We are hiring a number of Principal Engineer roles across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane to join multiple teams at Xero. As a Principal Engineer, you will drive technical excellence and lead the evolution of complex, distributed software systems that power critical experiences for millions of small businesses. You will shape architecture, solve intricate engineering challenges at scale, and set new technical standards across the organization.
Your impact extends far beyond code. You will serve as a technical guide and mentor across multiple teams, influencing strategic decisions, championing modern delivery practices, and elevating engineering quality to ensure our products remain reliable, secure, and scalable.
The team / how they connect
You will join a collaborative engineering collective comprising cross-functional development teams, product managers, and architecture practice leaders. The team works together in a supportive environment focused on open communication, continuous learning, and shared technical governance. Together, you will bridge high-level product strategy with hands-on technical execution to deliver seamless digital tools.
The team is currently working on / Initially, you will focus on
Designing, refactoring, and modernising monolithic architecture into highly scalable, resilient distributed microservices.
Establishing foundational CI/CD practices, test-driven development methodologies, and robust automated testing frameworks across engineering groups.
Working with AWS cloud infrastructure, C#, React, Kubernetes, and distributed event-driven systems.
Defining architectural patterns and contributing to company-wide technical standards and best practices.
Where and how you can work
We offer a flexible, hybrid working style that balances working from home with collaborative in-office connection across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. You will have access to modern office facilities designed for teamwork and innovation, with designated boost days that bring teams together in person to build culture, hold planning sessions, and collaborate on strategic initiatives.
Here are some of the things we are looking for
You bring an extensive background in software engineering, with expertise in architecting, building, and operating complex distributed cloud applications.
Your experience demonstrates a proven ability to make major system design decisions and refactor monolithic code bases into modular microservices.
A deep mastery of modern engineering practices, including automated testing, continuous integration, continuous delivery, and domain-driven design, defines your approach.
You bring strong leadership qualities alongside a genuine passion for coaching, mentoring, and lifting the technical capabilities of engineers around you.
Broad familiarity with modern tech stacks, cloud platform architecture, and containerised deployments will set you up for success.
Excellent communication skills allow you to articulate complex technical ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team.
Skills Required
- Proven experience leading large, complex technical projects on cloud-native platforms
- Strong ability to mentor and coach engineers
- Experience contributing to a long-term technical vision
Xero Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — The U.S. package lists 21 days of annual leave, 10 days of wellbeing leave, five “Xtra” days, three year‑end company holidays, and a paid volunteer day. Global materials also point to 20+ days of annual leave and additional wellbeing time across regions, indicating broad coverage beyond the U.S.
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Parental & Family Support — Primary caregivers can receive up to 26 weeks of fully paid parental leave, with six weeks of paid partner leave. Family‑forming benefits (e.g., Carrot) and counseling/coaching access for employees and immediate family further strengthen support.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical (Cigna and Kaiser options), dental (Cigna PPO), and vision (VSP) are complemented by life, AD&D, and short/long‑term disability coverage. Modern Health mental‑health support and a funded ThrivePass wellbeing account add depth to the health offering.
Xero Insights
What We Do
Xero is small business accounting software that provides a platform on which businesses can build a fully integrated solution. It’s designed to make life better for people in small business, their advisors, and communities around the world. Xero minimises tedious admin by automating routine tasks, delivers valuable insights when needed, and brings together business data, trusted advisors, and powerful apps in one intuitive platform. By alleviating pain points, Xero empowers small business owners to supercharge their business, simplifying the complex and freeing up time from manual admin so they can focus on what really matters to build the business they’ve always envisaged.
Why Work With Us
Xero is a human-centric organization where you’ll have a tangible impact on the success of small businesses and their communities, globally. Our team of energised, forward-thinkers work to make life better for our customers and each other every day. We’re also always committed to supporting you with a flexible environment.
Gallery
Xero Teams
Xero Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Join us from home or at one of our beautiful workspaces. Xero has offices in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Singapore, and South Africa.
