Principal Python Engineer - Portugal Full Remote

About this role

Principal Python Engineer - Portugal Full Remote ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY This is a Principal-level role for a Python engineer who has built a career on Python and now shapes how engineering organisations design, build and run software. You will set technical direction, define the standards other teams follow, and act as a trusted technical voice for engineers and non-technical stakeholders alike. If you enjoy large-scale challenges and leading through expertise rather than hierarchy, this is a role where your experience will have visible impact.

PROJECT & CONTEXT You will join a major retail organisation working on large-scale projects. As Principal Python Engineer, you will align architecture with organisational strategy and communicate complex designs clearly to diverse stakeholders. Across multiple teams, you will drive the adoption of technologies and best practices, raise the bar on testing and quality, and guide security, performance and observability. You will also improve how software is built, deployed and supported in production, and drive continuous improvement in Agile delivery.

The focus is on Principal-level software engineering in Python. Infrastructure experience is a strong advantage, but it is not the core of the role. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR (Required) 15+ years of consistent, hands-on experience as a Python engineer Proven recent experience as a Principal engineer on large-scale projects Ability to set technical direction, align architecture with organisational strategy, and define and promote best practices Ability to drive the adoption of technologies, programming languages and version control systems Expertise in industry best practices, debugging, troubleshooting and performance tuning Expertise in testing tools and methodologies, including defining and promoting QA best practices across multiple teams Experience guiding teams on integrating security into the development lifecycle and optimising performance and observability across multiple teams DevOps and CI/CD expertise, including establishing operational best practices and driving continuous deployment improvements across the organisation Experience operating and supporting software in production environments, with strong complex problem-solving capabilities Agile methodology expertise, driving adoption and continuous improvement across multiple teams Clear and excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical people Fluent English, spoken and written NICE TO HAVE (Preferred) Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Infrastructure as Code with Terraform Hands-on experience building and improving CI/CD pipelines Compensation: €2,500 – €3,250/month net, depending on experience and seniority level.