Principal Software Engineer - Shape Tech Strategy in Sandton
Interviewing Dynamix Recruitment Solutions · Sandton, Gauteng
Overview
A senior hands-on technical leadership role in Sandton for a Principal Software Engineer who wants to define architecture, influence engineering standards across teams, and stay close to complex code. Work with the Head of Technology on platform strategy and modern engineering practices including AI-assisted development. This is a permanent, office-based role with four days per week in office.
About the role
Our client is looking for an experienced Principal Software Engineer to act as the senior technical authority for its software platform. Reporting to the Head of Technology, you will set the technical vision, establish architectural standards, and make sure engineering stays consistent across multiple development teams. This is a hands-on role where you stay involved in coding, design reviews, and solving complex technical problems while guiding engineering practice across squads.
You will work closely with team leads on challenging technical decisions, champion test-driven development and automated testing, and help introduce AI-assisted engineering approaches into the workflow. You will also act as a trusted technical partner to the Head of Technology, contributing to the long-term technology roadmap and making sure engineering decisions support business goals.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics or a related field with a strong academic record
- At least 8 years of software development experience, including experience shaping engineering practices and technical direction
- At least 5 years of hands-on Java development experience at production scale
- Proven senior technical leadership across multiple teams
- Strong expertise in software architecture, technical design reviews and complex decision-making
- Hands-on experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines, automated testing and GitHub-based deployment workflows
- Experience with test-driven development and modern software engineering practices
- Practical experience introducing AI-assisted engineering into development workflows
- Ability to influence technical decisions, mentor team leads and establish consistent engineering standards
- Advantageous: Salesforce and Apex development, Salesforce certifications, penetration testing and security-conscious engineering, front-end development, integration architecture and RESTful API design at scale
Responsibilities
- Define and drive technical direction, architecture, engineering standards and development practices across multiple teams
- Establish implementation patterns, technical guidelines and technology stack choices
- Lead platform evolution through considered, evidence-based architectural decisions
- Ensure architectural consistency across development squads and promote adoption of proven solutions and best practices
- Partner with team leads on complex technical challenges and review significant architectural decisions
- Champion test-driven development, automated testing, code review standards and engineering quality
- Provide technical guidance across the broader technology stack
- Build, maintain and improve CI/CD pipelines, automated testing and deployment workflows using GitHub
- Introduce and promote effective AI-assisted engineering practices
- Act as a trusted technical partner to the Head of Technology, contributing to the technology roadmap and aligning engineering decisions with business objectives
- Encourage a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement
Job details
- Organisation
- Interviewing Dynamix Recruitment Solutions
- Location
- Sandton, Gauteng
- Job type
- Full time
- Education
- Bachelor
- Category
- IT & Software Development
- Application Method
- Apply manually
Success Guide
This is a senior technical leadership role, so your application should go beyond listing jobs. Show how you have shaped architecture, set engineering standards, or mentored other developers. Highlight your Java experience and any work with CI/CD pipelines, GitHub and AI-assisted development. If you have Salesforce or security experience, mention it as an advantage. Since the role is office-based four days a week in Sandton, be ready to discuss how you lead hands-on while working closely with teams. A clear, well-structured CV that shows your impact across multiple teams will stand out.
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