Principal Software Development Engineer

# Principal Software Development Engineer - ML Engineering - Personalisation Tesco UK  
• Welwyn Garden City  
• Full-Time  
• Apply by 21-Jan-2026

About the role Within
** Tesco Data & Analytics**, we help our customers and the communities where we operate get the most value from data. We build and run Tesco’s data platforms, architect and engineer data ontothese platforms, provide capabilities and tools to the analytics community across Tesco, and develop data products  Data Science teams work on a broad range of projects spanning supply chain, logistics, store,and online.

These include initiatives in
** Operations Optimisation, Decision Support** (e.g.,forecasting),
** Online** (e.g., search and recommendation), and
** Intelligent Edge** (e.g., computer vision). Our Data Science Engineers collaborate closely with data scientists, supporting everything from tool and platform development, code optimisation, through to deployment of solutions across edge, cloud, and big-data environments.

We are looking for a
** Principal Software Development Engineer (PSDE)
** within the
** Data Science
**** Engineering (DSE)
** team to lead technical innovation in the machine learning engineering space. Asa PSDE, you will be a senior technical authority, delivering value that materially impacts business outcomes. Your influence will extend beyond code—you will shape strategy, guide teams, and set the standard for engineering excellence within DSE. You will be at the forefront of defining how we leverage machine learning to deliver business value.

Your decisions will influence technology strategy, accelerate innovation, and establish the foundation for scalable, reliable ML solutions acrossthe organisation.

What is in it for youWe’re all about the little helps. That’s why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you – both in and out of work.  to find out more!
* Annual bonus scheme of up to 45% of base salary
* Car allowance of £7,320 per annum
* Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
* Private medical insurance
* Retirement savings plan - save between 6% - 10% and Tesco will contribute 1.5 times this amount
* 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 years’ service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave

You will be responsible forAs a Principal Software Development Engineer within Data Science Engineering you will:
• Define and influence architecture and technical strategy for ML-driven platforms and products.
• Drive end-to-end delivery of scalable, reliable ML solutions and frameworks for rapid experimentation.
• Guide cross-functional teams through complex programmes, ensuring alignment and technical excellence.
• Establish best practices for ML engineering, including MLOps and model lifecyclemanagement.
• Evaluate technology choices, lead innovation through PoCs, and accelerate ML time-to production.
• Lead Operational Excellence by improving observability, performance and reliability of ML / AIsystems.
• Communicate effectively with senior stakeholders and mentor teams to solve critical challenges.

You will need

You bring a unique blend of software engineering leadership and machine learning expertise,with experience delivering ML solutions  likely tick most of the following:
• Proven experience as a principal engineer or technical lead in large-scale software and ML environments.
• Deep expertise in system design, distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, and secure,maintainable solutions.
2
• Experience acting as a technical authority across multiple domains and technologies, guide architectural choices with a deep understanding of the Software (and Machine Learning)
Development Lifecycle.
• Strong leadership, collaboration, and communication skills; ability to influence technical and business stakeholders.
• Proficiency in Python and multiple languages; familiarity with ML tools (e.g., Spark,Tensor Flow).
• Passion for innovation, inner-sourcing, and accelerating ML delivery through modern tooling and practices.

Our vision at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to…