Principal Engineer - CRM TeamHybrid in London or Remote within the UKThe companyImagine a world where every small business has the power to thrive. Thats the world were building at iwoca. Small businesses arent just statistics – theyre the heartbeat of our communities, the character of our high streets, and the engine of our economy. Since 2012, weve revolutionised how these businesses access finance, turning what was once a lengthy, frustrating process into something remarkable: funding thats fast, flexible, and actually works for modern businesses.Our impact speaks for itself: weve provided billions in funding to over 150,000 businesses across Europe, making us one of the continents leading fintech innovators. But were just getting started. Our mission? To empower one million businesses with the financial tools they deserve.We combine cutting-edge technology and data science with genuine human understanding to make finance feel less like a barrier and more like a superpower. Whether a business is managing cash flow or seizing unexpected opportunities, we ensure they get the funds they need – often within minutes.The teamThe CRM team builds and owns iwoca’s proprietary CRM platform, the system that powers our account management, sales, credit analysis, and collections teams. This platform is a key competitive advantage, enabling the outstanding customer service that sets iwoca apart. The team delivers intelligent features, such as smart call routing and ML-driven task prioritisation, that allow our business to scale effectively. The team works in a collaborative, agile environment, with regular standups and a focus on iterative delivery to solve real user problems.The roleAs a Principal Engineer in the CRM team, you will set the technical vision for the systems that power our 300-strong operations staff. This role is a unique blend of hands-on architecture, systems design, and people leadership, where you will directly influence the tools that help us serve thousands of small businesses every day.You will be a player-coach, spending your time contributing high-quality code, defining the long-term technical strategy, and mentoring the engineers on your team. Youll work as a peer alongside two other senior engineers to guide the evolution of our core operational platforms, including our real-time telephony and dynamic task-prioritisation systems.Architectural ownership and impact:<ul><li>Own the technical road map for the CRM team, re-architecting the team’s systems to scale as our operational teams and customer base grow rapidly.</li><li>Lead the evolution of our system architecture to allow CRM to operate more independently of other business areas and with less cognitive load.</li><li>Collaborate with Principal Engineers in other teams to design and deliver a coherent system, with support from org-wide teams like our DevOps team.</li></ul>Hands-on delivery and project leadership:<ul><li>Act as a hands-on contributor to the codebase, leading by example in quality, testing, and performance.</li><li>Drive the technical strategy and execution for the CRM team’s projects, translating product goals into well-designed, production-ready code.</li><li>Resolve technical debt and production issues, ensuring the long-term health and stability of the systems you own.</li></ul>Team leadership and management:<ul><li>Manage and mentor engineers, taking responsibility for their performance, coaching, and career development.</li><li>Define and champion engineering best practices within your team and across the wider engineering group.</li></ul>The requirementsEssential:<ul><li>Expertise in systems architecture, including designing and managing complex domain models</li><li>Advanced proficiency in software development using an object-oriented language</li><li>Demonstrable business acumen which allows you to collaborate with stakeholders to translate complex challenges into scalable solutions. You have owned technical systems that deliver business outcomes in fast-paced environments.</li><li>You have proven experience leading a small team of engineers, including line management responsibilities. You excel at balancing hands-on coding and project delivery with strategic planning and are passionate about developing the engineers you manage.</li></ul>Bonus:<ul><li>Experience with Python, Django, PostgreSQL, Typescript, or React</li><li>Familiarity with data analytics and machine learning processes</li><li>An understanding of complex data systems, including event-sourced data models</li><li>A strong numerical or technical background</li></ul>The salaryWe expect to pay from £100,000 - £160,000 for this role. But, we’re open-minded, so definitely include your salary goals with your application. We routinely benchmark salaries against market rates and run quarterly performance and salary reviews.The cultureAt iwoca, we prioritise a culture of learning, growth, and support, and invest in the professional development of our team members. We value diversity in thought and skill, and encourage you to explore new areas of interest to help us improve our products and services.The officesWe put a lot of effort into making iwoca a brilliant place to work:<ul><li>Offices in London, Leeds, and Frankfurt with plenty of drinks and snacks</li><li>Events and clubs, like bingo, comedy nights, yoga classes, football, etc.</li></ul>The benefits<ul><li>Flexible working hours</li><li>Medical insurance from Vitality, including discounted gym membership, and a private GP service for you, your partner, and your dependents.</li><li>25 days’ holiday, an extra day off for your birthday, the option to buy or sell an additional 5 days of annual leave, unlimited unpaid leave, and one-month fully paid sabbatical after 4 years.</li><li>Instant access to emotional and mental health support with our partner, Spill.</li><li>Pension and share options.</li><li>Generous parental leave and a nursery tax benefit scheme to help you save money.</li><li>Paid volunteering day to support your chosen charity.</li><li>Cycle-to-work scheme and electric car scheme.</li><li>Two company retreats a year, we’ve been to France, Italy, Spain and further afield.</li></ul>And to make sure we all keep learning, we offer:<ul><li>A learning and development budget for everyone.</li><li>Company-wide talks with internal and external speakers.</li><li>Access to learning platforms like Treehouse.</li></ul>