Principal Engineer

Principal Python Engineer 

Some problems are not very sexy but they are very lucrative and this might be a perfect illustration. A start-up business of 15 people funded by a major UK-based energy company is looking to build a platform that will connect tradespeople with jobs that require their skills. They are off to a solid start with the platform already processing a couple of hundred jobs a week. They are about to be awarded the work to service thousands of boilers for customers of their parent company and they need to quickly scale the platform. This is just the first certain step in some very ambitious growth plans but I mention it to give you confidence that this is not some shiny VC-funded wannabe unicorn but instead a business with some very careful plans and access to steady revenue to help fund them. 

Why do they need your skills as a Principal Engineer? 

They want to bring someone into the business who is purely technical and wants to keep their focus on solving the problems that come with building something that can scale easily whilst steering the team clear of any technical debt. The business is about to experience aggressive growth and Andy the CTO considers this position a key position in helping secure a solid technical foundation. You will be working with him directly as well as engaging with others in leadership positions in the business but your role will not involve people management outside of helping set standards of excellence. You might think of this role as a Technical Architect and you would not be wrong. 

What sort of tech stack is involved? 

Python is their primary backend language and you will need to have solid skills in this area. The platform is AWS and it would be very helpful if you have direct experience but a background on other major cloud providers would also be considered. There is also work in TypeScript, React and React Native but your role will be primarily back-end focussed. 

What problems need to be solved? 

The team is working on all aspects of the platform which will handle customer data, invoicing, a chat feature, payments, scheduling, and even route optimization for traveling between jobs with the minimum amount of fuel and time wasted. 

What does the future hold? 

Whilst the initial focus is heating engineers, the platform will be expanded to include work on solar panel installation, heat pumps (as opposed to traditional heating solutions), and even the installation of EV charging points. 

Want to know more? 

All you need to do is send us your CV, if you don’t have one ready then just send a PDF of your LinkedIn profile, If you are not on LinkedIn start a word document and write a few lines about what you are working on now and why you think this might be interesting.