Principal Engineer

Principal Engineer Full Time | £74,781.00 to £87,244.00 dependant on experience| OSHQ Southampton | Hybrid working

We are Ordnance Survey, Great Britain’s national mapping service and a global leader in geospatial data and technology. For over 230 years, our data has helped governments, businesses and communities make better decisions about the world around them. Our Business Systems team is at the heart of this — powering the platforms, services and integrations that keep the organisation running and evolving.

Join us, and you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the future engineering landscape of OS — defining the standards, architecture and practices that underpin everything we do.

This is a rare and high-impact opportunity for an exceptional Principal Engineer to operate as the senior technical authority within Business Systems. You won’t just contribute to engineering decisions — you will set the direction. You will Lead on our most complex and business-critical engineering challenges, Shape and influence technology strategy across the organisation, Define engineering standards, architecture and best practice at scale, Provide technical assurance across platforms, integrations and systems, Elevate capability by mentoring and inspiring engineers across multiple teams.

Working at the intersection of technology, strategy and delivery, you’ll partner with senior leaders, architects and product teams to ensure OS continues to build secure, scalable and future-ready systems. Alongside leading 3 direct reports, you’ll operate as a technical leader across a wider network of c.20 engineers — influencing design decisions, embedding best practice, and driving engineering excellence across multiple teams.

This is a role for someone who thrives on influence, ownership and technical depth — and wants to leave a legacy on how we engineer at OS!

You are a recognised technical leader with the ability to operate at both strategic and hands‑on levels, bringing clarity to complexity and driving meaningful change.

• Deep, broad technical expertise across software engineering, system design, integrations, Azure and enterprise platforms (e.g. CRM, Finance systems, APIs)
• Proven track record leading large‑scale engineering or architectural transformation
• Strong ability to shape technical strategy and influence at senior level
• Experience providing technical governance and assurance across complex environments
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to translate complexity into clear direction
• A passion for coaching, mentoring and raising engineering standards
• Ability to balance long‑term strategic thinking with pragmatic delivery focus

• Experience in product‑aligned or service‑led operating models
• Strong understanding of modern engineering practices (Agile, Dev Ops, CI/CD)
• Knowledge of cloud‑native architectures and modern platforms
• Experience improving engineering capability across multiple teams or domains

At OS, how we work matters just as much as what we deliver. We are guided by three principles and will use these to assess competencies during the hiring process:
Clear the path – Cut through complexity, remove blockers and create momentum;
Seek the story – Listen deeply, challenge assumptions and uncover insight;
Do what matters – Focus on impact, prioritise value and recognise contribution.

• Competitive salary and pension (OS contribute up to 12.07%)
• Performance‑related bonus (where applicable)
• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays (increasing with service)
• Enhanced family leave, including paid partner leave
• Hybrid and flexible working options
• Learning and development support, coaching and mentoring
• Free…