Job Description 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 . . Additional Job Description WE MAKE COMPUTERS THAT CAN SEE Cognex is the largest, most successful and most recognized global player in industrial machine vision. Using advanced optics, image sensors, and artificial intelligence software Cognex vision and ID systems capture an image, then analyze it to make sense of what’s being seen. Companies use Cognex vision and ID in their manufacturing processes to improve product quality, guide assembly robots, and track items through each stage of production and distribution. Cognex is focused entirely on solving the toughest problems in industrial machine vision and ID, and we have sold more solutions in these areas than any other company in the world. More than a billion products are made each day using Cognex vision. The only thing smarter than our vision and ID systems are the people that stand behind them. One of them could be you!