Principal Software Engineer

We’re looking for a Principal Software Engineer who wants to stay deeply hands ‑ on while stepping into a light technical leadership role. You’ll work on a production platform that powers large ‑ scale logistics operations around the world, solving real problems at meaningful scale.

This role blends senior individual ‑ contributor work with leading a small team of engineers and helping guide what gets built and when. You’ll lead technical execution, manage and shape the team backlog, and work closely with US ‑ based partners to turn priorities into deliverable outcomes. Formal people ‑ management experience is welcome but not required .

What You’ll Be Doing

• Act as the technical lead for a small team of two Intermediate / Senior Software Engineers.
• Design and implement robust systems for a mission ‑ critical platform intended to operate reliably over long lifetimes.
• Own and manage the team backlog, working with stakeholders to refine, prioritise, and sequence work.
• Help guide delivery planning, scope trade ‑ offs , and execution to achieve predictable outcomes.
• Influence architecture, design, and implementation decisions through strong technical judgement and example.
• Mentor engineers through code reviews, pairing, and day ‑ to ‑ day technical leadership.
• Improve platform reliability, maintainability, and confidence in releases.
• Lead investigation and resolution of complex production issues and escalations.
• Collaborate closely with engineers and stakeholders based in the US to align on priorities, roadmap, and delivery.
• Balance hands ‑ on engineering with light leadership, planning, and coordination responsibilities.

What We’re Looking For

• Typically 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated impact.
• Strong experience with .NET in long ‑ running , production systems.
• Intermediate working knowledge of Python.
• Experience with Angular or similar frontend frameworks.
• Comfortable working in Linux / Ubuntu environments.
• Proven ability to debug and resolve complex technical problems.
• Experience influencing technical direction beyond individual features.
• Experience contributing to planning, backlog management, or delivery coordination.
• A collaborative mindset and an interest in helping teams execute effectively.

Nice to Have

• Experience leading or mentoring engineers without formal line management.
• Experience shaping or owning team backlogs or delivery plans.
• Background in logistics , supply chain, or other operationally complex domains.
• Experience working on distributed systems or evolving large platforms.
• Experience with Rust, or a strong interest in using it where it makes sense.
• Involvement in reliability, quality, or operational improvement initiatives.

Ways of Working

• You’ll work closely with a small local team and a larger US ‑ based engineering group.
• Some flexibility in working hours is expected to support cross ‑ time ‑ zone collaboration.
• Our customers operate globally, so occasional responsiveness during escalations is part of the role.
• While you’ll support production systems, this is not a constant on ‑ call or support ‑ heavy position.

Location

• 3/4D Pacific Rise Mt Wellington, Auckland 1060 . New Zealand
• 3 Days in office - 2 days WFH

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