Principal Software Engineer

MCS Group is working exclusively with a high-growth technology organisation as they establish a new engineering presence in Northern Ireland. We're looking for a Principal Software Engineer who enjoys building software, solving complex problems and using modern AI tools to improve how they work.

This is pretty much a fully remote position (1-2 days per month in office), senior Individual Contributor opportunity offering genuine ownership, technical autonomy and the chance to play an important role in shaping a growing engineering team.

We're looking for someone who enjoys remaining hands-on, making sensible technical decisions and working on enterprise software products. You'll be joining an organisation that values pragmatic engineering, modern tooling and the ability to move quickly without unnecessary complexity.

What you'll be doing

• As their Principal Software Engineer you'll design, build and deliver scalable, production-ready software.
• You'll develop and enhance existing platforms alongside new product development.
• Work across backend services, APIs and frontend technologies where required.
• Contribute to (and own) architectural decisions and promote modern engineering practices.
• Use AI-assisted development tools to improve productivity and accelerate delivery.
• Take ownership of technical decisions, from initial design through to production.

What we're looking for

• You'll have strong software engineering experience, ideally operating at Principal, Staff or Lead level.
• A proven track record of building and owning software in production environments.
• Broad technical experience across backend development, modern technologies and software architecture.
• Someone comfortable working autonomously and making pragmatic technical decisions.
• Hands-on experience using AI development tools such as Cursor, Claude Code or GitHub Copilot as part of your everyday engineering workflow.
• A genuine interest in how AI is changing software engineering and a willingness to experiment with new approaches.

Why consider this opportunity?

• Join a growing technology organisation establishing its presence in Northern Ireland.
• Senior Individual Contributor role with significant technical ownership.
• Opportunity to work across both new product development and platform modernisation.
• Freedom to explore and adopt modern AI development tools.
• Flexible organisation - pretty much fully remote working from anywhere in Northern Ireland.
• An engineering environment (and leadership team) focused on outcomes, collaboration and technical quality.

Salary

• Salary up to £110,000

To speak in absolute confidence about this opportunity, please send an up-to-date CV via the link provided or contact Chris Busby, Associate Director - IT Recruitment, at MCS Group

Even if this position is not right for you, we may have others that are. Please visit MCS Group to view a wide selection of our current and exclusive roles www.mcsgroup.jobs

All conversations will be treated in the strictest of confidence.