Principal Software Engineer, Software Engineering Practice

(What the role is)

The Government Technology Agency (GovTech) is the lead agency driving Singapore's Smart Nation initiatives and public sector digital transformation. As the Centre of Excellence for Infocomm Technology and Smart Systems (ICT & SS), GovTech develops the Singapore Government's capabilities in Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Application Development, Smart City Technology, Digital Infrastructure, and Cybersecurity.

At GovTech, we offer you a purposeful career to make lives better. We empower our people to master their craft through continuous and robust learning and development opportunities all year round. Our GovTechies embody our Agile, Bold and Collaborative values to deliver impactful solutions.

GovTech aims to transform the delivery of Government digital services by taking an "outside-in" view, putting citizens and businesses at the heart of everything we do.

Play a part in Singapore's vision to build a Smart Nation and embark on your meaningful journey to build tech for public good. Join us to advance our mission and shape your future with us today

Learn more about GovTech at

(What you will be working on)

The Government Technology Office, Software Engineering Practice, is dedicated to setting engineering standards, promoting excellence in software development, and building future-ready capabilities throughout GovTech and WOG. We steward engineering talent, championing strong craft, modern practices, and continuous improvement across agencies.

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer who combines deep technical expertise with the vision to shape our talent pipeline, strengthen engineering practices, and prepare our workforce for tomorrow.

As a Staff/Principal Engineer, you will:

Drive Strategic Practices and Processes

• Lead the design and scaling of strategic initiatives within GTO Software Engineering Practice, including interview frameworks for software engineers, engineering managers, and vendors.
• Address complex, high-impact challenges by evolving our practices to keep pace with industry trends, such as AI adoption and emerging skillsets.

Champion Engineering Excellence

• Lead the creation, adoption, and continuous improvement of engineering standards and best practices.
• Use strategic influence to raise engineering quality and drive a culture shift towards excellence across GovTech and WOG.

Drive Innovation and Future-Readiness

• Lead training and bootcamps to upskill engineers in modern practices and AI-assisted development.
• Define skill frameworks and learning paths to guide the growth and development of software engineers.

Mentor and Develop Future Technical Leaders

• Mentor and cultivate future technical leaders, nurturing a culture of continuous learning and excellence.
• Play a pivotal role in expanding GovTech's engineering talent and capabilities.

Why This Role Matters

This strategic position blends the influence of a Staff/Principal Engineer with the high-impact work of building and sustaining an outstanding engineering workforce. You will help set the standards by which we build and empower our teams, ensuring GovTech possesses the talent and practices to deliver secure, reliable, and meaningful digital services for Singapore.

(What we are looking for)

• Impact-Driven: Passionate about making a meaningful difference, especially in the public sector. You believe elevating people and practices achieves lasting change.
• Strategic and Visionary Leader: Skilled at aligning technical goals with broader organisational objectives. Your long-term vision fosters innovation across multiple domains.
• Master of Complex, Large-Scale Systems: Deep expertise in software architecture and system design, with a history of delivering reliable and scalable solutions.
• Technical Authority and Mentor: Renowned for your technical judgment and your ability to coach engineers, interviewers, and leaders to continuously raise standards.
• Exceptional Communicator and Collaborator: Able to convey complex ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences, and unite teams towards shared goals.
• Proactive Innovator: Eager to introduce new practices, technologies, and approaches to enhance engineering capability and ensure future readiness.

GovTech is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that values diverse voices and perspectives, as we believe it is key to innovation.

Our employee benefits are based on a total rewards approach, offering a holistic and market-competitive suite of perks.

We champion flexible work arrangements (subject to your job role) and trust you to manage your time to deliver your best.

Learn more about life inside GovTech