Database Principal Engineer

Database Principal Engineer

Whitehall Resources is looking for a Database Principal Engineer. This role is hybrid, with 3 days per week onsite in either Sheffield, Birmingham, or Edinburgh, and the remainder remote, for an initial 3-6 month contract.

*** Inside IR35***

As a Principal Engineer you will be at the forefront of our technology, influencing the strategy and direction of our services. This is a leadership role where you will be responsible for driving technical excellence across a diverse set of tooling, mentoring and developing a team of talented engineers, and ensuring our services are designed and built with availability, resiliency, safety, and security in mind.

You will collaborate closely with cross‑functional teams to define, design and deliver our next generation of products and services that meet business needs.

• Develop and maintain the long‑term strategy for database infrastructure, ensuring alignment with the bank's overall IT and business strategies.
• Function as a subject matter expert and advisor on all matters related to database technologies, providing guidance to senior leadership and IT teams.
• Collaborate with Product Owners, Architects and stakeholders to define technical requirements and technical specifications.
• Co‑lead the design and architecture of the bank's shared database solutions (DBaaS/PaaS), followed by their implementation.
• Stay informed about industry trends, emerging technologies and advancements in engineering practices, evaluating and recommending innovative solutions as appropriate.
• Support the Platform Lead and identify solutions to engineering gaps/challenges.
• Facilitate development of cross‑functional capabilities to address common gaps/challenges.
• Act as key point of contact for engineering decisions from a technical and risk perspective.
• Look to innovate and improve processes, reducing hand‑offs and automating processes.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or a relevant discipline.
• 10+ years' experience in engineering roles, with a minimum of 5 in a senior or principal engineering position.
• Technical proficiency in database technologies, relational, No
  
  SQL, distributed SQL, deployed on IaaS or part of DBaaS. Strong understanding of consumer use case and how database infrastructure capabilities work.
• Expertise in infrastructure components, performance tuning and capacity planning.
• Understanding of and hands‑on experience of microservices, software development, infrastructure automation, API development and basic application system design.
• Strong understanding and experience in Site Reliability Engineering, Dev Ops capabilities (CI/CD, automated testing, code scanning, etc.) and Infrastructure as Code.
• Industry strength knowledge of testing practices and tooling.
• Proven track record of leading large, enterprise‑level projects and delivering quality solutions.
• Strong technical leadership skills, team‑builder and influencer.
• Exposure and success working within a global matrix organization model.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements and best practices in the financial industry.
• Ability to liaise with other engineers, architects and business stakeholders to understand and drive the platform, product or service's direction.
• Gravitas and ability to interact with and advise senior executives.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate and convey complex technical information to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Experience evaluating multiple technology solutions to define and design the best fit for a particular use case.

• Deep technical expertise: well‑versed in engineering principles and the broader technical landscape, with strong architectural knowledge.
• Leadership & influence: demonstrates gravitas and the ability to lead complex initiatives, inspire confidence and motivate cross‑functional teams.
• Strategic collaboration: works closely with internal stakeholders and business partners to align architecture decisions with organizational goals.
• Vision & communication: capable of articulating technical strategies clearly to both technical and non‑technical audiences, fostering alignment and buy‑in.

All of our opportunities require that applicants are eligible to work in the specified country/location, unless otherwise stated in the job description.

Whitehall Resources are an equal opportunities employer who value a diverse and inclusive working environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, pregnancy, disability, age, veteran status, or other characteristics.