Principal Engineer

Job description

**Keyloop bridges the gap between dealers, manufacturers, technology suppliers and car buyers.** We empower car dealers and manufacturers to fully embrace digital transformation. How? By creating innovative technology that makes selling cars better for our customers, and buying and owning cars better for theirs. We use cutting-edge technology to link our clients’ systems, departments and sites. We provide an open technology platform that’s shaping the industry for the future. We use data to help clients become more efficient, increase profitability and give more customers an amazing experience. **Want to be part of it?** A Principal Engineer is a strategic technical leader who shapes the long-term technical vision for a major part of Keyloop’s platform and is sought out to solve the most technically challenging and ambiguous problems the organization faces. They drive execution of critical, company-wide technical initiatives, foresee and mitigate major risks, and set an example of technical excellence that elevates the entire engineering organization. This is a senior Individual Contributor role with a scope of impact across multiple teams and/or a domain. ### Key Responsibilities Technical Leadership & Innovation - Define the long-term technical vision for a major part of Keyloop’s platform and translate it into actionable architectural direction. - Solve the most technically challenging, ambiguous problems, especially those that span multiple teams or domains. - Set and evolve technical standards and best practices to improve quality, scalability, and maintainability. Execution & Delivery - Drive the execution of the most critical and strategic technical initiatives for the company. - Foresee and mitigate major risks (technical, operational, architectural) early; propose and lead mitigation plans. - Lead planning and coordination for large, cross-team initiatives; create clarity via roadmaps and milestones. Leadership & Influence - Mentor Staff Engineers and other senior technical leaders; raise the technical bar through coaching and example. - Identify and drive technical initiatives that are not explicitly assigned when they materially improve outcomes. - Build alignment and momentum across teams through influence, facilitation, and principled decision-making. Communication & Collaboration - Communicate a compelling technical vision that motivates multiple teams and influences senior stakeholders. - Write high-quality design/strategy documents and architecture decisions adopted across teams. - Represent Keyloop’s technology strategy to executive leadership and, when needed, customers and partners. Product & Business Impact - Demonstrate deep understanding of Keyloop’s business, competitive landscape, and industry trends. - Ensure technical strategy enables product strategy; partner with Product and Design to maximize customer value. - Connect technical investments and trade-offs to business outcomes (speed, reliability, cost, and opportunity). ### What We're Looking For - Proven ability to set long-term technical vision and guide architecture across multiple teams/domains. - Track record delivering outcomes on high-stakes, ambiguous initiatives, including risk identification and mitigation. - Demonstrated influence beyond one team such as mentoring senior engineers and raising standards at scale. - Exceptional communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences. - Strong product/business acumen and ability to connect technical direction to business strategy and industry trends. **What Success Looks Like For You** - Defines long-term platform direction for a major area and becomes the ‘go-to’ leader for the hardest problems. - Drives execution of critical initiatives while anticipating and mitigating major risks before they become issues. - Elevates engineering through mentorship of senior engineers and by setting a visible standard of excellence. - Communicates effectively across audiences, including representing technology strategy with execs and externally when required. ### What Sets This Role Apart This Principal Engineer position offers the unique opportunity to: - Defining multi-year technical vision for a major platform area, - Leading the hardest / highest-ambiguity technical challenges, - Driving company-critical cross-team initiatives, - Mentoring Staff Engineers and senior technical leaders, - Representing technology strategy with exec leadership and (when needed) customers/partners </