Principal Engineer, Innovation Lab - 250K CHF Total Comp

🔥 Principal Engineer📍 Hybrid in Zurich💰 250k package Circa 180-190K CHF + bonus + LTIP🌍 Global brandI am supporting a global consumer brand that is building a brand new engineering group focused on redefining how people move through next generation digital experiences. This is a rare opportunity to join an internal innovation incubator exploring AI, AR, mobile, web and emerging technologies, with full backing from an engineering led leadership team.They are looking for a Principal Engineer operating at Head level to lead technical direction across multiple greenfield projects, guide a small cross functional team, and push the boundaries of what the company can deliver across its digital ecosystem.This is a senior hands on technical leadership role with huge influence, high visibility and the chance to shape the future tech landscape of a world class brand.⭐ The MissionOwn technical strategy and execution across multiple forward looking initiativesNavigate ambiguity, provide clarity and lead decision making in complex problem spacesExplore untapped technology areas and feed learnings back into the wider organisationWork alongside product, design, engineering leadership and strategy teamsGuide technical standards across system design, scalability and code qualityLead, mentor and grow a small cross functional engineering teamDrive productivity improvements through modern tools including AI coding agentsAct as the main technical point of contact across teams and stakeholders⭐ What They Are Looking ForDegree in Computer Science or similarBroad engineering background across backend and frontendDeep system architecture experience and ability to design large scale systems from scratchStrong experience in fast paced, experimentation driven environmentsHands on engineering ability combined with long term technical thinkingProven background as a Principal Engineer or Systems ArchitectStrong communication skills and ability to influence at all levelsExperience with rapid testing, experimentation and controlled production rolloutsConfident with modern stacks including one OOP language or TypeScript, NestJS, Postgres, AWS or GCP, GraphQL and Kafka StreamsExperience with LLM driven development, RAG pipelines and Generative AI toolchainsExposure to Agentic AI and MCP is a standout plusExperience working with vendors and external technology partners⭐ Nice To HaveExperience as an Engineering Manager or team leadAbility to build and scale cross functional teamsStrong sourcing instincts and ability to raise the technical barExperience with frontend frameworks such as Vue, React or AngularExperience with AR, wearables or voice interfaces⭐ Ideal TraitsPragmatic problem solver who prioritises simplicityCollaborative leader who guides without egoComfortable giving and receiving clear feedbackCurious, forward thinking and driven by impactIf you are interested in exploring a senior technical leadership role with massive scope and a genuine opportunity to shape an entire digital vision from the ground up, feel free to reach out for a chat.