Principal Software Engineer
Ryanair - Europe's Favourite Airline · Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
- On site
- Full-time
- €120,000 / year
- Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland
Job highlights
- Design and build complex cloud systems.
- Write and maintain high-quality production code.
- Leverage AWS and cloud infrastructure.
- Lead delivery teams and mentor engineers.
- Collaborate with stakeholders on requirements.
About the role
Principal Software Engineer - Ryanair Labs
Ryanair Labs is seeking a Solution Architect/Principal Engineer to join Europe’s Largest Airline Group. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to Ryanair's expansion over the next decade, growing to 800 aircraft and 300 million guests.
Ryanair Labs is the technology innovation hub focused on creating Europe’s Leading Travel Experience. If you encounter any application issues, please email hanleym@ryanair.com.
The Role
As a Principal Software Engineer, you will be instrumental in designing, building, and evolving complex cloud-based software systems. Your responsibilities will include:
- Shaping solution architecture through hands-on development.
- Writing, reviewing, and maintaining high-quality production code, setting standards for design, testability, performance, and reliability.
- Leveraging cloud platforms and infrastructure (IaaS, PaaS, containerisation, serverless) for scalable, resilient, and cost-effective solutions.
- Translating complex business problems into working software, identifying automation and digital improvement opportunities.
- Leading by example in modern engineering practices such as CI/CD, automated testing, observability, and performance optimisation.
- Utilising AI-assisted development tools to enhance delivery speed, code quality, and developer productivity, while promoting responsible usage.
- Acting as a technical leader, mentoring engineers, and unblocking teams through active contribution.
- Collaborating with product owners, analysts, and stakeholders to refine requirements, estimate effort, and plan delivery.
- Evaluating and integrating third-party services and platforms, contributing to proofs-of-concept and integrations.
- Designing and implementing secure, compliant, and resilient solutions adhering to data protection, regulatory, BCP, and DR requirements.
- Continuously improving codebases and engineering workflows to reduce technical debt and increase delivery speed.
Requirements
- 10+ years of experience as a Solutions Architect/Principal Engineer in large-scale enterprise or aviation-related projects.
- IT Bachelor’s degree or equivalent industry experience.
- Vast .NET Development experience.
- Expert level AWS experience.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
- Experience with large applications and their underlying databases.
- Experience in system integration (APIs, middleware, data flows).
- Ability to devise unique solutions to complex problems.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions.
- Drive technical excellence within engineering teams.
- Background in aviation, aerospace, or heavy engineering is a distinct advantage, as is familiarity with MRO systems or airline platforms.
Benefits
- Competitive salary.
- Discounted and unlimited travel to over 250 destinations.
- Defined Contribution Pension Scheme – Matched up to 5% or €5,000.
- Death in Service Benefit – Up to 2 times annual basic salary.
- 20 Days Annual Leave, increasing to 22 after 12 months and 25 after 3 years.
- Option for up to 5 additional unpaid leave days per year.
- Cycle to Work Scheme.
- Unrivaled career progression.
Key skills/competency
- Solution Architecture
- Principal Engineering
- Cloud-based Systems
- AWS
- .NET Development
- System Integration
- Technical Leadership
- CI/CD
- Automated Testing
- Stakeholder Management
Skills & topics
- Software Engineer
- Solution Architect
- Cloud Computing
- AWS
- NET
- System Integration
- Technical Leadership
- Aviation Technology
- Large-scale Systems
- CI/CD
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your 10+ years as a Solutions Architect/Principal Engineer, .NET, and AWS expertise. Emphasize aviation or large-scale project experience.
- Craft a compelling application: Clearly articulate your problem-solving abilities and how you drive technical excellence, referencing specific examples from your career.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Be ready to discuss your experience with cloud platforms, system integration, database management, and modern engineering practices.
- Showcase leadership skills: Demonstrate your ability to mentor, collaborate with stakeholders, and translate business needs into technical solutions during your interviews.
Technical preparation
Deep dive into AWS services: compute, storage, database, networking.,Practice .NET coding challenges and architecture design.,Review system integration patterns and API design.,Prepare to discuss CI/CD and automated testing strategies.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex problem you solved.,How do you mentor junior engineers?,Explain your stakeholder communication approach.,How do you balance technical debt and speed?
Frequently asked questions
- What specific AWS services are most critical for the Principal Software Engineer role at Ryanair?
- Given the role's focus on designing scalable, resilient, and cost-effective cloud solutions, expertise in core AWS services such as EC2, S3, Lambda, RDS, and containerization technologies like EKS or ECS would be highly valuable. Understanding of networking (VPC, Route 53) and security services (IAM, Security Groups) is also crucial for building robust applications.
- How important is a background in aviation for the Principal Software Engineer position at Ryanair?
- While not strictly mandatory, a background in aviation, aerospace, or heavy engineering environments, or familiarity with MRO systems and airline platforms, is considered a distinct advantage. It indicates a potential understanding of the unique challenges and complexities within the airline industry, which can be beneficial in designing relevant solutions.
- What are the opportunities for career progression for a Principal Software Engineer at Ryanair?
- Ryanair offers unrivaled career progression. As a Principal Engineer, you'll have opportunities to take on greater technical leadership, influence architectural decisions, mentor more engineers, and potentially move into higher-level architectural or management roles within Ryanair Labs as the company expands.
- How does Ryanair Labs utilize AI in its development process for this Principal Software Engineer role?
- The role mentions leveraging AI-assisted development tools to accelerate delivery, improve code quality, and enhance developer productivity. This suggests that candidates should be open to and potentially have experience with AI tools for coding, testing, or analysis, while also understanding how to promote their responsible and effective usage.
- What is the expected impact of a Principal Software Engineer on Ryanair's expansion goals?
- The Principal Software Engineer will play a key role in designing and building the complex cloud-based systems that underpin Ryanair's ambitious expansion plans. By ensuring scalable, resilient, and cost-effective solutions, you will directly contribute to supporting the projected growth to 800 aircraft and 300 million guests over the next decade.
- Can I apply for the Principal Software Engineer role if my degree is not in IT but I have equivalent industry experience?
- Yes, the requirements state 'IT Bachelor’s degree or equivalent industry experience'. This means that extensive, relevant professional experience in roles like Solutions Architect or Principal Engineer, particularly with .NET and AWS, can substitute for a formal IT degree.