerging technologies, guide their impact on our software ecosystem, and advise senior leadership on technology direction, while executing strategic roadmaps for platforms and infrastructure.
• Innovation & Execution: Lead R&D initiatives, applying emerging technologies to solve engineering challenges. Deliver prototypes and proof-of-concepts, fostering a culture of experimentation, learning, and innovation within the engineering workflow.
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Mentor senior engineers, promote best practices, and ensure consistency across teams. Lead knowledge-sharing initiatives, such as tech talks and forums, to build a collaborative and high-performing culture.
• Architectural Guidance & Standards: Lead the evolution of scalable, resilient, and maintainable software architecture. Define architectural standards and guide teams through complex technical decisions, while promoting cloud-native, microservice-based, and modern infrastructure solutions.
• Industry Engagement & Thought Leadership: Represent OVO as a technical leader at events and in publications. Share insights through blogs and white papers, contribute to open-source projects, and engage with industry experts to influence broader technical advancements.
• Cross-Team Collaboration & Strategic Alignment: Align engineering efforts with strategic priorities across OVO. Lead cross-functional initiatives, ensuring consistent practices and seamless integration of technologies across teams.
• Documentation & Knowledge Sharing: Maintain clear architectural documentation, lead internal tech talks and workshops, and contribute to shared libraries and tools. Stay on top of industry trends to embed forward-thinking practices into OVO's engineering culture.
• Community of Practice: Lead the growth of the Community of Practice, shaping its direction through industry engagement. Share knowledge, mentor others, and contribute to learning pathways that support skill development and career progression.

You'll be a successful Principal Software Engineer here at OVO if you...

• Proven experience designing and implementing complex software systems.
• Expertise in driving technical innovation and shaping enterprise-wide strategy.
• Mastery of multiple programming languages (Node.js, Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, React Native, React.js) and relevant frameworks.
• Deep understanding of software architecture, design patterns, and distributed systems.
• Expertise in domains like cloud computing, AI, or data science.
• Strong knowledge of database systems, data modeling, and performance optimisation.
• Exceptional leadership and mentorship skills, fostering growth and excellence.
• Excellent communication, strategic thinking, and influencing ability across all levels.
• Skilled in navigating ambiguity and making high-impact decisions.
• Proven ability to engage with industry leaders and build external partnerships.

Let's talk about what's in it for you

We'll pay you between ??121,000 and ??174,000, depending on your specific skills and experience. We keep our pay ranges broad on purpose to give us, and you, flexibility to match your experience to our zero carbon mission.

You'll be eligible for an on-target bonus of 15%. We have one OVO bonus plan that focuses on the collective performance of our people to deliver our Plan Zero goal.

We also offer plenty of green benefits and progressive policies to help you feel like you belong at OVO...and there's flex pay. We'll give you 9% Flex Pay on top of your salary - 4% of this is auto enrolled into your pension, and the remaining 5% is yours to do what you like with. You can use this to buy from our extensive range of flexible benefits, including our green benefits which we've put at the heart of our offering, add to your pension or even take it as cash.

Here's a taster of what's on offer:

For starters, you'll get 34 days of holiday (including bank holidays).

For your health
With benefits like a healthcare cash plan or private medical insurance depending on your career level, critical illness cover, life assurance, health assessments, and more

For your wellbeing
With gym membership, travel insurance, workplace ISA, will writing services, dental insurance, and more

For your lifestyle
With extra holiday buying, discount dining, home & tech loans, and supporting your favourite charities with give-as-you-earn donations

For your home
Get up to ??400 towards any OVO Energy plan, plus great discounts on solar, smart thermostats and EV chargers

For your commute
Nab a great deal on ultra-low emission car leasing, plus our cycle to work scheme and public transport season ticket loans

Want to hear about our full range of flexible benefits and progressive people policies? Our People Team can tell you everything you need to know.

For your Belonging

To find better ways to support our people, we need to listen to each other's experiences and find ways to build a truly inclusive and diverse workplace. As part of this, we have 8 Belonging Networks at OVO. Led by our people, for our people - so when you join OVO, you can play a part - big or small - with any of the Networks. It's up to you.

Oh, and one last thing...

We'd be thrilled if you tick off all our boxes, yet we also believe it's just as important we tick off all of yours. And if you think you have most of what we're looking for but not every single thing, go ahead and hit apply. We'd still love to hear from you!

If you have any additional requirements, there's a space to let us know on the application form; we want to make the process as easy and comfortable for you as possible.