Principal engineer

We're looking for a Principal Engineer to lead our technical vision and join our high-performing engineering team. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll shape our technical direction while mentoring engineers and delivering exceptional work. Location: Christchurch, New Zealand (relocation assistance available) Compensation: $180,000 - $220,000 NZD + ESOP Contented is the operating system for business conversations. We capture insights from high-value conversations and transform them into meaningful, client-ready outcomes using expert-designed templates. Think Canva, but for conversations. We serve 300+ businesses globally - wealth management firms, dairy cooperatives, agricultural exporters, construction companies, healthcare providers. We've closed a $4.2M seed round and we're growing fast. Events have become one of our most powerful growth channels - not just for visibility, but for relationships, pipeline, and community. This role exists to make sure we show up well every time. What You'll Do Own the architectural vision from infrastructure through to delivered product, making decisions that balance innovation with pragmatism Roll up your sleeves and contribute - this isn't a management heavy role Prioritise work based on business impact, helping the team focus on what matters most Establish engineering standards, security practices, and operational controls that scale What We're Looking For Technical Depth & Breadth (T-Shaped) At least 8 years of experience across the full stack - you can speak intelligently from HTTP/TLS fundamentals through to deployed applications Deep expertise in at least one area (backend systems, security, infrastructure, etc.) where you're among the best but good understanding across all areas. Comfortable with AI-assisted development tools while maintaining strong foundational coding skills Experience with Electron apps and modern frameworks is a plus You understand why documentation, audit trails, and process matter, and where it doesn’t (not just code) You hold strong opinions loosely - open to evidence-based discussion and changing your mind Skilled at translating technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders Patient mentor who can slow down to help others grow Self-aware about the Dunning-Kruger curve - you express confidence probabilistically, not declaratively You proactively identify and solve problems before being asked You've worked in fast-paced environments where you had autonomy to make decisions You're energised by building something new, not maintaining the status quo What We Offer Competitive salary ($180K-$220K) Relocation support for the right candidate Flexible hybrid work - in-office collaboration with work-from-home flexibility (2 days/week) Small, high-trust team where your contributions directly impact the product Autonomy and ownership - we value outcomes over process Our Hiring Process Initial conversation with leadership to discuss your experience and goals Technical deep-dive where you'll walk us through your work and approach Team interviews - multiple 30-minute sessions with engineers and product team members We're also open to hiring pairs - if you have one or two people (engineers, product managers, UI/UX) you work exceptionally well with, let us know. We'd love to bring high-functioning teams over together.