Who are we?

Mistral Data is part of FirstGroup, the largest rail operator in the UK and second largest bus operator in the UK outside London.  FirstGroup operates services throughout the UK and Ireland, with over 30,000 employees providing services that make travel smoother and life easier.  FirstGroup works hard to reduce its impact on the environment, introducing cleaner and more environmentally responsible methods of transport.

About the job

The Principal Engineer role is pivotal to the technical delivery and excellence across Mistral Data's cloud platforms. As the company's most senior engineering role, the Principal Engineer sets the benchmark for engineering quality, guides internal and external teams, and collaborates closely with the Head of Platforms to define and uphold these standards.

The Principal Engineer will lead on the most complex, high-value projects, while also contributing to other initiatives to share expertise across the company's portfolio, ensuring that every project benefits from best-in-class engineering practices.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Technical Delivery Excellence – Collaborate with project and engineering teams to deliver high-quality outcomes on assigned projects, setting an example of engineering best practices.
• Platform Resilience – Design and maintain resilient platforms that withstand common causes of failure, maximising AWS capabilities.
• Disaster Recovery (DR) – Embed DR capabilities into platforms to ensure continuity and compliance to Recovery Time and Point objectives.
• Cost Optimization – Continuously optimise platform costs, maximising return on investment (ROI) while maintaining performance and resilience.
• Setting Standards – Work across projects to establish, communicate, and enforce technical standards, providing guidance and support to engineering teams.
• Cloud Excellence – Stay ahead of emerging cloud technologies and best practices, actively sharing insights to elevate Mistral Data's cloud capabilities.
• Security Collaboration – Work with the Head of Cloud Operations and Security to ensure consistent application of security standards across all platforms.
• R&D Leadership – Spearhead research and development initiatives to identify innovative uses of cloud capabilities that align with Mistral Data strategy.
• Strategic Alignment – Collaborate with the Head of Platforms to set priorities that align with strategic goals and upcoming opportunities.
• Commercial Insight – Maintain a deep understanding of Mistral Data's commercial landscape, ensuring platforms are optimally positioned to support new and evolving business opportunities.
• Technical Advisory – Serve as a trusted technical advisor across the company, providing architecture and design guidance to all Mistral Data employees.
• Quality Assurance – Uphold and enforce high standards of quality across all services deployed, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
• Participate in Incident Response and Review processes.
• Networking – Where required, manage the networking of designated products, included connectivity with other products, development teams and external systems.

You'll need to be:

• Strategic and Analytical Mindset – A proactive problem-solver who leverages data and trends to anticipate issues, designing solutions that are both scalable and sustainable.
• Customer Centric – Able to contextualise complex technical challenges within business priorities, aligning technical decisions with customer impact and value.
• Collaborative Decision Making – Capable of making informed technical decisions while engaging with and aligning stakeholders across product, security, and operations.
• Adaptable and resilient - Experience handling critical incidents or high-pressure situations, maintaining a calm, measured approach and adjusting as needed without compromising the strategy.
• Transparent communicator - Practices an open, transparent communication style that fosters trust and motivates technical teams.
• Mentorship – Driven by a commitment to continuous learning and professional development, particularly in emerging technologies, and dedicated to coaching and uplifting team members.
• Results driven - Sets clear objectives, holds oneself accountable, and focuses on outcomes that align with the company's vision and goals.

As a minimum, you will need to have:

• Technical Expertise – Over 15 years of hands-on software development experience, with a solid foundation in software engineering, architecture, and cloud computing.
• AWS Specialisation – In-depth knowledge and extensive experience (over 5 years) with AWS, including designing and optimising performant, highly available, scalable, and cost-efficient cloud solutions. Ideally AWS certified Architect
• A proven record of success in architecture and engineering roles, demonstrating technical leadership and successful project outcomes.
• Industry Knowledge – Comprehensive understanding of the Rail industry with over 5 years of experience
• Strong Communication and Presentation Skills – Proficient in articulating complex technical concepts to varied audiences, with an appreciation for balancing diverse interests and meeting regulatory requirements.
• Technical Leadership and Mentorship – Exhibits leadership through technical expertise, mentoring junior engineers, and fostering a culture of high standards and continuous improvement.
• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills – Excellent analytical skills, with a proactive approach to identifying and solving engineering challenges.

We all belong at Mistral Data . FirstGroup's vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, across its group of businesses, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below.  We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/