Principal Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer (Java, Spring, AWS) - Robotics & AI

A fast-growing robotics and AI startup is transforming how industrial robots operate within dynamic warehouse environments. The company specialises in advanced logistics automation, building distributed, cloud-native systems where reliability, scalability and performance are mission-critical. With a small, high-calibre team and zero bureaucracy, this is an opportunity to make a direct impact on both product and technical direction.

The Role
This is a true end-to-end ownership position. You will design distributed systems, build robust backend services (80%) and modern frontends (20%), manage cloud infrastructure, and drive engineering quality across the platform. Working closely with the founding team, you'll help translate business strategy into scalable, production-grade technology.

You'll also see your code running on physical robots in real-world warehouse environments. Expect roughly 50% on-site collaboration to work closely with both software and hardware systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, design and maintain scalable distributed systems
• Build and deploy backend services using Java (Spring)
• Develop RESTful APIs and web frontends with Angular
• Own infrastructure:
• Containerisation using Docker
• Automation via Bash scripting
• AWS deployment and CI/CD best practices
• Manage SQL and NoSQL databases, ensuring reliability and performance
• Implement comprehensive testing strategies (unit, integration, end-to-end)
• Lead code reviews and champion engineering best practice
• Collaborate with leadership and clients to translate business needs into technical solutions
• Support hiring and mentoring as the engineering team scales

Requirements

• 8+ years' experience in software engineering, including 5+ years in a senior or lead role
• Strong expertise in Java and Spring (essential)
• Proven experience designing distributed systems and scalable architectures
• Strong AWS experience (deployment, scaling, monitoring)
• Hands-on frontend experience with Angular
• Experience with Docker, Linux environments, Bash scripting and networking fundamentals
• Solid database experience (SQL & NoSQL)
• Strong commitment to testing and high-quality code
• Python and/or C++ experience is advantageous

What's on Offer

• €70-90k + meaningful equity
• High ownership and autonomy
• Direct collaboration with founders
• Opportunity to build AI-powered systems deployed in real-world robotics environments
• Fast-moving, no-bureaucracy culture