Principal Engineer

Principal Engineer (Palantir Foundry) - London - Salary Up To £120,000 per annum

Are you a world-class technical leader ready to define the future of AI-driven engineering? A Palantir visionary with the experience, authority, and ambition to lead at the very highest level? Then Morela has the ultimate opportunity for you.

Morela are proud to be working with one of the UK's leading Palantir consultancies, now searching for a Principal Engineer the pinnacle of technical leadership within their organisation. This is a rare and high impact role suited for a seasoned expert who combines deep engineering mastery with strategic foresight and the ability to influence enterprise-wide transformation.

You'll be joining a consultancy that leads the charge in AI, data engineering, and digital innovation delivering mission critical solutions across public and private sectors. As Principal Engineer, you'll sit at the core of their most ambitious projects, shaping technical standards, guiding architectural vision, and serving as the ultimate escalation point for engineering excellence.

Core Responsibilities

• Define Technical Vision: Set the long-term technical direction for the company, guiding platform strategy, architecture standards, and engineering frameworks across all client programmes.
• Enterprise Architecture Leadership: Architect highly scalable, secure, and performant solutions within the Palantir Foundry ecosystem ensuring they align with evolving client needs and future-proof designs.
• Influence at Scale: Act as the technical face of the organisation engaging with CTOs, CIOs, and senior government leaders to advise on the role of data and AI in enterprise strategy.
• Hands-on Guidance: While not focused on delivery, maintain a close relationship with code, patterns, and platforms providing guidance, code reviews, and architectural mentorship to teams as needed.
• Technical Governance: Set and enforce engineering quality standards, reviewing and validating complex systems before deployment at national or enterprise scale.
• Mentorship & Capability Building: Develop the next generation of technical leaders coaching Principal-level peers, Managing Engineers, and senior delivery teams.
• Innovation Leadership: Identify emerging technologies and trends, driving their integration into the company's service offerings, and helping clients stay ahead of the curve.
• Cross-Sector Impact: Shape high-level technical strategies across government, defence, finance, healthcare, and other domains adapting principles across complex, regulated environments.

What We're Looking For

• Elite Experience: 12+ years in software/data engineering, systems architecture, or enterprise platforms, with at least 5 years in technical leadership at Principal, Distinguished Engineer, or CTO-level roles.
• Palantir Authority: Deep, demonstrated expertise with Palantir Foundry including experience leading or designing large scale Foundry-based systems.
• Technical Mastery: Expert level understanding of architecture, distributed systems, data engineering, and relevant languages such as Python, Java, or C++.
• Thought Leader: A recognised voice in engineering, with experience contributing to industry standards, open-source projects, or publishing on technical topics.
• Executive Communicator: Able to operate seamlessly between engineers and executives, translating technical depth into business impact.
• Strategic Influencer: Proven ability to shape technical direction at organisational or industry level, contributing to roadmaps, innovation strategies, and capability growth.
• Trusted Advisor: Recognised by clients and colleagues as a go-to expert and trusted leader in high stakes, high complexity environments.
• Adaptable & Global: Experience working across industries, sectors, and regulatory environments; open to occasional travel (up to 25%) as needed.

As a Principal Engineer, you'll be entrusted with setting the gold standard technically, strategically, and culturally. This is more than a leadership role it's a Legacy-building opportunity to shape the future of AI and data engineering at national scale.

Please do not hesitate to reply and reach out to Morela today to find out more!