Principal Engineer

Why we're hiring:

About Data & Technology Solutions

WPP’s Data & Technology Solutions is the WPP’s unified global data products and technology team. We work with our agencies and clients to build data data-driven solutions and technology product to power marketing transformation.

WPP Open is our AI platform for marketing, it connects marketing professionals, data, tools and AI in a single place. WPP Open is the simplest, safest and fastest way to realize the benefits of scaled AI – delivering better-informed creative ideas faster, at scale and at lower cost.

We’re endlessly curious and our team of thinkers, builders, creators and problem solvers are over 2,000 strong, across 20 markets around the world.

What you'll be doing:

• A distinguished technical leader with a proven track record of architecting, building, and delivering large-scale, complex distributed systems.
• A strategic thinker capable of translating business goals into long-term technical roadmaps and influencing organizational strategy.
• An inspiring mentor who elevates the technical capabilities and careers of those around them, fostering a culture of engineering excellence.
• A master problem-solver who thrives on tackling the most challenging technical hurdles and making high-impact decisions.
• An influential communicator, adept at articulating complex technical concepts to diverse audiences, from junior engineers to executive leadership.

Drive Technical Vision and Architectural Strategy

• Define and champion the technical vision and long-term architectural strategy for critical data products, AI platforms, and core services within WPP Open.
• Lead the design and implementation of highly scalable, resilient, and performant distributed systems, ensuring they meet current and future business needs.
• Evaluate and select new technologies, frameworks, and tools, establishing best practices and engineering standards across multiple teams.
• Anticipate technical challenges and opportunities, proactively proposing innovative solutions that align with WPP's strategic objectives.

Provide Technical Leadership and Mentorship

• Act as a technical leader and role model, providing expert guidance, mentorship, and coaching to senior engineers and engineering managers across multiple teams.
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering practices, code quality, testing methodologies, and operational excellence.
• Lead complex technical discussions, design reviews, and architectural decision-making processes, ensuring robust and well-reasoned outcomes.
• Foster a culture of technical innovation, continuous learning, and accountability within the engineering organization.

Solve Complex Problems and Deliver Impact

• Take ownership of the most challenging technical problems, providing hands-on expertise and leading cross-functional efforts to find elegant and efficient solutions.
• Ensure that technical solutions align with product requirements and deliver maximum business value, balancing short-term delivery with long-term architectural health.
• Drive the resolution of critical production issues, contributing to incident response and post-mortem analysis to prevent recurrence.
• Influence the overall product roadmap and engineering strategy through deep technical insight and understanding of market dynamics in AdTech.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Influence

• Collaborate closely with Product Leadership, Data Science, and other Engineering teams to align technical strategy with product vision and business goals.
• Communicate complex technical concepts and architectural decisions effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including executive leadership.
• Represent WPP's technical capabilities internally and externally, contributing to our reputation as a leader in marketing technology.

What you'll need:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, with at least 3 years in a Principal Engineer, Staff Engineer, or equivalent senior technical leadership role.
• Demonstrated expertise in architecting, developing, and operating large-scale distributed systems in a cloud-native environment (AWS and/or GCP preferred).
• Deep proficiency in multiple programming languages (e.g., Python, Java, Scala), and a strong understanding of their ecosystems, performance characteristics, and best practices.
• English fluency B2/C1
• Extensive experience with various database technologies (relational, NoSQL, graph, data warehouses) and data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Kafka).
• Expert-level understanding of cloud infrastructure components (e.g., Kubernetes, serverless, networking, security, observability).
• Proven track record of defining and implementing technical strategies that resulted in significant business impact and improved engineering velocity.
• Exceptional leadership, mentoring, and coaching skills, with a passion for developing engineering talent.
• Outstanding problem-solving abilities and the capacity to make critical technical decisions under pressure.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent extensive practical experience.

Who you are:

You're open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You're extraordinary: we are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

What we'll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work.

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?

#LI-Hybrid