Senior Principal Software Engineer

BBC Studios Ltd; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 95,000 - 102,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading broadcasting company is seeking a Senior Principal Software Engineer to lead their Operational Excellence team. This hybrid role based in Newcastle or Salford involves defining operational standards, driving continuous improvement, and offering consultancy to engineering teams. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in large-scale software engineering, particularly in media contexts. This position offers a competitive salary ranging from £95,000 to £102,000 based on experience and skills.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in leading operational excellence initiatives in large-scale software engineering.
• Deep expertise in software engineering best practices and operational standards.
• Excellent skills in knowledge sharing and training for engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and embed operational excellence standards across engineering teams.
• Provide consultancy and support to drive improvements in operational practices.
• Design and conduct operational maturity assessments for teams.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives based on operational performance.

Skills

Leading operational excellence initiatives

Software engineering best practices

Reliability engineering (SRE)

Cross-functional collaboration

Knowledge sharing

Job description

Newcastle-upon-Tyne, GBR, NE991RN | Salford, GBR, M50 2QH

JOB DETAILS

BAND: E
DEPARTMENT: Product Engineering & Data, Enablement Dev Operations
SALARY: £95,000-£102,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-Time
LOCATION: Newcastle or Salford - Hybrid

We’re happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The BBC Dev Operations function is looking to appoint a Senior Principal Software Engineer to play a key leadership role responsible for the Operational Excellence team and dedicated to defining, embedding, and measuring best‑in‑class operational standards across the BBC Product Group.

This role will provide hands‑on consultancy and support to engineering teams, driving continuous improvement and operational maturity through practical guidance, maturity assessments, and training. By owning the operational maturity roadmap, this role will ensure that engineering practices consistently evolve in line with Product strategy and achieve the highest levels of reliability, efficiency, and quality.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

• Define and Embed Operational Excellence Standards - lead the development, documentation, and implementation of operational standards and best practices to ensure consistent, high‑quality engineering across all teams.
• Consultancy and Hands‑On Support - provide expert guidance, leadership consultancy, and augmentation to engineering teams, supporting the adoption of operational excellence principles and resolving complex operational challenges.
• Operational Maturity Assessment - design and conduct operational maturity assessments for engineering teams, identifying strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
• Continuous Improvement Leadership - drive continuous improvement initiatives by analysing operational performance, facilitating retrospectives, and implementing actionable enhancements to processes and practices.
• Strategy Definition and Business Case Sponsorship - define and evolve the operational excellence strategy in alignment with BBC Product Group objectives. Sponsor and develop business cases for key operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Roadmap Ownership - own and evolve the operational maturity roadmap, ensuring alignment with the BBC Product Group’s strategic objectives and supporting the ongoing evolution of operational capabilities.
• Industry Representation and Thought Leadership - represent the BBC Product Group in external forums, industry groups, and conferences, sharing best practices and contributing to the broader operational excellence community.
• Knowledge Sharing and Training - oversee the creation and delivery of training materials, documentation, and workshops to up‑skill engineering teams and foster a culture of operational excellence.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration - work closely with engineering, product, DevOps/SRE, and service management teams to ensure operational standards are understood, adopted, and measured effectively across the organisation.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL

• Significant experience in leading operational excellence initiatives within large‑scale software engineering and/or SRE functions, ideally in digital media, broadcasting, or similar high‑availability environments.
• Deep expertise in software engineering best practices, reliability engineering (SRE), and the implementation of operational standards for distributed, cloud‑native, or broadcast‑critical systems.
• Proven ability to deliver leadership consultancy, drive strategy definition, and sponsor business cases for operational improvements in broadcast or real‑time media contexts. Demonstrated success in designing and executing operational maturity assessments, continuous improvement programmes, and measurement frameworks for software delivery and platform reliability.
• Excellent skills in cross‑functional collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the creation and delivery of training or documentation for engineering teams, with an emphasis on operational excellence in broadcasting or media technology.
• Recognised industry presence, with experience representing a broadcast, media, or technology organisation in external forums, contributing to thought leadership, and staying current with emerging trends in software reliability and operational excellence.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.

We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio‑economic background, religion and/or belief.

Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.