PMC - Principal Engineer

Summary of the position : We are looking for a highly accomplished and technically sharp Principal Engineer to serve as the technical anchor for our delivery teams. This role is technology-agnostic, responsible for strengthening engineering quality, technical delivery, and process maturity across all projects helping us span varied technology stacks, domains, and sizes.The ideal candidate combines hands-on technical expertise, architectural foresight, and delivery discipline with a passion for driving engineering excellence. You will play a critical role in identifying and closing technical gaps, mentoring engineering teams, and institutionalizing strong practices that improve delivery predictability, productivity, and product quality.Key accountabilities : Engineering Governance & Quality Oversight : - Define and enforce engineering best practices across projects, including coding standards, review processes, branching strategies, CI/CD workflows, and security practices- Conduct periodic quality audits and codebase reviews to ensure adherence to standards, scalability, and maintainability principles- Identify recurring technical issues and establish organizational-level corrective measures- Partner with Delivery Leads/Architects/Technical Leads to ensure that each project maintains a technical quality baselineTechnical Leadership & Solutioning : - Provide hands-on guidance in solution architecture, design reviews, and performance optimization across different technologies (frontend, backend, data, and cloud).- Act as a go-to technical advisor for complex design or implementation challenges across teams- Support technical evaluations during presales or large project transitions- Encourage the adoption of modern engineering approaches : microservices, cloud-native design, automation, and DevOps/CloudOps.Practice Building & Innovation : - Lead the introduction of new engineering practices, tools, and frameworks to enhance developer productivity and delivery quality- Benchmark and implement static code analysis, automated reviews, and observability mechanisms- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to elevate engineering maturity across projects- Partner with the leadership team to define a center of excellence (CoE) for software engineering practicesMentoring & Capability Development : - Mentor technical leads, architects, and senior engineers to build stronger engineering ownership and depth- Conduct technical training sessions and internal workshops to spread best practices.- Promote a culture of learning, innovation, and accountability within engineering teams.Delivery Excellence & Risk Mitigation : - Review technical aspects of project deliveries not limited to architecture, performance, scalability, and quality compliance- Collaborate with project and delivery managers to identify early technical risks and implement mitigation strategies- Ensure that project teams are aligned on engineering direction, tool usage, and technology evolution- Support periodic technical quality assessments and report findings to senior leadershipSkills and Experience : - Experience : 12 to 15 years in software engineering, with at least 5 years in a senior technical leadership or architectural governance role- Technology Agnostic : Deep understanding of modern architectures, including microservices, APIs, event-driven systems, and distributed environments across multiple tech stacks (e.g., Java, .NET, NodeJS, Python, JS Frameworks, AWS, etc.)- DevOps & CI/CD : Experience defining and implementing pipelines, branching models, and automated deployments- Code Quality & Security : Proven track record of implementing code review culture, static analysis, and secure development lifecycle practices- Tooling Awareness : Familiarity with productivity and governance tools like SonarQube, GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes)- Cloud Exposure : Solid understanding of cloud ecosystems (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and architectural trade-offs- Delivery Acumen : Experience supporting multi-project environments from smaller digital builds to large enterprise programs- Soft Skills : Excellent communication, stakeholder alignment, and leadership presence to drive change across teamsPersonal Attributes : - Passionate about building world-class engineering culture- Hands-on, logical, and outcome-focused technical leader- Capable of influencing without authority and building cross-team alignment- A continuous learner who encourages teams to stay ahead of technology trends- Detail-oriented yet able to maintain a holistic view of engineering strategy (ref: hirist.tech)