Principal Software Engineer

Responsibilities

• Act as a technical authority across multiple squads, guiding architecture, design, and engineering decisions
• Drive the execution of technology strategy and transformation initiatives within the organisation
• Lead and influence major technical changes (platform evolution, tooling, frameworks, performance improvements)
• Ensure high engineering standards across scalability, performance, security, and maintainability
• Take a hands-on approach to solving complex technical problems and unblocking teams
• Partner closely with the Head of Technology and Solution Architects to define and evolve system architecture
• Establish, promote, and enforce engineering best practices (coding standards, testing, CI/CD, observability)
• Act as a custodian of software design, ensuring consistency and quality across systems
• Proactively identify gaps, inefficiencies, and risks, and drive solutions without requiring direction
• Support teams in breaking down complex problems into clear, executable work
• Enable cross-team alignment and reduce silos across engineering teams
• Leadership & Impact
• Mentor and coach engineers, tech leads, and senior engineers to elevate technical capability
• Create an environment where teams are autonomous but aligned, with clear technical direction
• Act as a multiplier, improving the effectiveness of multiple teams rather than a single squad
• Support hiring and contribute to technical assessment and capability building
• Champion a strong engineering culture focused on ownership, quality, and continuous improvement
• Build strong working relationships across engineering, product, delivery, and platform teams
• Lead by example through hands-on contribution and technical excellence

Requirements

• Technical Leadership
• Proven experience operating as a Principal / Staff-level engineer or equivalent
• Strong track record of owning technical direction across multiple teams or domains
• Ability to make high-impact technical decisions with long-term implications
• Experience leading large-scale system design and architectural evolution
• Engineering Excellence
• Deep understanding of modern software engineering practices, including - Test-driven development (TDD); CI/CD and automation; Observability, monitoring, and performance optimisation
• Experience improving software development lifecycle efficiency and reducing delivery friction
• Strong advocate for clean architecture and maintainable systems
• Hands-On Expertise
• Strong hands-on experience with - Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, React; Java (backend systems)
• Experience working with - AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, GitHub workflows / modern CI/CD pipelines
• Ability to prototype, validate, and implement solutions directly
• AI & Innovation
• Practical understanding of AI tools and their application in software development
• Ability to identify and implement AI-driven improvements in engineering workflows, tooling, or products
• Collaboration & Communication
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Comfortable working across multiple teams and disciplines
• Ability to clearly explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Ways of Working
• Experience in Agile environments (Scrum, Kanban)
• Strong prioritisation and decision-making skills
• Self-driven, proactive, and comfortable operating with minimal supervision
• Experience in the gaming / gambling industry
• Experience working on high-scale, real-time systems
• Public GitHub reposit

Benefits

Additional Information

Principal Software Engineer Job title: Principal Software Engineer Location: Sofia, Bulgaria Overview of the role: We are transforming our Sofia studio into a high-performing Technology Hub, focused on building scalable, high-quality game development capabilities. As part of this transformation, we are looking for a Principal Software Engineer to play a critical role in shaping our technical direction, improving how we build software end-to-end, and enabling our teams to deliver faster, with higher quality. This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will be expected not only to set direction, but also to go deep when needed - solving complex problems, guiding teams, and leading by example. Working closely with the Head of Technology, you will operate across multiple squads as a technical authority, ensuring we make the right decisions, maintain high engineering standards, and successfully deliver the technology changes required to support our growth. This role follows a hybrid approach to working, allowing you to combine working from home with working in our modern offices. These discussions are between you and your manager to find the best pattern for you both, while recognising that quality time together is essential for keeping us mission-aligned. Our teams work from a lively location nestled within this historic city. Enjoy the best of both worlds with winter and summer offices, tantalizing free snacks and a gaming paradise for endless entertainment.

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