Principal Systems Engineer - Workplace Technology

Job Description

We’re hiring a Principal Workplace Architect to shape the future of how more than 300,000 Tesco colleagues work across stores, offices, and distribution. This WL3, principal‑level role sits at the highest tier of Workplace Technology Engineering and is responsible for setting the strategy, architecture, and roadmap across Identity, End‑User Computing, Collaboration, and Voice/Video.

You’ll be an established enterprise architect with deep experience operating at global scale, bringing architectural authority, strategic leadership, and the ability to influence senior engineering, product, security, and business stakeholders.

This is a role for someone already operating at principal or chief architect level within large, complex, multinational environments. You will drive transformation, ensure our platforms remain modern, secure, and scalable, and play a pivotal role in delivering a world‑class, user‑centric workplace for all Tesco colleagues.

Strategic Architecture & Direction

• Define and evolve the Workplace Technology architecture and engineering strategy across Identity, EUC, Collaboration, and Communications.
• Serve as the final technical authority on architectural decisions, standards, patterns, and technology choices.
• Translate business priorities into modern, secure, scalable platform strategies.
• Balance innovation, security, operational readiness, user experience, and cost.

Cross‑Domain Engineering Leadership

• Lead the architecture and design of complex, cross‑platform workplace solutions across identity, endpoints, M365, and voice/video.
• Drive adoption of automation, infrastructure‑as‑code, resilience, and observability across workplace technology stacks.
• Provide deep technical assurance for high‑impact programmes, including architecture reviews, design validation, and hands‑on troubleshooting of critical issues.
• Set and govern enterprise‑grade design principles, integration patterns, and technology guardrails.

Innovation, Roadmap & Future Planning

• Evaluate and introduce emerging capabilities such as Generative AI, Zero Trust models, modern endpoint approaches, and next‑generation collaboration experiences.
• Shape long‑term roadmap and investment planning for all workplace platforms.
• Lead experimentation, proofs‑of‑concept, and forward‑looking architectural blueprints.

Stakeholder & Leadership Influence

• Represent Workplace Engineering in enterprise architecture, security, and organisational planning forums.
• Influence senior stakeholders, including engineering directors and CISO teams, by clearly articulating technical direction, trade‑offs, risks, and business value.
• Provide thought leadership and act as a trusted advisor across engineering, operations, product, and security teams.

We’re looking for a seasoned technology leader who brings deep architectural expertise and a passion for shaping modern workplace experiences. To succeed in this role, you’ll bring:

• 20+ years of experience in IT, including 15+ years in senior architectural positions within large, global organisations.
• A proven track record acting as a Principal Architect or Chief Architect in environments of 100,000+ users.
• Expert-level capability in at least two of the following core domains, with strong working knowledge of the third:
  • Identity & Security: Active Directory, Entra ID, PKI, authentication, MFA, Zero Trust
  • End‑User Computing: Windows, macOS, iOS/Android, Intune/SCCM, virtual apps, endpoint security
  • Collaboration & Communications: Microsoft 365, Teams, Exchange, SharePoint, meeting-room and voice/video solutions
• Deep mastery of cloud-native and hybrid workplace architectures.
• Significant hands-on experience with automation, scripting, and infrastructure‑as‑code.
• A demonstrated ability to design solutions aligned to compliance, privacy, risk, and regulatory requirements.
• Practical experience applying Generative AI within workplace or productivity ecosystems.

Our vision at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to shop, whether they are at home or out on the move. Our core purpose is ‘Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day’. Serving means more than a transactional relationship with our customers. It means acting as a responsible and sustainable business for all stakeholders, for the communities we are part of and for the planet. We are proud to have an inclusive culture at Tesco where everyone truly feels able to be themselves. At Tesco, we not only celebrate diversity, but recognise the value and opportunity it brings. We're committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued, and make sure that all colleagues are given the same opportunities. We’re proud to have been accredited Disability Confident Leader and we’re committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support we can offer, please click here. We’re a big business and we can offer a range of diverse full-time & part-time working patterns across our many business areas, which means that we can find something that works for you. We work in a more blended pattern - combining office and remote working. Our offices will continue to be where we connect, collaborate and innovate. If you are applying internally, please speak to the Hiring Manager about how this can work for you - Everyone is welcome at Tesco.