Senior Technical Architect/Principal Software Engineer

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Technical Architect/Principal Software Engineer to lead the design, implementation, and technical assurance of complex software solutions across one or more domains.This is a hands-on senior technical role that sits close to delivery. The successful candidate will shape technical direction, resolve cross-system challenges, assure engineering quality, and mentor software engineers across teams. This is not a QA or test management role, but a senior engineering and architecture leadership position., * Design and implement significant technical solutions within a defined technology area, working autonomously across single or multiple domains.

• Lead the technical delivery of complex, high-impact initiatives, considering both internal and external system impacts
• Provide technical quality assurance over the work of other engineers, including architecture, design, code quality, and adherence to standards
• Resolve complex, cross-domain and inter-system technical issues that impact delivery or customers
• Act as a senior technical authority, providing deep expertise on key components of solutions
• Identify opportunities to improve engineering standards, patterns, and ways of working
• Coach and mentor software engineers, including senior peers, to raise overall technical capability
• Contribute to engineering learning strategies, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement
• Influence technical decisions across teams through collaboration rather than line management authority

• Significant experience in software engineering with progression into senior technical leadership or architecture roles
• Strong background designing and delivering complex, distributed or integrated systems
• Proven experience providing technical assurance (eg architecture reviews, design authority, code quality governance)
• Ability to resolve cross-system and cross-domain technical challenges
• Strong understanding of how architectural decisions impact scalability, resilience, security, and maintainability
• Experience coaching, mentoring, and influencing engineers across multiple teams
• Comfortable operating autonomously and taking accountability for technical outcomes
• Excellent communication skills, able to explain complex technical concepts clearly

Desirable Experience

• Experience operating as a Technical Architect, Lead Engineer, or Principal Engineer within agile delivery environments
• Exposure to enterprise-scale platforms, cloud-based architectures, or microservices ecosystems
• Experience defining or evolving engineering standards and best practices at an organisational level

Hertfordshire - £750.0 - £800.0 per annum + Up to £800 per day (In scope of IR35) Full Time Posted by: Hays Specialist Recruitment Posted: Monday, 11 May 2026 Applicants must be eligible to work in the specified location