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GFED Engineering - Principle Engineer

Glasgow, United Kingdom

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Key information

Date live: 13/10/2025

Business Area: Risk Finance and Treasury

Area of Expertise: Technology

Contract: Permanent

Reference Code: JR-0000074450

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It’s happening at Barclays.

Be a part of a place where challenges are measured in billions, qubits and nanoseconds. Build your career in an environment where we’re advancing machine learning, leveraging blockchains, and harnessing FinTech. Working in Barclays technology, you’ll reimagine possibilities: learning and innovating to solve the challenges ahead, delivering for millions of customers.
We are shaping the future of financial technology.
Why not join us and make it happen here?

Where will you be located?

Explore locations

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Joining the Group Functions and Enterprise Data (GFED) Engineering & Architecture team, you will lead strategic engineering initiatives that transform how we build, test, and release applications across a development community of 4,000+ engineers and ~1,000 applications. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring deep technical expertise, strong coding skills, and experience with modern engineering practices. You will champion automation, scalability, and innovation—leveraging platforms like GitLab, Kubernetes, and emerging AI technologies (e.g., Claude AI) to future-proof our engineering ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

  • Drive engineering strategy for quality, release, and resilience across GFED’s large-scale development community.
  • Provide hands-on technical leadership with strong coding skills and GitLab-based CI/CD expertise.
  • Partner with SRE, Platform, and Architecture teams to identify systemic issues and deliver strategic solutions.
  • Modernise and automate pre- and post-release testing using advanced frameworks and AI-driven validation.
  • Build and maintain Kubernetes platforms and explore ephemeral infrastructure concepts for strategic apps.
  • Streamline release pipelines across Windows, Linux, and cloud environments for consistency and speed.
  • Champion adoption of AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude AI) for intelligent automation and predictive analytics.
  • Define and enforce engineering standards, including Non-Functional Requirements, to eliminate inefficiencies.
  • Embed security, resilience, and automation into CI/CD pipelines for continuous integration and delivery.
  • Influence senior stakeholders and foster a culture of innovation and technical excellence globally.

Required Skills & Experience

  • Proven track record in software engineering leadership at scale (Director level or equivalent).
  • Strong coding proficiency in modern languages (e.g., Python, Java, Go).
  • Expertise in GitLab, CI/CD pipelines, containerisation, and cloud-native architectures.
  • Deep understanding of Kubernetes, microservices, and infrastructure-as-code.
  • Experience introducing AI-driven development tools and automation frameworks.
  • Ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams globally.

Purpose of a Principle Engineer

To drive technical excellence and innovation by leading the design and implementation of robust software solutions, providing mentorship to engineering teams, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and contributing to strategic planning to ensure the delivery of high-quality solutions aligned with business objectives. 

Accountabilities

  • Provision of guidance and expertise to engineering teams to ensure alignment with best practices and foster a culture of technical excellence.
  • Contribution to strategic planning by aligning technical decisions with business goals, anticipating future technology trends, and providing insights to optimize product roadmaps.
  • Design and implementation of complex, scalable, and maintainable software solutions, considering long-term viability and business objectives.
  • Mentoring and coaching to junior and mid-level engineers to foster professional growth and knowledge sharing, elevating the overall skillset and capabilities of the organization.
  • Collaboration with business partners, product managers, designers, and other stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions and ensure a cohesive approach to product development.
  • Innovation within the organization by identifying and incorporating new technologies, methodologies, and industry practices into the engineering process.

Director Expectations

  • To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
  • They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
  • Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
  • Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
  • Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
  • Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
  • Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
  • Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
  • Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
  • Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
  • Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
  • Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
  • Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
  • Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.

Barclays welcomes applications from all candidates and is committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments (accommodations) are put in place to allow for a fair and inclusive recruitment process. For more information and how to request one, please review Adjustments to the recruitment process.

We’re a global, vital and highly respected financial organisation with an inspiring Purpose. Operating in 39 countries and employing around 100,000 people across the world, we help communities, individuals and businesses thrive. And we’ve created financial solutions and technology that the world now takes for granted. A career with us can offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience, and the chance to learn from some of the best minds in technology and finance.

To find out more about Barclays' strategy please click here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and opposed to discrimination on any grounds. It is the policy of Barclays to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, creed, religion, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by law.

Barclays is required by law to confirm that you have the Legal Right to Work in any role that you apply for. If you currently hold a work visa sponsored by Barclays, or you would require sponsorship from Barclays, you must declare this as part of your application. Sponsored visas are role and entity specific and any changes must be reviewed. It is important that you ensure you are working on the correct visa at all times. Failure to accurately disclose your visa status or Legal Right to Work may result in your application or any employment offer being withdrawn at any time.

Who succeeds in
Tech at Barclays?

For a career with us, you need to be prepared to take big steps forward, curious to face the challenges ahead, and driven to focus on the outcomes. We need people with the Barclays mindset to make it happen here.

Qualities we look for:motivator, supporter, connector, driver, communicator, transformer, maker, observer

What you'll get in return

Competitive holiday allowance
Life assurance
Private medical care
Pension contribution

Our technology

Supporting our 48 million customers and clients worldwide takes a lot of forward thinking. It means harnessing technology to support the economy. It means making a difference to people’s lives. And it requires the maintenance and development of a global, technological infrastructure. At Barclays, technology helps us keep transactions moving, manages data, and protects our customers. Join a world where your work creates unique moments of impact. Make it happen here.

This is Barclays Glasgow

Barclays Glasgow is the engine of the Corporate and Investment Bank, and Shared Technology, delivering vital services to clients across the world. With c.5,500 talented people in a whole range of roles, the work we do touches millions of lives every day.

Our campus is a safe environment for neuro-diverse colleagues or anyone who, from time to time, may need calm, controlled spaces.

We work hard to make our Glasgow campus a centre of citizenship, community integration and social impact. We make a real difference.

Our campus features excellent facilities such as our Fitness Suite, fitness classes, an on-site GP, a bicycle store and so much more.

Connect with your colleaguesJoin one of many clubs and societies like our working parents club, or catch up with your colleagues at our rooftop bar, The Beacon.

This is Barclays Glasgow

Barclays Glasgow is the engine of the Corporate and Investment Bank, and Shared Technology, delivering vital services to clients across the world. With c.5,500 talented people in a whole range of roles, the work we do touches millions of lives every day.

Designed for diversity

Our campus is a safe environment for neuro-diverse colleagues or anyone who, from time to time, may need calm, controlled spaces.

At the heart of the community

We work hard to make our Glasgow campus a centre of citizenship, community integration and social impact. We make a real difference.

Focus on health and wellbeing

Our campus features excellent facilities such as our Fitness Suite, fitness classes, an on-site GP, a bicycle store and so much more.

Connect with your colleagues

Connect with your colleaguesJoin one of many clubs and societies like our working parents club, or catch up with your colleagues at our rooftop bar, The Beacon.

Barclays

Working flexibly

We’re committed to providing a supportive and inclusive culture and environment for you to work in. This environment recognises and supports your personal needs, alongside the professional needs of our business. If you'd like to explore flexible working arrangements, please discuss this with the hiring manager. Your request will be reviewed in-line with the requirements of the role/business needs of the team.

Hybrid working

We have a structured approach to hybrid working, where colleagues work at an onsite location on fixed, ‘anchor’, days, as set by the business area. Please discuss the working pattern requirements for the role you are applying for with the hiring manager. Please note that working arrangements may be subject to change on reasonable notice to ensure we meet the needs of our business.

Barclays is built on an international scale.

Our geographic reach, our wide variety of functions, businesses, roles and locations reflect the rich diversity of our worldwide customer base. All of which means we offer incredible variety, depth and breadth of experience. And the chance to learn from a globally diverse mix of colleagues, including some of the very best minds in banking, finance, technology and business. Throughout, we’ll encourage you to embrace mobility, exploring every part of our operations as you build your career.

Find more information

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