We’re looking for a Principal Software Engineer who wants to stay deeply hands‑on while stepping into a light technical leadership role. You’ll work on a production platform that powers large‑scale logistics operations around the world, solving real problems at meaningful scale.
This role blends senior individual‑contributor work with leading a small team of engineers and helping guide what gets built and when. You’ll lead technical execution, manage and shape the team backlog, and work closely with US‑based partners to turn priorities into deliverable outcomes. Formal people‑management experience is welcome but not required.
What You’ll Be Doing
Act as the technical lead for a small team of two Intermediate / Senior Software Engineers.
Design and implement robust systems for a mission‑critical platform intended to operate reliably over long lifetimes.
Own and manage the team backlog, working with stakeholders to refine, prioritise, and sequence work.
Help guide delivery planning, scope trade‑offs, and execution to achieve predictable outcomes.
Influence architecture, design, and implementation decisions through strong technical judgement and example.
Mentor engineers through code reviews, pairing, and day‑to‑day technical leadership.
Improve platform reliability, maintainability, and confidence in releases.
Lead investigation and resolution of complex production issues and escalations.
Collaborate closely with engineers and stakeholders based in the US to align on priorities, roadmap, and delivery.
Balance hands‑on engineering with light leadership, planning, and coordination responsibilities.
What We’re Looking For
Typically 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated impact.
Strong experience with .NET in long‑running, production systems.
Intermediate working knowledge of Python.
Experience with Angular or similar frontend frameworks.
Comfortable working in Linux / Ubuntu environments.
Proven ability to debug and resolve complex technical problems.
Experience influencing technical direction beyond individual features.
Experience contributing to planning, backlog management, or delivery coordination.
A collaborative mindset and an interest in helping teams execute effectively.
Nice to Have
Experience leading or mentoring engineers without formal line management.
Experience shaping or owning team backlogs or delivery plans.
Background in logistics, supply chain, or other operationally complex domains.
Experience working on distributed systems or evolving large platforms.
Experience with Rust, or a strong interest in using it where it makes sense.
Involvement in reliability, quality, or operational improvement initiatives.
Ways of Working
You’ll work closely with a small local team and a larger US‑based engineering group.
Some flexibility in working hours is expected to support cross‑time‑zone collaboration.
Our customers operate globally, so occasional responsiveness during escalations is part of the role.
While you’ll support production systems, this is not a constant on‑call or support‑heavy position.
Location
- 3/4D Pacific Rise Mt Wellington, Auckland 1060. New Zealand
- 3 Days in office - 2 days WFH
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Skills Required
- Typically 8+ years of professional software engineering experience
- Strong experience with .NET in long-running production systems
- Strong working knowledge of Python
- Experience with Angular or similar frontend frameworks
- Comfortable working in Linux / Ubuntu environments
Cognex Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Cognex and has not been reviewed or approved by Cognex.
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Healthcare Strength — Health insurance and dental coverage are included, and coverage is described as good compared to alternatives.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — A PTO/Vacation policy is in place and time off is generally considered reasonable; time away is treated as actual downtime without expectations to work.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) match is offered and is characterized as solid, though not best-in-class.
Cognex Insights
What We Do
Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of image-based products, all of which use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques that give them the human-like ability to make decisions on what they see. Cognex products include machine vision systems, machine vision sensors and barcode readers that are used in factories and distribution centers around the world where they eliminate production and shipping errors. Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 4 million image-based products, representing over $10 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, USA, Cognex has offices and distributors located throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For details visit Cognex online at www.cognex.com.
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