Turnitin, LLC
Principal Software Engineer Backend Technologies, Platform (UK Remote)
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Principal Software Engineer Backend Technologies, Platform (UK Remote)
Principal Backend Engineer
Company Description
When you join Turnitin, you'll be welcomed into a company that is a recognized innovator in global education. For over 25 years, Turnitin has partnered with educators and institutions to develop learning integrity solutions— systems that recognize the enduring value of critical thinking in a rapidly changing world.
Our award-winning platform serves over 16,000 academic institutions, publishers, and corporations across 185+ countries, powering tools like:
- Turnitin Feedback Studio
- Clarity
- Gradescope
- Originality
- ExamSoft
- Similarity
- iThenticate
Protecting the value of an authentic education is at the heart of our mission.
Experience a remote-first culture that prioritizes furtherance of shared goals with adaptability, ensuring optimal well-being for all employees. Our diverse global team is united by a passion for driving meaningful change in education. Based in over 35 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Japan, India, and the Philippines.
Job Description
Turnitin is seeking a Principal Backend Engineer with expertise in Java-based backend development, serverless architectures, and hands-on experience with frontend technologies. This role requires passion for building scalable distributed systems, optimizing data structures, and ensuring high-performing, resilient applications for our educational platforms.
You will serve in a core contributor role on our shared services team, where substantial hands-on development is required—front-end contributions, technical leadership, and day-to-day problem-solving are essential. The position also involves coaching junior engineers and supporting other multidisciplinary teams.
Responsibilities
- Lead and architect backend services using Java and serverless approaches (e.g., AWS Lambda, Azure Functions).
- Design and implement RESTful APIs and event-driven systems for high-performance, distributed applications.
- Provide technical leadership to ensure alignment with best practices and architectural standards.
- Collaborate with frontend teams when required, supporting seamless API integrations.
- Optimize and scale existing services, improving performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.
- Partner with product managers, architects, and technical leads to deliver scalable and impactful solutions.
- Mentor junior engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
- Oversee CI/CD pipelines, ensuring streamlined and reliable deployment workflows.
- Enforce software quality standards by conducting peer reviews, testing (TDD/BDD), and architectural audits.
- Develop comprehensive documentation for shared components, including usage guides and technical diagrams.
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Qualifications
Essential
- 10+ years of backend engineering experience, with deep proficiency in Java and hands-on expertise in serverless architectures.
- Strong knowledge of frontend frameworks (e.g., React, Web Components), with the ability to engage in collaborative frontend contributions.
- Expertise in designing distributed systems, architectural patterns for scalability, and data modeling best practices.
- Track record of cross-functional leadership, including experience collaborating with global, distributed teams (e.g., US & European stakeholders).
- demonstrable experience with AWS/Azure Cloud environments, including:
- AWS Lambda / serverless functions
- DynamoDB / Cosmos DB
- EventBridge / Firehose
- API Gateway / ** exposure & security**
- Strong proficiency in modern SDLC methodologies, prioritizing:
- TDD/BDD, design patterns, and clean code principles
- Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) techniques (Terraform, CloudFormation)
- Experience creating and managing CI/CD pipelines for scalable deployment systems.
- Demonstrated experience as a Technology Lead/Carrier Engineer with proven results in:
- Leading agile teams in cross-functional product development
- Technical mentorship, code reviews, and knowledge transfer
- Problem-solving expertise: troubleshooting complex system bottlenecks, balancing performance, scalability, and costs.
Preferred
- Experience with React/Angular or hybrid frontend architecture.
- Experience with cloud observability tools (DataDog/Nightwatch) and endpoint monitoring systems.
- Data modeling knowledge, particularly working with NoSQL systems.
- Understanding of AI/ML fundamentals or applied machine learning.
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Total Rewards & Benefits
At Turnitin, we empower employees to thrive through a holistic well-being philosophy. Beyond competitive compensation (fixed salary, performance bonus, stock participation if applicable), we focus on:
- Global care, ensuring mental health awareness with partnerships with Modern Health.
- Generous benefits package, including:
- Health, disability and coverages* (truly variable by jurisdiction)
- Retirement contributions, including a 401(k) match
- Paid parental leave (any parent, of any birth type)
- Home-office reimbursement included
- Flexibility:
- Six full self-care days and Volunteer paid time off
- Holidays, including Juneteenth and Cultural festivities (two Founder Days)
- Travel flexibility for conference attendance, certifications, or retreats
*A precise eligibility package is in-country-specific, subject to employee location and the rights governed by applicable labor laws
Culture & Mission
Our values drive our purpose:
- Customer-Centric: We focus on both teachers and students, believing every learned interaction contributes to lasting excellence.
- Passion for Learning: We foster a culture where interpersonal and business development are designed pysancial and globally minded.
- Integrity: Core to our products, partnerships, and employee experience expectations.
- Action & Ownership: We value bold decisions and transparent outcomes—contributing toward the institution of its greatest to foster open change.
- One Team: Team-centric with respect to diversity, inclusion, and inter-office relationship conducive to scalable outcomes.
- Global Mindset: Celebrating perspectives and diversity—we champion structural humility and innovation across cultures.
Our headline:
“Empowering the Integrity of Education World-Wide”
Seeing Beyond the Job Description We understand that no hire is perfect. We encourage candidates who can demonstrate critical problem-solving abilities or agility in areas they’re willing to learn—we develop people. Our team thrives on potential and attitude. Apply if 75%+ of listed qualifications feel familiar to you; we’ll pair your strengths with supportive mentorship.
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