Head of Engineering / Principal Engineer

Our client, a SaaS cloud-native platform provider, is seeking a Head of Engineering / Principal Engineer to join its team based in Athens.The RoleThis is a rare opportunity for a senior engineer to shape the architecture of a service-oriented, cloud-native SaaS platform built for scale. You'll sit at the intersection of hands-on engineering and technical leadership, solving hard problems around distributed systems, latency, and scalability, while exploring how AI-driven capabilities can be woven into the platform, and setting the technical direction for the entire engineering organization.Key ResponsibilitiesOwn the technical architecture of a service-oriented, cloud-native SaaS platform built on microservicesDrive engineering practices that support low latency, high scalability, and system resilienceLead adoption of modern cloud infrastructure practices, including containerization, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelinesProvide technical leadership and mentorship across engineering teamsEvaluate and introduce cutting-edge technologies and practices, including event-driven architecture, observability tooling, and AI-assisted engineering workflowsExplore opportunities to integrate AI-driven features into the platformCollaborate with product and other stakeholders to align technical direction with business goalsEnsure platform reliability, performance, and maintainability at scaleWhat You'll BringProven experience in a Principal Engineer or Head of Engineering role, or equivalent seniorityStrong background in service-oriented, cloud-native SaaS platforms and distributed systemsHands-on experience with Spring Boot, Kotlin, and React or AngularFamiliarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and modern CI/CD practicesDemonstrated experience designing for low latency and scalabilityStrong architectural and technical decision-making skillsExcellent communication and leadership abilitiesNice to HaveExperience with mobile application developmentExposure to AI/LLM-based tooling or integrationsWhat's in it for You€5,500 to €6,500 gross/month. The role offers the opportunity to shape the technical direction of a growing SaaS platform, working with a modern stack and a strong engineering culture focused on scalability and technical excellence.