Principal Software Engineer - Investments

Salary: Up to £95,000 dependent on experience (generous benefits package on top)

Join HL - Where Your Talent Shapes the Future of Investing At Hargreaves Lansdown (HL), we're more than the UK's number 1 investment platform for private investors - we're innovators, problem‑solvers and changemakers, helping over 1.8 million clients save and invest with confidence.

For more than 40 years, we've transformed how people engage with their money, combining cutting‑edge technology with award‑winning service. Our teams are curious, collaborative, and driven by the ambition to make investing accessible to everyone. We'd love for you to be part of our journey.

About The Role

As Principal Software Engineer in our Investment Tribe, you'll be a senior technical leader, guiding our move from a complex legacy estate to a modern, cloud‑native architecture.

This is a strategic, non‑coding role embedded within tribe leadership, where you'll shape and communicate high‑level architectures, set clear and supportive guardrails, and empower engineering teams to deliver high‑quality, data‑driven solutions. It's about influence, clarity, and enabling teams to thrive - with a focus on being approachable, engaged, and collaborative.

What You'll Be Doing

• Define and document high‑level solution architectures, clearly outlining trade‑offs, risks, and dependencies.
• Provide clear architectural principles and best‑practice guidelines that empower teams to design excellent solutions.
• Foster a culture of data‑driven decision‑making, defining cross‑team metrics that support continuous improvement.
• Promote strong documentation practices, including Architectural Decision Records, Solution Memos, and C4 diagrams.
• Guide cloud architecture choices, particularly around container orchestration and the use of AWS services.
• Champion best practices for observability, logging, security, and networking.
• Identify opportunities to enhance Developer Experience and efficiency through smarter tooling and frameworks.
• Support engineering teams with mentoring, pairing, and skills development.
• Lead conversations around Event‑Driven Architecture, cost forecasting, and designing for the future state.
• Partner with Product and Engineering Managers to align priorities and delivery approaches.

About You

Essential:

• Demonstrated leadership in legacy technology transformation and cloud migration.
• Strong expertise in modern architectural patterns, cloud‑native design, and container orchestration.
• Skilled communicator able to influence and engage at every level of the organisation.
• Proven ability to balance trade‑offs, costs, and technical constraints.
• Experience coaching teams towards engineering and architecture best practices.
• Deep understanding of security, networking, observability, and system flows.
• Adept at producing clear, concise architectural documentation.

Desirable:

• Previous experience as a Solution or Enterprise Architect.
• Background in enterprise systems and legacy‑to‑modern transitions.
• Familiarity with TypeScript and/or Java.
• Understanding of Developer Experience optimisation tools and frameworks.

Interview Process

Our process is designed to be transparent and supportive, giving you the opportunity to showcase your skills and get to know us:

• Introductory conversation with our recruitment team (30 mins)
• Virtual first‑stage interview with Senior Engineering Manager (30 mins)
• Virtual structured technical and competency interview (2 hours)
• Meeting with CTO (20-30 mins)

Working Schedule

Full‑time, with hybrid working and flexible hours available.

Why Us?

Here at HL, we're the UK's number 1 investment platform for private investors, based in Bristol. For more than 40 years we've helped investors save time, tax and money on their investments.

To achieve our mission, we believe we have a workplace like no other, with constant learning, dynamic teams, and a great ethos. We're steered by core values that promote service, quality, innovation, and opportunity in everything we do.

What's On Offer?

• Discretionary annual bonus* & annual pay review
• 25 days* holiday plus bank holidays and 1‑day additional Christmas closure time
• Option to purchase an additional 5 days holiday per year at annual enrolment
• Flexible working options available, including hybrid working
• Enhanced parental leave
• Pension scheme up to 11% employer contribution
• Income Protection & Life insurance (4 x salary core level of cover)
• Private medical insurance*
• Health care cash plans - including optical, dental, and outpatient care
• Help@hand and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Gympass - gym memberships and wellbeing apps available
• Variety of travel to work schemes with free bike storage and shower facilities
• An in‑house barista serving subsidised coffee and snacks
• Join HL's sports, I&D networks and volunteering groups (two paid volunteering days per year)
• LifeWorks Discounts on services, restaurants and retailers \* dependant on role level

Hargreaves Lansdown is an inclusive employer that values diversity in its workforce. We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of background, identity, or circumstances.

This role may also be available on a flexible working or part‑time basis - please speak to the Recruitment & Onboarding team for more details.

Please note, we are unable to provide employment sponsorship.