Turnitin
Principal Software Engineer Backend Technologies, Platform (UK Remote)
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Principal Backend Engineer
Company Description
When you join Turnitin, you'll be welcomed into a company that is a recognised innovator in global education. For over 25 years, Turnitin has partnered with educators and institutions to develop learning integrity solutions that recognise the enduring value of critical thinking in a rapidly changing world. Over 16,000 academic institutions, publishers, and corporations use our services in more than 185 countries around the world: Turnitin Feedback Studio, Clarity, Originality, Gradescope, ExamSoft, Similarity, and iThenticate. Protecting the value of an authentic education is at the heart of who we are.
Experience a remote-first culture that empowers you to work with purpose and accountability in a way that best suits you, supported by a comprehensive package that prioritises your overall well-being. Our diverse community of colleagues are all unified by a shared desire to make a difference in education.
Turnitin is a global organisation with team members in over 35 countries including the United States, Mexico, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, India, and the Philippines.
Job Description
Turnitin is seeking a Principal Backend Engineer with a strong focus on backend development, particularly in Java and serverless architectures, combined with solid frontend experience. This role is ideal for engineers passionate about building scalable distributed systems, data modeling, and delivering high-performing, reliable software solutions for our award-winning educational platform.
As a core contributor to our shared services team, you will play a key role in developing and enhancing the foundational systems that power both existing and new applications. This role is fully hands-on, requiring active involvement in coding, development, and implementation of technical solutions. You will also be called upon to lead more junior engineers and collaborate with other teams.
Responsibilities
- Lead and design, development, and optimisation of scalable backend services using Java and serverless technologies (e.g., AWS Lambda).
- Architect and implement RESTful APIs and event-driven systems to support high-performance, distributed applications.
- Provide technical leadership to the team, ensuring alignment with architectural standards and best practices.
- Contribute to the development and integration of user-facing frontend components when needed.
- Analyse and optimise existing services to enhance performance, scalability, and cost efficiency.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Architects, Product Managers, and engineering leads, to deliver innovative and impactful solutions.
- Mentor and guide junior developers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
- Oversee the implementation and maintenance of CI/CD pipelines to ensure efficient and reliable software delivery.
- Maintain high standards of code quality through rigorous peer reviews, comprehensive testing, and adherence to industry best practices.
- Create comprehensive documentation for the developed shared components, including usage guidelines and examples.
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Qualifications
Essential Qualifications, Skills, and Knowledge/Experience:
- Over 10 years of experience in backend development, with deep proficiency in Java and extensive hands-on experience with serverless frameworks (e.g., AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions).
- Solid understanding of frontend technologies, including React and Web Components, with the ability to contribute when needed.
- Expertise in designing and managing distributed systems, ensuring scalability, and advanced data modeling techniques.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders across multiple locations (including distributed teams in Europe and the USA) to deliver impactful, high-quality solutions.
- Practical expertise in cloud technologies, specifically developing serverless applications on AWS using services such as Lambda, DynamoDB, API Gateway, SNS/SQS, and EventBridge.
- Deep understanding of software development best practices, including design patterns, test-driven development (TDD), behaviour-driven development (BDD), and clean code principles.
- Experience implementing and managing CI/CD pipelines for automated build, deployment, and testing.
- Familiarity with modern DevOps practices and infrastructure-as-code (IaC).
- Proven ability to conduct comprehensive system design reviews, ensuring architectural alignment, scalability, performance, and adherence to best practices.
- Proven experience as a Tech Lead, with a strong track record of mentoring and coaching junior engineers, promoting skill development, and driving adherence to best practices to ensure team growth and technical excellence.
- Exceptional collaboration skills, working effectively across cross-functional teams, including Product Managers, Architects, and other engineering leads.
- Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Strong problem-solving skills, with a track record of troubleshooting and optimising existing systems for performance, scalability, and cost efficiency.
- Ability to make strategic technical decisions while balancing project deadlines and business goals.
Preferred Skills:
- Experience with frontend technologies such as React, Angular, or Web Components is a plus.
- Familiarity with monitoring and observability tools (e.g., CloudWatch, New Relic, Datadog).
- Knowledge of data modeling and working with both NoSQL databases.
- Understanding of agile methodologies, including Scrum, XP, and Kanban.
- Understanding or experience with AI/ML.
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Additional Information
Total Rewards @ Turnitin
At Turnitin, we believe Total Rewards go far beyond pay. While salary, bonus, or commission are important, they’re only part of the value you receive in exchange for your work.
Beyond compensation, you’ll experience the intrinsic rewards of unleashing your potential and making a positive impact on global education. You’ll also thrive in a culture free of politics, surrounded by humble, inclusive, and collaborative teammates.
In addition, our extrinsic rewards include:
- Generous time off and health and wellness programs that provide choice, flexibility, and a safety net for life’s challenges.
- A remote-first culture that empowers you to work with purpose and accountability in a way that suits you best, supported by a comprehensive package that prioritises your overall well-being.
Our Mission is to ensure the integrity of global education and meaningfully improve learning outcomes.
Our Values:
- Customer Centric: Our mission is focused on improving learning outcomes; we do this by putting educators and learners at the center of everything we do.
- Passion for Learning: We are committed to our own learning and growth internally. And we support education and learning around the globe.
- Integrity: Integrity is the heartbeat of Turnitin—it is the core of our products, the way we treat each other, and how we work with our customers and vendors.
- Action & Ownership: We have a bias for action. We act like owners. We are willing to change even when it’s hard.
- One Team: We strive to break down silos, collaborate effectively, and celebrate each other's successes.
- Global Mindset: We consider different perspectives and celebrate diversity. We are one team. The work we do has an impact on the world.
Global Benefits:
- Remote-first culture
- Health care coverage*
- Education reimbursement*
- Competitive paid time off
- Self-care days
- National holidays*
- 2 Founder Days + Juneteenth observed
- Paid Volunteer Time*
- Charitable contribution match*
- Monthly Wellness or Home Office Reimbursement*
- Access to Modern Health (mental health platform)
- Parental Leave*
- Retirement Plan with match/contribution*
Varies by country
Seeing Beyond the Job Ad
At Turnitin, we recognise it’s unrealistic for candidates to fulfil 100% of the criteria in a job ad. We encourage you to apply if you meet the majority of the requirements, because we know that skills evolve over time. If you’re willing to learn and unleash your potential alongside us, join our team!
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