Principal Software Engineer - Cititec Talent Ltd

A leading technology consultancy operating at the intersection of data, AI, and capital markets is seeking an exceptional Principal Software Engineer to join its Energy & Commodities Trading practice. This is a senior, hands-on technical leadership role where you will design and deliver real-time, high-performance trading systems supporting critical decision-making across global trading environments. You will work directly with senior client stakeholders (CTOs, Heads of Data, Engineering Leads) to architect scalable platforms that sit at the heart of front-to-back office trading workflows, influencing both technical direction and broader data strategy. Key ResponsibilitiesTechnical Leadership • Architect and deliver distributed, high-performance systems for trading environments • Build and optimise real-time and near real-time data pipelines supporting intraday trading decisions • Design systems integrating market data feeds, positions, P&L, risk, and back-office platforms • Define engineering standards, architecture patterns, and coding best practices across teams • Mentor and technically lead engineers across multiple delivery workstreams • Partner with senior client stakeholders to shape data, AI, and platform architecture roadmaps Trading & Client Delivery • Lead delivery of front, middle, and back-office transformation initiatives through to production • Act as the primary technical authority across client engagements • Own technical relationships with senior engineering and trading stakeholders • Translate complex trading requirements into scalable, production-grade systems • Contribute to internal thought leadership and go-to-market capability within capital markets • Navigate constraints including latency, resilience, regulatory compliance, and trading workflow complexity Technical Requirements This is a hands-on engineering role requiring deep technical execution capability alongside architectural leadership. Core Skills • Strong programming ability in Python, JavaScript, SQL, and at least one additional modern language • Experience building real-time streaming systems (e.g. Kafka or equivalent) • Proven track record designing low-latency, high-throughput distributed systems • Experience working in environments with strict performance, scalability, and reliability requirements • Strong cloud experience across AWS and/or Azure, including managed data services • Deep knowledge of both: • Transactional databases (e.g. PostgreSQL, SQL Server) • Analytical / time-series systems (e.g. ClickHouse, MongoDB, or similar) Nice to Have • Kubernetes and containerised deployment environments • Exposure to pricing, risk, or trading engine systems • Experience working alongside quantitative or systematic trading teams • Interest or experience in AI/ML applications in trading environments