Principal Engineer

Quick Facts

• Role: Principal Engineer

• Focus: Architecture leadership and end-to-end engineering for complex digitalization projects

• Work style: flexible hours, mobile work, and choice of operating system

Description

You will lead architectural decisions for demanding digital initiatives and take responsibility for both development and operations under the “You build it, you run it” principle. The role also includes technical leadership—managing technical debt, defining quality standards, and using workshop-based approaches (e.g., Event Storming, Bounded Contexts) to build shared understanding. You will guide product and project teams through discovery and analysis phases to end-to-end delivery with a DevSecOps mindset.

Responsibilities

• Own architecture decisions and ensure development and operation end-to-end

• Establish standards for scalability, security, and delivery

• Communicate the architecture vision via documentation and diagrams

• Lead and moderate discussions with leadership and project partners until decisions are reached

• Collaborate cross-functionally with other tech leads and disciplines; clarify dependencies

• Shape collaboration structures for complex software systems; promote best practices and learning

• Continuously improve architecture, software, team structures, and tools (e.g., using Domain-Driven Design and DevSecOps)

• Advise stakeholders from an engineering perspective to support strategic and technical success

Requirements

• Excellent knowledge of TypeScript/Node, Java, and cloud stacks

• Strong experience with scalability, microservices, and future-proof system design

• Experience in technical leadership and management of technical debt and quality standards

• Workshop moderation experience (e.g., Event Storming) and ability to define Bounded Contexts

• Experience leading discovery/analysis phases and delivering end-to-end

• DevSecOps mindset with knowledge of CI/CD, Security-by-Design, and Observability

• Experience working with external, mostly non-technical stakeholders in regulated/complex ecosystems; strong consulting and conflict-resolution skills

• Advantage: experience in public-sector technology projects and familiarity with German administration (e.g., Deutschland-Stack, ITZBund)

• Very good German and English (at least C1)

Benefits

• Flexible working hours

• Mobile work options

• Free choice of operating system

• Annual gross salary: €90,000–€110,000 (based on responsibility, complexity, and assessment)

• Monthly voucher: €50 (usable flexibly for fitness, tech, mobility, or food)

• Company pension: employer contribution possible