Principal Engineer Development and Integration

Accountability

Departmental Manager, Director, Office of the Director of Technology, but also to the Senior Management and Board of Directors, as appropriate.

Job Summary

To lead a team and technical function that ensures the delivery of an effective, efficient, and productive environment which can cope with the fluctuations and demands of the business, within the confines of policies and budgets. 

To be responsible for the delivery of an excellent service, through the efficient architecture, engineering, and application of technology.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. To lead a technical function as determined by the Company, in relation to a specific remit of technology and/or infrastructure, across relevant markets and countries.

a. To strive for 100% availability of the customer-facing service.

b. To operationally maintain and continuously improve the technical function.

i. Dimension the technical function in line with business requirements, including growth and sparing.

ii. Apply best practices as defined by standardisation committees, industry bodies and vendors.

iii. Track vendors’ technology evolutions and lifecycle

c. To lead the planning, development, design, engineering, architecture, integration, testing, acceptance, optimisation, and implementation activities of the technical function.

d. To be responsible and accountable for the quality and performance of the technical function.

e. To coordinate and assure security aspects of the technical function.

f. To manage the resolution of customer-initiated complaints and defects within committed service levels attributed to the technical function.

g. To lead and manage the delivery of projects within the specific remit of the technical function.

h. To be responsible and accountable for drafting, collating, and maintaining a repository of documentation in relation to the technical function.

2. To define and execute multi-year roadmaps that align to the technical strategy and business objectives.

3. To be responsible for leading and developing a highly effective technical team within the specific area of technology and/or infrastructure as determined by the Company.

a. To keep oneself and one’s team abreast of developments within the industry. Including, the participation in standardisation committees, vendor, and industry forums.

b. To develop and maintain subject-matter expertise, in respect to the technical function.

c. To operationally lead and supervise one’s team.

d. To be responsible for the drafting of individual appraisals

4. To uphold good governance and ensure compliance with standards, policies, and procedures.

5. To support operational counterparts in relation to the specific remit of technology and/or infrastructure:

a. To assist operational teams in determining the correct material resources, systems, and training to perform their duties adequately.

b. To manage and maintain an information exchange relationship with operational counterparts.

6. To support sales and marketing counterparts in relation to the specific remit of technology and/or infrastructure:

a. To assist with a pre-sales function, if required.

b. To assist with the productization of any new service linked to the technical function.

7. To manage and develop vendor relationships in respect of the technical function:

a. Contribute to and / or conduct Complex sales when procuring large contracts.

b. Conduct negotiations with vendors and strive to maximise value for money

8. To be responsible for expenditure control in respect of the technical function.

9. To be available to assist in any projects and/or duties that the Company may deem reasonable

10. Principal Engineers are expected to be available on a 24/7 basis.

Scope and Remit

All technology, infrastructure and functions underpinning the development and integration section. The scope of functions under direct responsibility are defined hereunder, but NOT in any way limited to:

a. Management of the end-to-end software development lifecycle, including design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance of software systems.

b. Definition and implementation of software development and integration best practices, processes, and methodologies, to ensure consistency and compliance based on ISO27001 standards across all projects.

c. Develop and maintain technical documentation, including system design specifications, user manuals, and testing plans.

d. Conduct code reviews and provide technical guidance and mentoring to team members.

e. Develop software systems, applications, and tools as needed, using relevant programming languages and technologies such as Python or bash.

f. Ensure that systems are secure, scalable, and performant, and that they comply with relevant regulations and standards (WEBSITE)

g. Keep up to date with emerging technologies and trends in software development and integration and apply this knowledge to improve processes and systems.

h. Support the operational/Business Intelligence sections in the department by providing the relevant technical assistance.

i. Ability to support existing software platforms running on a multitude of different programming languages and stacks (Python, Bash, Django, Celery, Flask, HTML, Java Script, Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL).

Experience & Qualifications

1. Expert-level in various programming and scripting languages (Python, Bash).

2. Proficient with database technologies – Oracle, PostgreSQL and MySQL.

3. Proficient with working with Unix and Linux based server architectures.

4. Previous experience in leading development teams.

5. Ability to work with cross-functional teams.

6. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

7. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

8. Knowledge of telecommunication environments essential.

9. Experience with quality assurance frameworks such as ISO27001 advantageous

The Principal Engineer will continue to be accountable for the governance of technical functions required for the proper delivery of the service(s) within their remit.