📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal Engineer SRE, VP
Company: RBS
Location: Chennai, Tamil Nādu, India
Job Type: On-site, Full-time
Category: Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
Date Posted: 2025-06-24
Experience Level: 10+ years
Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

Lead the SRE function, driving engineering excellence, and ensuring high system availability and performance through proactive monitoring, incident management, automation, and collaboration with development teams.
Define, create, and provide oversight and governance of engineering and design solutions with a focus on end-to-end automation, simplification, resilience, security, performance, scalability, and reusability.
Work with feature teams to produce software rapidly and of high quality, adding value to the business.
Own and improve incident management and problem resolution processes across environments.
Provide technical leadership and hands-on support in triaging and resolving complex production issues.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a strong technical leader with a proven track record in SRE, capable of driving engineering excellence and ensuring high system availability and performance.

💻 Primary Responsibilities

Technical Leadership: Lead the SRE team, providing technical guidance, and driving engineering excellence.
Incident Management: Own and improve incident management and problem resolution processes across environments.
Collaboration: Work with feature teams to produce high-quality software that adds value to the business.
Design & Architecture: Define and oversee engineering and design solutions, focusing on end-to-end automation, simplification, resilience, security, performance, scalability, and reusability.
Complex Issue Resolution: Provide technical leadership and hands-on support in triaging and resolving complex production issues.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary responsibilities of this role require a well-rounded SRE engineer with strong leadership skills and a deep understanding of software engineering principles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. A Master's degree would be an asset.

Experience: At least 15 years of experience in software engineering, with a strong background in leading software development teams in a matrix structure.

Required Skills:

Proven experience in Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), software development, and database design.
Strong experience with AWS, PCF, Java, Spring Boot, and Microservices.
Experience in Python, Bash, Ansible, Terraform, Splunk, Grafana, and CI/CD pipelines.
Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Strong problem-solving abilities and a customer-centric mindset.

Preferred Skills:

Experience in a financial services or banking environment.
Familiarity with Agile methodologies and DevOps practices.
Knowledge of cloud-native architectures and containerization (e.g., Kubernetes).

📝 Enhancement Note: The required and preferred skills for this role indicate a need for an experienced SRE engineer with a strong technical background and proven leadership capabilities.

📊 Web Portfolio & Project Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Demonstrate your experience in SRE, software development, and database design through relevant projects.
Showcase your leadership skills by highlighting your impact on team performance and project success.
Include examples of complex production issues you've resolved and the technical solutions you implemented.

Technical Documentation:

Provide clear and concise documentation for your projects, including code comments, version control, deployment processes, and server configurations.
Include testing methodologies, performance metrics, and optimization techniques used in your projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: As this role requires a strong technical background, your portfolio should emphasize your technical skills, leadership capabilities, and the impact you've made on previous projects.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: INR 2,500,000 - 3,500,000 per annum (Estimated, based on industry standards for a Principal Engineer SRE role in Chennai)

Benefits:

Competitive compensation and benefits package.
Opportunities for professional growth and development.
A dynamic and inclusive work environment.

Working Hours: 45 hours per week, with flexibility for deployment windows, maintenance, and project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range for this role is estimated based on industry standards for a Principal Engineer SRE role in Chennai. Benefits and working hours may vary and should be confirmed with the hiring organization.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services

Company Size: Large (Over 10,000 employees)

Founded: 1727 (As The Royal Bank of Scotland)

Team Structure:

The SRE team works closely with feature teams, providing technical guidance and ensuring system reliability and performance.
The team operates in a matrix structure, collaborating with various departments to drive engineering excellence.
The SRE function reports directly to the VP level, indicating the strategic importance of this role.

Development Methodology:

Agile methodologies are used for software development, with a focus on rapid and high-quality software delivery.
Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines are employed to automate deployment processes.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles are followed, using tools like Terraform and Ansible for server configuration and deployment.

Company Website: RBS

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture at RBS emphasizes engineering excellence, collaboration, and customer-centricity. The SRE team plays a critical role in ensuring high system availability and performance, working closely with feature teams to deliver value to the business.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Web Technology Career Level: Principal Engineer SRE, VP

Reporting Structure: Reports directly to the VP level, indicating the strategic importance of this role and the opportunity to influence engineering decisions at a high level.

Technical Impact: This role has a significant impact on the bank's overall software engineering capability, ensuring high system availability, performance, and reliability. The Principal Engineer SRE, VP, will drive engineering excellence and set the technical direction for the SRE function.

Growth Opportunities:

Technical Growth: Deepen your expertise in SRE, software engineering, and database design, staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices.
Leadership Growth: Develop your leadership skills, mentoring team members, and driving engineering excellence across the organization.
Architecture & Design: Gain experience in defining and overseeing engineering and design solutions, focusing on end-to-end automation, simplification, resilience, security, performance, scalability, and reusability.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers significant growth opportunities for an experienced SRE engineer looking to advance their technical and leadership skills in a strategic and impactful role.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Modern, collaborative workspaces with a focus on employee well-being and productivity.

Office Location(s): Gurugram and Chennai, India

Workspace Context:

Collaboration: The work environment encourages collaboration, with open-plan offices and dedicated spaces for team meetings and workshops.
Technology: State-of-the-art hardware and software are provided to support the team's technical needs, including multiple monitors and testing devices.
Flexibility: The work environment offers flexibility for deployment windows, maintenance, and project deadlines, ensuring that the team can respond to incidents and resolve complex production issues effectively.

Work Schedule: 45 hours per week, with flexibility for deployment windows, maintenance, and project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment at RBS is designed to support collaboration, innovation, and employee well-being, providing the ideal setting for an experienced SRE engineer to thrive and make a significant impact.

📄 Application & Technical Interview Process

Interview Process:

Technical Phone Screen: A 30-minute phone or video call to assess your technical skills and understanding of SRE principles.
On-site Interview: A full-day on-site interview, including technical deep dives, system design discussions, and cultural fit assessments.
- Technical Deep Dive: A hands-on technical assessment, focusing on your ability to triage and resolve complex production issues.
- System Design: A discussion on your approach to designing scalable, reliable, and performant systems.
- Cultural Fit: An assessment of your communication skills, leadership style, and cultural fit within the organization.
Final Evaluation: A final evaluation based on your technical skills, leadership capabilities, and cultural fit.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Highlight your experience in SRE, software development, and database design through relevant projects.
Showcase your leadership skills by discussing your impact on team performance and project success.
Include examples of complex production issues you've resolved and the technical solutions you implemented.

Technical Challenge Preparation:

Brush up on your knowledge of AWS, PCF, Java, Spring Boot, and Microservices.
Familiarize yourself with Python, Bash, Ansible, Terraform, Splunk, Grafana, and CI/CD pipelines.
Practice system design exercises, focusing on scalability, reliability, and performance.

ATS Keywords: (Organized by category)

Programming Languages: Java, Python, Bash, JavaScript
Web Frameworks: Spring Boot, Microservices
Server Technologies: AWS, PCF
Databases: Relational databases, NoSQL databases
Tools: Ansible, Terraform, Splunk, Grafana, CI/CD pipelines
Methodologies: Agile, SRE, DevOps
Soft Skills: Leadership, Communication, Problem-solving, Stakeholder management
Industry Terms: Site Reliability Engineering, Software Engineering, Database Design, Architecture

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for this role is designed to assess your technical skills, leadership capabilities, and cultural fit within the organization. Preparation should focus on honing your technical expertise, practicing system design exercises, and researching the company and its culture.

🛠 Technology Stack & Web Infrastructure

Backend & Server Technologies:

AWS: The primary cloud platform used for hosting and managing applications and services.
PCF: The platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering used for deploying and managing applications.
Java: The primary programming language used for application development.
Spring Boot: The popular Java-based framework used for building microservices and web applications.
Microservices: The architectural approach used for designing and developing applications, focusing on small, independent services that communicate with each other using APIs.

Development & DevOps Tools:

Python, Bash, Ansible, Terraform: Used for scripting, automation, and infrastructure as code (IaC) tasks.
Splunk, Grafana: Used for monitoring, logging, and visualizing system performance and availability.
CI/CD Pipelines: Used for automating the software delivery process, ensuring rapid and reliable deployment of applications and services.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack for this role is focused on AWS, PCF, Java, Spring Boot, and Microservices. Familiarity with these technologies is essential for success in this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Web Development Values:

Customer-centricity: Focusing on delivering great customer outcomes through innovative, high-performance, secure, and robust software engineering.
Innovation: Embracing new technologies and approaches to drive engineering excellence and improve the bank's overall software engineering capability.
Collaboration: Working closely with feature teams to produce software rapidly and of high quality, adding value to the business.
Leadership: Providing technical leadership and guidance to the SRE team, driving engineering excellence, and ensuring high system availability and performance.

Collaboration Style:

Cross-functional integration: Working closely with feature teams, product managers, and other stakeholders to ensure that software meets business requirements and delivers value to the customer.
Code review culture: Encouraging peer-to-peer code reviews and knowledge sharing to improve the quality of software and drive engineering excellence.
Peer programming: Collaborating with team members to tackle complex technical challenges and share knowledge and expertise.

📝 Enhancement Note: The web development values and collaboration style at RBS emphasize customer-centricity, innovation, and collaboration, providing an ideal environment for an experienced SRE engineer to thrive and make a significant impact.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Technical Challenges:

System Reliability: Ensuring high system availability and performance through proactive monitoring, incident management, and automation.
Scalability: Designing and implementing scalable, reliable, and performant systems that can handle increased load and traffic.
Security: Implementing and maintaining secure software engineering practices, protecting customer data, and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.
Innovation: Embracing new technologies and approaches to drive engineering excellence and improve the bank's overall software engineering capability.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Technical Skill Development: Deepen your expertise in SRE, software engineering, and database design, staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices.
Leadership Development: Develop your leadership skills, mentoring team members, and driving engineering excellence across the organization.
Architecture & Design: Gain experience in defining and overseeing engineering and design solutions, focusing on end-to-end automation, simplification, resilience, security, performance, scalability, and reusability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technical challenges and learning opportunities for this role require an experienced SRE engineer with strong technical and leadership skills, looking to drive engineering excellence and make a significant impact in a strategic and impactful role.

💡 Interview Preparation

Technical Questions:

System Design: Prepare for system design questions focusing on scalability, reliability, and performance, with a focus on end-to-end automation, simplification, resilience, security, and reusability.
Incident Management: Brush up on your incident management and problem resolution skills, demonstrating your ability to triage and resolve complex production issues.
Leadership & Stakeholder Management: Prepare for questions assessing your leadership skills, communication abilities, and experience working with stakeholders.

Company & Culture Questions:

Research RBS's company culture, values, and engineering practices, demonstrating your understanding of the organization and your fit within the team.
Prepare for questions assessing your cultural fit, alignment with the company's values, and commitment to driving engineering excellence.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Technical Walkthrough: Prepare a live demo or presentation of your portfolio, highlighting your experience in SRE, software development, and database design.
Case Studies: Include case studies demonstrating your impact on team performance, project success, and complex production issue resolution.
Architecture & Design: Prepare to discuss your approach to defining and overseeing engineering and design solutions, focusing on end-to-end automation, simplification, resilience, security, performance, scalability, and reusability.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation for this role requires a strong understanding of SRE principles, system design, incident management, and leadership skills. Preparation should focus on honing your technical expertise, practicing system design exercises, and researching the company and its culture.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal Engineer SRE, VP position:

Customize Your Portfolio: Tailor your portfolio to highlight your experience in SRE, software development, and database design, emphasizing your leadership skills and impact on team performance and project success.
Optimize Your Resume: Highlight your relevant technical skills, experience, and achievements, ensuring that your resume is well-structured and easy to read.
Prepare for Technical Challenges: Brush up on your knowledge of AWS, PCF, Java, Spring Boot, and Microservices, and practice system design exercises focusing on scalability, reliability, and performance.
Research the Company: Familiarize yourself with RBS's company culture, values, and engineering practices, ensuring that you understand the organization and your fit within the team.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and web development industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

Principal Engineer SRE, VP