Principal Software Development Engineer

About the role

We are looking for a hands-on Principal Software Development Engineer to help shape the future of our Store Operations technology platforms.

This role combines strategic technical leadership with practical software engineering. You will work across a complex landscape of services, APIs, infrastructure and engineering teams, helping to simplify the platform, reduce operational complexity and improve engineering effectiveness.

This is not an architecture governance role and it is not a role that operates independently of delivery teams. Success depends on working collaboratively with engineers, architects, product teams and stakeholders to develop solutions that teams understand, support and ultimately own. You will provide technical leadership, challenge thinking, facilitate decision-making and help teams align around a shared technical direction.

You will remain hands-on, contributing code, solving complex technical problems, building prototypes and helping teams deliver high-quality software at scale.

What is in it for you

• At Tesco, we are committed to providing the best for you.
• As a result, our colleagues enjoy a unique, differentiated, market- competitive reward package, based on the current industry practices, for all the work they put into serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day.
• Our Tesco Rewards framework consists of pillars - Fixed Pay, Incentives, and Benefits.
• Total Rewards offered at Tesco is determined by four principles -simple, fair, competitive, and sustainable.
• Salary - Your fixed pay is the guaranteed pay as per your contract of employment.
• Annual Bonus - Opportunity to earn additional bonus, distributed as 2/3rd in compensation and 1/3rd in shares.
• Leave & Time-off - Colleagues are entitled to 30 days of leave (18 days of Earned Leave, 12 days of Casual/Sick Leave) and 10 national and festival holidays, as per the company’s policy.
• Making Retirement Tension-FreeSalary - In addition to Statutory retirement beneets, Tesco enables colleagues to participate in voluntary programmes like NPS and VPF.
• Health is Wealth - Tesco promotes programmes that support a culture of health and wellness including insurance for colleagues and their family. Our medical insurance provides coverage for dependents including parents or in-laws.
• Mental Wellbeing - We offer mental health support through self-help tools, community groups, ally networks, face-to-face counselling, and more for both colleagues and dependents.
• Financial Wellbeing - Through our financial literacy partner, we offer one-to-one financial coaching at discounted rates, as well as salary advances on earned wages upon request.
• Save As You Earn (SAYE) - Our SAYE programme allows colleagues to transition from being employees to Tesco shareholders through a structured 3-year savings plan.
• Physical Wellbeing - Our green campus promotes physical wellbeing with facilities that include a cricket pitch, football field, badminton and volleyball courts, along with indoor games, encouraging a healthier lifestyle.

You will be responsible for

Key Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the technical strategy for Store Operations platforms in partnership with engineering teams.
• Lead the simplification and modernisation of a complex technology estate, reducing technical debt, operational burden and unnecessary complexity.
• Work collaboratively with teams to design scalable, resilient and maintainable solutions that can be confidently built, operated and supported.
• Remain actively involved in software engineering through coding, design reviews, prototyping and technical problem solving.
• Improve engineering effectiveness through better tooling, automation, developer experience, platform capabilities and engineering practices.
• Champion modern software engineering practices, including AI-assisted development, intelligent automation and agentic tooling, helping teams improve productivity, quality and delivery outcomes.
• Improve platform reliability, observability, operational excellence and long-term maintainability.
• Coach, mentor and influence engineers across multiple teams, raising technical standards and strengthening engineering capability

You will need

What We're Looking For

• Significant experience designing, building and evolving large-scale distributed systems and platforms.
• Strong software engineering background with the ability to contribute high-quality production code.
• Proven experience simplifying complex technology estates and driving architectural evolution.
• Experience influencing technical direction across multiple teams and organisations without direct authority.
• Strong understanding of architecture, platform engineering, DevOps, reliability and operational excellence.
• Excellent communication, collaboration and stakeholder management skills.
• A pragmatic approach to technology decisions, balancing innovation with reliability, maintainability and business outcomes.
• Passion for engineering excellence, continuous improvement and modern software engineering practices.

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Success in This Role

You will be successful when

• The Store Operations platform is simpler, more scalable and easier to maintain.
• Engineering teams are more productive and able to deliver value faster.
• Operational complexity and support overhead have been significantly reduced.
• Reliability, resilience and observability have improved.
• Teams have adopted effective modern engineering practices, including appropriate use of intelligent automation and AI-assisted development.
• Technical decisions are made collaboratively and are actively supported by the teams that own and operate the technology.

Role Summary

A hands-on Principal Engineer who works with engineering teams to simplify a complex Store Operations platform, improve engineering effectiveness, and introduce modern software engineering practices through technical leadership, collaboration and software delivery.

About us

At Tesco, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We believe in treating everyone fairly and with respect, valuing individuality and uniqueness to create a true sense of belonging. Diversity and inclusion are deeply embedded in our values—we treat people how they want to be treated. Our goal is for all colleagues to feel they can be themselves at work, and we are committed to helping them thrive. Across the Tesco group, we are building an inclusive workplace that actively celebrates the cultures, personalities, and preferences of our colleagues, who in turn contribute to the success of our business and reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.

At Tesco Bengaluru, we are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer, highlighting our commitment to creating a supportive environment for individuals with disabilities. We are dedicated to offering equal opportunities for all candidates and encourage applicants with disabilities to apply. Our recruitment process is fully accessible, and we are happy to provide reasonable adjustments during interviews. If you need any accommodations to participate in the recruitment process, please let us know. We are here to ensure that everyone has the chance to succeed.

We also believe in fostering a work environment where you can excel both professionally and personally. Our hybrid model allows you to work flexibly—spend 60% of your week collaborating in person with colleagues at our office locations or local sites, and the rest of the time working remotely. We understand that everyone’s life journey is unique, whether you are starting your career, pursuing passions, or navigating life changes, and we are here to support you. Flexibility is a core part of our culture, and we encourage open conversations about how we can best accommodate your needs, so talk to us throughout your application process on the support required.

When you join Tesco Bengaluru in this role, you'll be employed by Tesco Bengaluru Private Limited, the Tesco legal entity responsible for your employment.