Principal Solutions Engineer - Workplace Technology

Tesco Plc; Welwyn Garden City; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

An international retail leader in the UK is seeking a Principal Solutions Engineer for Workplace Technology. This pivotal role drives technical strategy, architecture, and innovation across workplace solutions. Candidates should possess deep expertise in at least two workplace domains, alongside robust leadership and automation skills. The position offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

Annual bonus scheme of up to 45%

Car allowance of £7,320 per annum

25 days holiday plus personal day

Private medical insurance

Retirement savings plan with contributions

26 weeks maternity and adoption leave

4 weeks fully paid paternity leave

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a senior architect or technical lead in a large-scale IT environment.
• Deep expertise in at least two workplace domains with knowledge of the third.
• Strong understanding of technology lifecycle management and compliance frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Define technical architecture and engineering strategy for Workplace Technology.
• Lead design for complex solutions across Identity, EUC, and Collaboration.
• Provide technical assurance for high-impact projects and integrations.

Skills

Technical leadership

Architecture design

Cloud-native knowledge

Automation skills

Collaboration tools expertise

Tools

PowerShell

Terraform

Microsoft 365

Job description

Principal Solutions Engineer – Workplace Technology

London, England, United Kingdom | Salary £90,000 – £115,000 | Posted 1 month ago

About the role

This is a pivotal technical leadership role within the Workplace Technology engineering team – responsible for defining and driving the strategic technical direction across all workplace domains: Endpoint (EUC), Identity, and Collaboration. As a Principal Solutions Engineer (PSE), you will operate at the highest level of technical authority, shaping architectural vision, leading complex design decisions, and solving Tesco’s most critical workplace technology challenges. You will work closely with engineering managers, architects, product leaders, and senior stakeholders to ensure our workplace technology estate is modern, secure, scalable, and continually evolving to meet business needs.

Strategic Technology Leadership

• Define and evolve the technical architecture and engineering strategy for Workplace Technology across EUC, Identity, and Collaboration domains.
• Act as the ultimate technical authority and trusted advisor for architectural design, technical direction, and technology selection decisions.
• Translate business needs and industry trends into actionable technology strategies, balancing innovation, security, user experience, and cost.
• Champion the vision for a secure, productive, and modern workplace that empowers Tesco colleagues globally.

Cross-Domain Engineering Excellence

• Lead design and architecture for complex solutions spanning:
  • Identity: Active Directory, Entra ID (Azure AD), PKI, authentication protocols.
  • EUC: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, MDM platforms, virtual apps, printing, retail devices.
  • Collaboration & Tracking: M365 (Exchange, SharePoint, Teams), file services, meeting room tech, voice platforms, digital events.
• Define and govern architectural standards, design patterns, and integration approaches across Workplace Engineering.
• Drive forward automation, resilience, observability, and infrastructure-as-code across all technology stacks.

Solution Delivery & Governance

• Provide technical assurance and oversight for high-impact projects, complex integrations, and cross-domain initiatives.
• Support engineering teams through architecture reviews, design validation, technical deep dives, and solution troubleshooting.
• Ensure workplace technologies are resilient, secure by design, and aligned with operational and compliance requirements.

Innovation & Future Planning

• Scan the market for emerging technologies (e.g., Generative AI, Zero Trust, modern endpoint management) and lead their evaluation and adoption.
• Influence long-term platform evolution, lifecycle management, and technology investment decisions.
• Shape experimentation initiatives, proofs of concept, and architectural blueprints for next-generation workplace capabilities.

Stakeholder & Leadership Engagement

• Work closely with heads of engineering, product leaders, architects, and CISO teams to align on priorities and direction.
• Represent Workplace Engineering in enterprise architecture, security, and strategic planning forums.
• Influence senior stakeholders through clear articulation of technical choices, trade-offs, and business value.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience operating as a senior architect, technical lead, or principal engineer in a large-scale, enterprise IT environment.
• Deep expertise in at least two of the three Workplace domains, with strong working knowledge of the third.
• Demonstrable architecture experience across:
  • Directory & Identity Services: Active Directory, Entra ID, PKI, MFA, Zero Trust models.
  • Modern Endpoint Management: Intune, SCCM, Apple/Android device management, virtualization, and endpoint security.
  • Microsoft Collaboration Stack: M365, Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, voice/video platforms, and hybrid collaboration.
• Strong understanding of cloud-native and hybrid workplace architectures.
• Skilled in automation, scripting, and infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., PowerShell, Terraform, YAML, Git).
• Excellent understanding of technology lifecycle management, cost modelling, licensing models, and vendor platforms.
• Experienced in aligning technical designs to compliance, privacy, risk, and regulatory frameworks.

Nice to Have

• Exposure to Generative AI use cases within productivity or collaboration tooling.
• Experience integrating workplace technologies across store, warehouse, and head office environments.
• Understanding of ITIL, service transition, and operational readiness practices.
• Familiarity with governance workflows, identity lifecycle, and access control models in regulated industries.

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with deep technical credibility and broad enterprise awareness.
• Highly collaborative, able to influence and guide across engineering, operations, product, and security teams.
• Capable of simplifying complexity and articulating technical vision to non-technical stakeholders.
• Comfortable with ambiguity, able to lead through change and pioneer new approaches.
• Passionate about building a modern, inclusive, and high-performing workplace technology environment.

Whats in it for you?

We’re all about the little helps. That’s why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you – both in and out of work. Click here to find out more!

• Annual bonus scheme of up to 45% of base salary
• Car allowance of £7,320 per annum
• Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• Retirement savings plan – save between 6% - 10% and Tesco will contribute 1.5 times this amount
• 26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 year’s service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 4 weeks fully paid paternity leave

About Us

Our vision at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to shop, whether they are at home or out on the move. Our core purpose is ‘Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day’. We are proud to have an inclusive culture where everyone truly feels able to be themselves. We celebrate diversity, recognise the value and opportunity it brings, and are committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued. We’re accredited Disability Confident Leader and provide a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process.

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Engineering and Information Technology

Industries

Retail

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