Principal Software Engineer

At Specsavers, we’re here to change lives through better sight and hearing. We do this by delivering outstanding value, being loved by every customer, and creating a place where colleagues are proud to belong as we grow our business.

We’re looking for a strategic and technically brilliant Principal Software Engineer to lead the evolution of our retail technology platforms. This is a key opportunity to shape the future of our digital experiences across both online and in-store environments, ensuring our software solutions are scalable, secure, and customer-first.

You’ll bring deep technical expertise to the table; this role is focused on strategic leadership rather than hands-on coding. You’ll guide and influence engineering direction, mentor senior engineers, and ensure technical excellence across teams. Your impact will come through vision, governance, and collaboration, not writing code day-to-day.

What you’ll be doing

Technology Strategy & Vision
Define and drive the strategic technology roadmap for your value stream, aligning engineering capabilities with business goals. Collaborate with Architecture and Product teams to shape long-term plans for custom-built products.

Leadership & Team Development
Lead and mentor a team of Senior and Lead Engineers, fostering a high-performing, innovative culture. Ensure alignment with engineering standards and practices and support the Head of Software in managing third-party engineering partnerships.

Engineering Excellence
Champion the Engineering Governance Framework (EGF), contributing to its evolution and adoption across the organisation. Oversee software quality, performance, and delivery, ensuring robust, scalable solutions that meet Specsavers’ global needs.

Innovation & Collaboration
Identify opportunities for innovation and operational improvement across Engineering and the wider business. Evaluate and recommend new tools and technologies, including CommerceTools, Algolia, and Contentful, to enhance our digital capabilities.

What you’ll bring

• Proven leadership experience across multiple software products or portfolios
• Deep expertise developing large-scale web applications with TypeScript (React or Vue), alongside strong Azure experience; enterprise application development in Java is an additional advantage.
• Strong strategic mindset with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions
• Experience building and leading high-performing engineering teams
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Experience with retail platforms and multi-store environments is highly desirable
• Familiarity with modern commerce and content tools (CommerceTools, Algolia, Contentful) is a plus
• A self-starter mentality with the ability to operate autonomously and drive change

This is your opportunity to make a global impact by leading the technology that powers millions of customer interactions and shaping the future of retail experiences at Specsavers.

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