About the Role

The Principal Software Engineering role provides senior technical leadership across multiple software delivery squads within Copper SA. The role is responsible for driving engineering excellence, guiding technical direction, and supporting the delivery of high quality digital solutions across the Copper SA product ecosystem.

This position blends hands on software engineering with influential technical leadership. The role provides deep expertise across the full stack (C#/.NET and React), supports solution architecture, and works across teams to uplift engineering practices, unblock complex technical challenges, and ensure alignment with strategic digital objectives.

Working in close partnership with the Lead Technical Management, Principal Platform Engineering, Principal Data Engineering, solution architects and business stakeholders, this role sets and maintains engineering standards, promotes sustainable delivery approaches, and champions modern software development practices.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive technical decision making, engineering patterns, and best practice frameworks across multiple squads.
• Bring deep full‑stack engineering expertise to support design decisions, guide code-level implementation, and improve the technical maturity of both frontend and backend software development.
• Provide architectural guidance across backend, frontend, integrations, and cloud services to ensure scalable, secure, and reliable solutions.
• Partner with platform and data leaders to align software architecture with cloud, data, and enterprise architectural direction.
• Lead technical design reviews, architecture discussions, and solution planning sessions.
• Operate as a floating senior technical expert across squads, taking ownership of high complexity tasks and unblocking engineering challenges.
• Contribute hands on to codebases (C#/.NET, React), technical spikes, proofs of concept, and critical-path implementation tasks.
• Pair with engineers to uplift delivery capability, improve code quality, and promote modern engineering techniques.
• Champion engineering operating practices including CI/CD, automated testing, observability, security-by-design, and cloud native development.
• Coaching, Mentoring & Capability Development
• Support the growth of engineers through technical coaching, pairing, and capability uplift plans.
• Foster a collaborative engineering culture that encourages continuous improvement, knowledge sharing, and consistent technical standards.
• Provide guidance on complex technical issues, design options, and trade off considerations.Support the improvement of Scrum/Agile maturity, including refinement of ceremonies, prioritisation practices, and flow of work discipline
• Identify systemic engineering gaps across squads and lead uplift initiatives that strengthen development discipline, consistency, and long‑term maintainability.
• Identify opportunities to improve developer experience, platform tooling, and workflow efficiency across squads.
• Influence without authority - this role does not have direct people leadership but requires strong engagement and technical leadership.

About You

• Engineering patterns, architectural decisions, and technical standards are consistently applied across squads, resulting in scalable, secure, and maintainable solutions aligned with Digital Australia technical direction.Visible uplift in engineering capability through mentoring, pairing, and guidance—demonstrated by improved code quality, stronger technical decision‑making within squads, and reduced reliance on senior escalation.
• Improved delivery outcomes through stronger engineering practices (CI/CD, testing, observability, secure‑by‑design), evidenced by fewer defects, more predictable delivery, and early identification and mitigation of technical risks.
• Increased alignment and consistency across squads in engineering approaches, shared patterns, and technology decisions, resulting in reduced rework, greater reuse, and clearer architectural coherence.
• High‑complexity technical work and delivery blockers are resolved efficiently, enabling squads to maintain momentum and meet delivery commitments without sustained disruption.
• High confidence from platform, data, architecture, and delivery stakeholders in the role’s technical leadership, evidenced by predictable decision‑making, transparent trade‑offs, and clear articulation of technical value and risks.
• Expertise across the full stack (C#/.NET and React),