Principal Engineer

FTSE Russell, part of the London Stock Exchange Group, is an essential index partner for a changing world, providing category defining indices across asset classes and investment objectives to create new possibilities for the global investment community. FTSE Russell’s expertise and products are used extensively by institutional and retail investors globally.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing company in an innovative and dynamic industry. In this key leadership role, you will lead the development of foundational components for a lakehouse architecture on AWS and drive the migration of existing data processing workflows to the new lakehouse solution. You will work across the Data Engineering organisation to design and implement scalable data infrastructure and processes using technologies such as Python, PySpark, EMR Serverless, Iceberg, Glue and Glue Data Catalog. The main goal of this position is to ensure successful migration and establish robust data quality governance across the new platform, enabling reliable and efficient data processing.

Key accountabilities:

Technical Expertise and Leadership: Demonstrates extensive knowledge of core technologies and, in some cases, thought leadership-level expertise. Provides technical direction, mentorship, and guidance on best practices in design, development, and implementation processes to elevate team standards.

Project Leadership and Culture Building: Leads complex projects autonomously, fostering an inclusive and open culture within development teams. Sets a high standard for technical contributions while promoting a collaborative environment that encourages knowledge sharing and innovation.

Cross-Functional Knowledge and Collaboration: Develops a broad understanding of various technical domains, identifying linkages and dependencies across projects and effectively engaging with senior stakeholders to align on shared goals.

Technical Solution Design: Creates and implements technical solution designs that align with both product and business requirements, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance. Contributes to the technical roadmap to advance the development strategy.

Strategic Advisory and Subject Matter Expertise: Serves as an internal subject matter expert in software development, advising stakeholders on technical issues and best practices. Applies deep technical expertise to assess complex challenges and propose strategic solutions.

Strategy Implementation and Technical Standards: Demonstrates a thorough understanding of how technology strategies impact individual and team efforts, taking responsibility for integrating strategic goals into project work. Contributes to defining the broader technical strategy and culture within the team.

Technology Innovation and Reference Standards: Evaluates emerging technologies and methodologies that could enhance the development strategy. Recommends patterns for adoption and leads the creation of reference code to establish technical standards.

Commercial Insight: Understands LSEG's position in the market and how specific products or domains contribute to commercial objectives. Utilises this insight to align technical solutions with LSEG's strategic direction.

Independent Project Delivery: Leads the delivery of critical projects with minimal supervision, overseeing work from other team members and delegating as necessary. Ensures high-quality, timely delivery that meets LSEG's standards and client expectations.

Stakeholder Relationship Building: Builds and maintains trusting relationships with internal and external stakeholders, collaborating effectively across teams and departments. Communicates complex technical information in a clear, concise, and audience-appropriate manner.

Qualifications and Experience:

Educational Background: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field is essential. A master’s degree or advanced professional certifications (e.g., Certified Software Development Professional, Agile Certified Practitioner) are highly desirable and demonstrate a commitment to technical excellence and ongoing professional development.

Extensive Software Development Experience: Minimum of 10 years of experience in software development and delivery, with a proven track record of leading complex projects from concept through implementation. Demonstrates expertise in designing, coding, and deploying scalable, high-performance software products that meet rigorous industry standards.

Advanced Programming Proficiency: Deep technical knowledge in Python and Spark, with a focus on ETL data processing and data engineering solutions. Expert proficiency in Python and Spark allows the Principal Engineer to design and implement advanced ETL pipelines, optimize data workflows, troubleshoot complex data processing issues, and provide technical mentorship to other engineers in data-centric projects.

Architecture and Solution Design Expertise: Strong background in solution architecture and technical design, with experience developing robust, secure, and scalable architectures. Proficiency in creating solution designs that align with business requirements and technical standards, ensuring products are both innovative and commercially viable.

Technical Leadership and Mentorship: Proven experience in providing direction and mentorship within a technical team, setting high standards for quality and productivity. Skilled in promoting best practices, guiding technical decision-making, and fostering a collaborative, knowledge-sharing environment.

Strategic Insight and Business Acumen: Knowledge of LSEG's market position, product portfolio, and commercial strategy within the financial technology sector. Demonstrates an ability to align technical solutions with business objectives, ensuring software developments contribute to LSEG's competitive edge and revenue goals.

Continuous Innovation and Technical Standardisation: Experience in evaluating and implementing emerging technologies to enhance development strategy. Skilled in setting technical standards through the development of reference code, establishing best practices that drive consistency and quality across development projects.

Stakeholder Engagement: Skilled in building strong, collaborative relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. Experienced in translating complex technical information into accessible language for diverse audiences, enabling effective alignment with business and technical stakeholders alike.

Regulatory and Compliance Awareness: Familiarity with compliance and regulatory requirements relevant to financial technology, ensuring that software products meet necessary data security and regulatory standards critical for client trust and industry credibility.

Key skills:

Advanced Software Development Practices: Demonstrates mastery of best practices in software development, including knowledge of object-oriented programming, functional programming, and design patterns. Skilled at implementing complex coding structures and promoting efficient, maintainable code across projects.

System Architecture and Solution Design: Extensive experience in software architecture and solution design, including microservices, distributed systems, and cloud-native architectures. Capable of breaking down large-scale projects into manageable components, ensuring scalability, security, and alignment with strategic objectives.

Advanced expertise in Python and Spark: Specialized expertise in Python and Spark, with a deep focus on ETL data processing and data engineering practices. Ability to provide technical direction, set high standards for code quality and optimize performance in data-intensive environments. Knowledge of additional programming languages and development tools provides flexibility and adaptability across varied data engineering projects.

Automation and CI/CD Pipelines: Skilled in leveraging automation tools and Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to streamline development, testing, and deployment. Experienced in setting up and optimising CI/CD processes to ensure rapid, high-quality releases and minimise manual intervention.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Communication: Exceptional communicator who can translate complex technical concepts for diverse stakeholders, including engineers, product managers, and senior executives. Skilled in building alignment and driving consensus, ensuring that technical decisions support broader business goals.

Technical Leadership and Mentorship: Provides thought leadership within the engineering team, setting high standards for quality, efficiency, and collaboration. Experienced in mentoring engineers, guiding them in advanced coding practices, architecture, and strategic problem-solving to enhance team capabilities.

Domain Knowledge in Financial Technology: Deep understanding of the financial technology sector, including the requirements of benchmarks, indices, and data-driven solutions. Applies industry knowledge to develop software that meets rigorous standards for accuracy, security, and compliance, particularly for institutional clients.

Innovative Problem Solving and Solution Development: Brings a creative approach to problem-solving, identifying unique and effective solutions to complex technical challenges. Skilled at adapting existing patterns and frameworks to meet specific project needs, ensuring robust, flexible, and future-proofed solutions.

Quality Assurance and Best Practices: Extensive knowledge of quality assurance principles, including code reviews, testing methodologies, and adherence to compliance standards. Ensures that all software deliverables meet or exceed industry standards, maintaining LSEG's reputation for reliable, high-quality products.

End-to-End Project Management: Capable of managing the full software development lifecycle, from initial planning and requirements gathering to deployment and maintenance. Skilled at balancing technical needs with project timelines and budget constraints, ensuring efficient and successful project completion.

Data Analysis and Performance Optimisation: Proficient in analysing system performance, identifying bottlenecks, and optimising software for speed and efficiency. Skilled at utilising data-driven insights to make adjustments that enhance product reliability and user experience.

System and Technology Integration: Experienced in integrating various systems and technologies within complex software ecosystems, ensuring interoperability and a seamless user experience. Skilled in aligning disparate technologies to create cohesive solutions that meet both functional and technical requirements.

Continuous Learning and Industry Engagement: Committed to staying at the forefront of industry advancements, continuously enhancing technical knowledge and exploring new technologies. Actively engages with professional networks, certifications, and emerging tools to bring innovation and forward-thinking approaches to the team.

LSEG is a leading global financial markets infrastructure and data provider. Our purpose is driving financial stability, empowering economies and enabling customers to create sustainable growth.

Our purpose is the foundation on which our culture is built. Our values of Integrity, Partnership, Excellence and Change underpin our purpose and set the standard for everything we do, every day. They go to the heart of who we are and guide our decision making and everyday actions.

Working with us means that you will be part of a dynamic organisation of 25,000 people across 65 countries. However, we will value your individuality and enable you to bring your true self to work so you can help enrich our diverse workforce. You will be part of a collaborative and creative culture where we encourage new ideas and are committed to sustainability across our global business. You will experience the critical role we have in helping to re-engineer the financial ecosystem to support and drive sustainable economic growth. Together, we are aiming to achieve this growth by accelerating the just transition to net zero, enabling growth of the green economy and creating inclusive economic opportunity.

LSEG offers a range of tailored benefits and support, including healthcare, retirement planning, paid volunteering days and wellbeing initiatives.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. This means that we do not discriminate on the basis of anyone’s race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. Conforming with applicable law, we can reasonably accommodate applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as mental health or physical disability needs.

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