KPMG LLP is a leading UK provider of tax, audit and advisory services. We are a UK limited liability partnership, employing 14,000 people in 22 offices across the country. We focus on clients’ big issues and opportunities by providing innovative approaches and deep expertise to deliver real results.

KPMG LLP

Leading Provider of Tax, Audit, and Advisory Services

KPMG UK

For 150 years, we’ve been supporting businesses to grow, our people to achieve & our communities to thrive.

Job details

Location: Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Gibraltar, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Reading, South Coast - Southampton, Watford

Capability: Audit

Experience Level: Senior Manager

Type: Full Time

Business Area: Audit Centre of Excellence (ACE)

Contract type: Permanent

Job Description

Grade:

B

Job Title:

Principal Software Engineer

Team:

Technology & Solutions

Locations:

UK

Capability:

Audit

Service line:

Audit Central

Contract type:

Permanent

Summary of role purpose:

The Principal Software Engineer will be accountable for shaping the technical direction for a portfolio of products and services within Technology & Solutions. This role will leverage deep engineering expertise, experience in managing engineering teams, and desire to learn, grow, and innovate. Successful candidate will be accountable for delivery of high-quality, enterprise-grade software products, embedding the use of AI across the software delivery lifecycle, and developing a culture of learning and excellence amongst the team.

Responsibilities

Technical Accountability & Engineering Excellence:

Provide accountability and engineering direction for a portfolio of products and delivery teamsLead by example through hands-on technical contribution and solving critical technical challengesEstablish, evolve, and enforce engineering standards, coding practices, quality gates, and governance frameworks that enable safe, scalable, and effective AI-native software deliveryChampion engineering excellence across the full software delivery lifecycle, driving secure-by-design development, comprehensive observability, modern testing practices, resilient deployment strategies, and operational excellence at scaleEnsure solutions are designed and delivered to enterprise-grade standards, embedding security, performance, resilience, scalability, and operational readiness from inception through to productionRepresent engineering in portfolio intake and triage discussionsCollaborate with solution architects to ensure solutions align with broader architectural patterns and standards


AI-Native Engineering & Process Embedding:

Champion and scale AI-native, specification-driven development practices across engineering teamsEstablish and embed the use of standards, frameworks and tooling for AI-augmented development across SDLC (e.g. define standards for prompt engineering, AI code review practices, and human-in-the-loop workflows)Champion the adoption of GitHub Copilot, Claude Code and other approved AI coding assistants as core development toolsDrive technical innovation through proof-of-concepts and evaluating emerging AI engineering tools and platformsDemonstrate measurable improvements in delivery velocity, quality, or efficiency through AI adoption based on production use cases


Team Management:

Coach and develop engineering teams, fostering a culture of excellence, learning, and AI adoptionFoster collaboration across teams, breaking down silos and promoting knowledge sharing


Experience And Knowledge Requirements

Required:

Software engineering experience with demonstrable progression to senior technical rolesExtensive full-stack development expertise including backend (.NET Core, C#) and frontend (Angular or React, TypeScript, JavaScript)Proven experience in delivering enterprise-scale cloud solutions on Microsoft AzureStrong track record in managing and coaching engineering teams Experience with AI-native software delivery and specification-driven development, including the use of AI-assisted engineering tools, automated quality assurance, modern testing practices, and highly automated CI/CD workflows within enterprise-scale environmentsExperience in microservices architecture, distributed systems, and RESTful API development and integrationExperience in Git, GitHub, and modern CI/CD practices including automated testing and deployment pipelinesHands-on experience with Agile software development methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) and DevOps practicesStrong database design, data modelling, and development expertise across relational (SQL Server, PostgreSQL) and NoSQL platforms such as Azure CosmosDBDemonstrated ability to balance technical execution with people management and product accountabilityProven problem-solving skills and analytical thinking with ability to tackle complex technical challengesStrong decision-making capabilities with ability to evaluate trade-offs and make pragmatic choices under pressure


Desirable:

Familiarity with agentic AI frameworks and architectures (e.g. Microsoft Agent Framework and/or equivalent frameworks in other languages)Experience architecting for scalability, performance, security, and operational excellenceExperience with Databricks, data engineering, or analytics platformsFamiliarity with Node.js, and Typescript backend developmentKnowledge of modern frontend build tools, CSS frameworks, and responsive design principlesBackground in professional services, consulting, or client-facing technical deliveryContribution to open-source projects or active participation in engineering communitiesRelevant associate or expert-level certifications in Microsoft Azure, Databricks, modern JavaScript frameworks or full-stack development


KPMG overview:

KPMG in the UK is part of a global network of firms that offer Audit, Legal, Tax and Advisory services. Through the talent of over 16,000 colleagues, we bring our creativity, insight and experience to solve our clients’ and communities’ biggest problems. We’ve been doing this for more than 150 years.

We aim to be universally recognised as a place for great people to do their best work. A firm known for our collaborative and inclusive culture, using technology to empower and equip our people to deliver outstanding work with real flexibility – through inspiring workspaces, innovative ways to collaborate and hybrid ways of working.

With offices across the UK, we work with everyone from small start-ups and individuals to major multinationals, in virtually every industry imaginable. Our work is often complex, yet our mission is simple: To support the UK in a connected world. It guides everything we do, underpinned by our values: Courage, Integrity, Excellence, Together and For Better.

KPMG are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunity employer and we seek to attract and retain the best people from the widest possible talent pool.

As a member of the Business Disability Forum we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the Recruitment Process.

We pride ourselves on being a place where your individuality is valued; you can be yourself and still achieve your potential. We believe that your individuality helps us to deliver the best results to our clients. Diversity of background, diversity of experience, diversity of perspective - that’s the KPMG difference.

Why Audit at KPMG?

Audit is the largest of our UK practices. Some of the world’s biggest companies rely on us to provide independent insight, challenge and expertise, so the work we undertake affects investment decisions, inspires confidence in public sector expenditure and supports our economic growth. Today, more than ever in disruptive times, audit is a function needed by society, and in the future, so we can capitalise, and grow. As part of the Audit team, you’ll be helping to build the confidence and trust that business and society need to thrive. We want to lead the conversation when it comes to shaping the future of the profession. And given the scale and variety of our audit engagements in both the UK and globally, we are well placed to create change. If you share our commitment to achieving excellence and working to the highest audit standards, are a natural collaborator who values different perspectives and relishes the opportunity to develop and progress - then KPMG could be the place where you can thrive.

Senior Manager - Principal Software Engineer

What the job involves