Principal Engineer

The role & impact

You will work in collaboration with multiple engineering teams across the product group to guide, inspire, and elevate technical excellence. Shaping group-wide technical strategy, you will bridge organizational boundaries and partner with senior leaders to turn complex requirements into scalable, resilient software solutions.

Through data-driven decision-making, you will guide architectural direction, elevate engineering practices, and mentor technical talent. Your focus will be on solving large-scale systems challenges while enabling teams to deliver value to small businesses safely, securely, and swiftly.

The team & how they connect

You will join a cross-functional engineering collective made up of product management, architecture, and core delivery teams. Together, the group collaborates to build robust cloud-native applications, sharing knowledge through active communities of practice. The team works in a supportive, high-trust environment where open communication, continuous learning, and continuous improvement drive day-to-day work.

Initially, the role will focus on

Modern cloud platforms, automated CI/CD pipelines, and microservice architectures

Refactoring legacy services and enhancing system scalability, performance, and security standards

Defining portfolio-wide technical frameworks, SLOs, and strategies to quantify and address technical debt

Mentoring lead engineers and driving cross-team quality practices to simplify complex engineering workflows

Where and how you can work

We offer a flexible, hybrid working style that balances working from home with intentional in-person collaboration. You will have access to our modern, vibrant office spaces to connect with colleagues during key team moments and boost days, while having the flexibility to structure your work in a way that supports your productivity and personal balance.

Here are some of the things we are looking for

Demonstrated leadership in guiding large-scale cloud native software projects to successful delivery

Proven success mentoring engineers and fostering inclusive, psychologically safe team environments

Strong ability to shape long-term architectural vision while effectively balancing technical debt with product delivery

Expertise in automating delivery tooling, establishing quality standards, and refining operational metrics

Skilled at communicating nuanced technical concepts clearly to both technical teams and executive leaders

Compensation & Total Rewards

At Xero, we value the impact and skills you bring to the team. We believe in a Total Package philosophy - ensuring your value is recognized through a holistic lens that includes base salary, performance incentives, and world-class benefits.

The expected base salary range for this role is $227,700 - $284,600 CAD.

Individual pay is determined by various factors, including geography, level of experience, and the specific skills you bring to the role.

In addition to base pay, Xero’s roles are eligible for the following forms of variable compensation:

Variable Pay: Permanent employees are eligible to participate in our annual bonus and equity (RSU) programs. You may also be eligible for performance-based cash or equity (RSUs) incentives depending on your role level, and company performance.