Principal Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer | Sydney, Hybrid | Python, Golang, Kubernetes

In today's world, more and more companies are looking to tackle the rise in costs of cloud computing. Unfortunately for most, ensuring optimisation is a lengthy and costly process that they might not have the budget or runway for. My client is looking to build the answer.

They're an early-stage, product of 0 start-up. Looking for expert thinkers & engineers who thrive in ambiguity, helping establish direction for the product, getting them to a point where it's productionised.

Ideal profile will have led scalable systems, playing a key, if not leading role in the design & architectural decisions. A proficiency in Python, and/or Golang is ideal - or, a willingness to upskill. Extensive experience or knowledge of Kubernetes within an open-source environment is crucial.

Principal Software Engineer Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the design, architecture, and development of the client's platform.
• Collaborate closely with the team to define product direction and technical strategy in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment.
• Build, productionise, and scale core systems that can handle complex cloud environments efficiently.
• Drive decisions around infrastructure, system design, and deployment strategies, ensuring reliability, observability, performance, and cost-effectiveness.
• Mentor and guide engineers, fostering best practices in software engineering, DevOps, and Kubernetes operations.
• Evaluate and integrate open-source tools and frameworks to accelerate development and optimise cloud workloads.
• Continuously monitor, analyse, and improve system performance and scalability.

Principal Software Engineer Requirements

• Proven experience leading the design and architecture of large-scale, production systems.
• Strong proficiency in Python and/or Golang, or a willingness and ability to upskill rapidly.
• Extensive experience with Kubernetes, particularly within open-source ecosystems.
• Deep understanding of cloud infrastructure, resource management, and optimisation strategies — with hands-on experience optimising Kubernetes clusters and pods.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines, containerisation, and distributed system deployments.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguity and contribute strategically to early-stage product and technical decisions.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with a pragmatic and results-oriented approach.
• Strong communication skills, able to collaborate across technical and non-technical stakeholders.

If you’re interested in learning more, please apply with your most up-to-date resume & I’ll be in touch.