Principal Engineer
About the companySalary: Competitive (DOE)This company builds autonomous AI software for industrial enterprises, combining reinforcement learning, machine learning, optimization and modern cloud software engineering to move customers from AI pilots to production at enterprise scale.About the roleThis is a genuinely hands-on role, not a traditional VP or Head of Engineering position sitting above the work. The company already has a clear founder-led product vision and an AI-native development methodology producing strong results, so this hire won't be redefining strategy or building out a large org. We're recruiting an engineering leader who still writes and reviews Python code daily, stays close to architecture and technical decisions, and wants to turn an ambitious technical vision into production-grade software used by the world's largest industrial companies. You'll execute an established product roadmap in partnership with the Founder/CPO and CEO, remain deeply embedded in the codebase, and maximize engineering leverage through AI before adding headcount.Key responsibilitiesStay hands-on in the codebase, writing and reviewing Python daily alongside the teamLead a small, elite engineering team focused on exceptional execution and customer outcomesOwn software architecture, engineering quality, scalability and operational excellenceTranslate product vision into high-quality production software with speed and disciplineDrive engineering best practices across CI/CD, testing, observability, cloud infrastructure and securityPartner closely with Product, R&D and Customer Success to deliver enterprise-ready capabilitiesCoach engineers while fostering a low-ego, high-accountability culture of continuous learningEmbrace, improve and extend the company's AI-first software development workflowIdeal profile8+ years building production software, with a strong preference for hands-on coding throughout your career3+ years leading engineering teams (preferred), without stepping away from technical executionDeep experience with enterprise SaaS, distributed systems and cloud-native architecturesStrong background delivering AI/ML applications into productionDeep expertise designing, reviewing and shipping production Python systems (FastAPI, Flask or similar)Experience with REST APIs, microservices and distributed systemsExperience with Docker, Kubernetes and AWS/Azure/GCPExperience with PostgreSQL and modern data infrastructureExperience with CI/CD, GitHub and Infrastructure as CodePreferred qualificationsExperience working in fast-moving Seed or Series A environmentsPyTorch, TensorFlow, reinforcement learning and modern AI frameworksLLMs, agentic AI and AI-assisted software developmentCommercially minded, with a passion for building category-defining Industrial AI softwareAPPLY NOW to discuss further details.5V Tech are acting as an Employment Agency for the purposes of this position. We offer a reward scheme if you can recommend someone for this role - $250 for you and $250 to a charity of your choice. 5V Tech are recognised talent solutions experts within IoT and Deep Tech, working across Europe, the UK, and North America.