Principal Engineer

Engineering at hyperexponential

At hyperexponential (hx) we are transforming the traditional insurance industry with our groundbreaking SaaS platform, hx Renew. Insurers use it to build complex mathematical models that enable smarter, faster pricing decisions—whether it’s calculating the cost to insure a global superstar’s concert tour or protecting entire states from natural disasters.

With hx Renew, insurers can rapidly develop and iterate pricing models in Python and React within a modern software environment, free from the burden of legacy tech. What once took months now takes weeks—or even days. This agility has made our product the go-to platform for insurers worldwide.

In just five years, our winning formula has earned the trust of industry giants like Aviva and Top 5 US insurers, as well as cutting-edge innovators like Convex and Inigo. Our engineering team—made up of some of the brightest (and kindest!) minds in the industry—pushes technological boundaries every day through creative innovation and regular hackathons.

Your Mission

As a Principal Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the technical direction and delivery excellence of our engineering organisation. You will partner with senior leadership, including the VP of Engineering and Engineering Directors, to define and execute a multi-year technical strategy while working closely with our team of Staff Engineers to drive impactful outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a key leader in defining and owning architecture decisions that align with hx’s goals.

• Partner with the VP of Engineering, Engineering Directors, and cross-functional teams to shape and execute engineering strategy.

• Collaborate with Staff Engineers to drive alignment and technical innovation across teams.

• Create and maintain multi-year technical roadmaps, ensuring clarity on long-term investments and short-term deliverables.

• Lead initiatives to manage technical debt, implementing proven strategies to reduce risk while maintaining delivery momentum.

• Proactively optimise engineering functions to focus on high-quality software delivery, recognising that quality accelerates speed over time.

• Balance short-term product delivery needs with long-term technical sustainability and system scalability.

Key Skills and Experience

• Demonstrates deep technical expertise in complex SaaS products.

• Proven track record of delivering complex projects and scaling systems in high-growth environments.

• Skilled in designing, implementing, and evolving scalable, performant, and reliable systems.

• Experience with creating and executing decommissioning or migration strategies for legacy systems.

• Adept at identifying and leading initiatives to improve system observability, performance, and reliability.

• Brings a strong product mindset, ensuring engineering solutions align with customer and business priorities.

• Experienced in managing and evolving foundational technical platforms and shared services.

• Deep understanding of security and compliance requirements, ensuring systems meet industry standards.

• Proficient in engineering best practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, and infrastructure-as-code.

• Skilled in using data-driven metrics, such as DORA and SLAs, to guide continuous engineering improvement.

Leadership Mindset

• Demonstrates the ability to mentor and develop engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.

• Proactively influences and aligns cross-functional teams around technical goals, navigating complex organisational structures.

• Advocates for engineering best practices across hx, promoting a high-performance engineering culture.

• Demonstrates strong communication skills, effectively collaborating with executives and senior stakeholders to prioritise technical initiatives.

What We Offer:

• £5,000 for individual and group training and conference budget

• 25 days holiday plus 8 bank holiday days (33 in total)

• Company pension scheme via Penfold

• Mental health and therapy provision via ⁠Spectrum.life

• Individual wellbeing allowance via Juno

• Private healthcare insurance through AXA

• Top-spec equipment (laptop, screens, adjustable desks, etc)

• Regular remote & in-person hackathons, lunch & learns, socials and games nights

• Team breakfasts and lunches, snacks, drinks fridge, fun office @ The Ministry

• Huge opportunity for personal development and mastery as we grow together!

This role is London based (flexible hybrid - no fixed office days). Learn more about our Way of working here: https://hx.wiki/wow

Interview Process

Initial chat with our Talent team to kick things off

• Manager Interview (60 minutes)

• Skills Interviews:

  • Technical Assessment (120 minutes)

  • Roleplay Interview (60 minutes)

• Values Interview

We offer!

Please note that background checks will be conducted as part of the hiring process to ensure compliance with our governance policies. We handle all background checks sensitively and in full compliance with relevant regulations. All applicant data will be processed in accordance with data protection regulations and our privacy policy.