Principal Engineer

Job Description

The opportunity

This is a rare chance to create something from the ground up inside one of New Zealand's most influential media organisations.

Stuff Limited is looking for a Principal Engineer (Founding Role) to design, build and ship the first working version of a new platform. This role sits at the intersection of technology, product and strategy, working directly with the Chief Product Officer and the executive team.

You will be the first engineering hire. There is no inherited codebase, no legacy architecture and no established constraints, just a clear ambition to build a modern, scalable, AI-native digital platform that can grow into something significant.

If you enjoy blank pages, high trust, real autonomy and the satisfaction of seeing your work become the foundation for a future team and product, this role is for you.

What you'll create

• The initial architecture and technical blueprint for a new digital platform within Stuff
• A working prototype that brings the product vision to life and enables early testing
• A secure, production-ready v1 platform designed for scale, resilience and evolution
• Engineering patterns, principles and conventions that future teams will build upon

What you'll be doing

Shape the technical direction

• Explore and evaluate technical approaches that support the venture's strategic goals
• Partner closely with Product, Design, Research and senior leaders during discovery
• Translate user needs and business ambition into clear, feasible technical solutions
• Make thoughtful build-versus-buy decisions across platforms, services and integrations

Design the platform

• Define the end-to-end architecture including services, APIs, data models, security and hosting
• Establish patterns and standards that enable future engineers to move quickly and safely
• Design for extensibility, performance, observability and long-term maintainability

Build it, end to end

• Write the code, ship the features and deliver the platform yourself in the early phase
• Build backend services, frontend experiences, infrastructure, CI/CD and monitoring
• Use AI-assisted development, automation and modern tooling to accelerate delivery
• Deliver a functional prototype followed by a robust, production-ready platform

Lay strong data foundations

• Design data models and pipelines that support analytics, insight and personalisation
• Embed privacy, governance and security practices from day one
• Enable meaningful reporting and future machine-learning capability

Work at executive level

• Communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical leaders
• Provide transparent updates on progress, risks and trade-offs
• Align technical execution with product vision and organisational strategy

Enable what comes next

• Champion modern engineering practices and AI-enabled workflows
• Introduce ways of working that support experimentation and fast learning
• Contribute to shaping the future engineering team as the platform scales

About you

You are a senior, hands-on engineer who enjoys responsibility and ownership. You are comfortable being the only engineer in the room and confident working with senior stakeholders.

You'll bring:

• Extensive experience designing and building scalable digital platforms in cloud environments
• Strong full-stack capability across backend, frontend, infrastructure and DevOps
• Proven experience architecting greenfield products from first principles
• Practical experience using AI-assisted development tools and workflows
• Excellent systems thinking and problem-solving skills
• The ability to explain complex technical ideas in plain English
• Comfort operating in fast-moving environments with ambiguity and evolving priorities

Experience with consumer-facing or marketplace products is advantageous, but not essential.

Why Stuff

At Stuff, you'll have the opportunity to create a platform that matters, one that supports high-quality journalism, reaches millions of New Zealanders and opens the door to new digital possibilities.

You'll work with smart, committed people, have direct access to decision-makers and be trusted to build something meaningful. This is a role where your technical decisions will shape the product, the team and the future of the venture.

If you're excited by the idea of building something exceptional from the ground up, we'd love to hear from you.

Think you can do the job? Then apply now and start your journey with Stuff today.

Ka oti rānei i a koe tēnei mahi? Kāti, tono mai ināianei kia tīmata ai tō haerenga me Stuff i tēnei rā.

Stuff champions inclusion. Be it gender, ethnicity, beliefs, abilities or experiences - we know that diversity brings another lens through which we all learn, connect and grow.

E kōkiri nei a Stuff i te whāinga kia whai wāhi ai te katoa. Hāunga te ira, te iwi, ngā whakapono, ngā āheinga, ngā wheako rānei o te tangata - e mōhio nei tātou mā te kanorau e whai tirohanga hou ai, e ako ai, e tūhono ai, e whanake anō ai tātou katoa.

As we are committed to creating a workplace that reflects the diverse communities in New Zealand, we will always invite and encourage applications from people of all genders, ethnicities, disabilities and ages. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all.

Nā runga i tā mātou ū ki tētahi taiao mahi e whakaatu ana i te kanorau o ngā hapori i Aotearoa, i te ao, i te pō, ka pōhiringia, ka ākina anō ngā tono mahi a te marea whānui, hāunga te ira, te iwi, te hauātanga, te pakeke rānei. E ū nei mātou ki te whai kia wātea ai ā mātou ara whai mahi ki te katoa i runga i te mana taurite.

Disclaimer: Stuff does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Stuff is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.