Principal Software Engineer - Digital Media
About The Position
As a Manager, New Initiatives / Digital Media, you will oversee Avery Dennison’s innovative software products and lead cross-functional development teams while directing the software development lifecycle from conception over deployment to operation and maintenance. In this role, you will clarify business needs, contribute to development of long-range system plans, ensure software-related products and services meet the needs of the business, and drive technical standards to ensure quality and minimize technical debt. For this specific position within our retail technology platform, you will empower grocers to modernize their physical stores through Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs), in-store printing, and digital video screen campaigns. This unique hybrid role blends technical strategy with business execution, starting as a high-level Individual Contributor building solutions before transitioning into a Technical Lead to scale the team. You will constantly evaluate the trade-offs between integrating third-party partners to speed up time-to-market versus building bespoke solutions to create a competitive advantage, ensuring technical investments directly support our path to profitability.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree preferably in Computer Science, Engineering or related discipline.
- 7+ years of professional software engineering experience.
- Proven experience acting as a Lead, Principal, or Founding Engineer in a startup or high-growth environment.
- Strong proficiency in backend development (C#/.NET, Java, or Go) and frontend frameworks (Angular, React, or Vue).
- Experience with Cloud Architecture (Azure preferred, AWS/GCP acceptable).
Responsibilities
- Lead the "0-to-1" Phase: Architect and develop software solutions for digital screens and ESL integrations, operating initially as a single contributor.
- Hardware Integration: Collaborate with third-party hardware vendors to integrate their devices into our centralized platform.
- Pilot Support: actively support in-store pilots. This includes troubleshooting live production issues and deploying hotfixes to ensure customer success during critical rollouts.
- Strategic Evaluation: help leadership determine the technical viability of third-party partners versus building in-house solutions, and provide the technical reality check that ensures our business goals are ambitious yet technically achievable.
- Team Scaling: As the product matures, help hire, onboard, and lead a team of engineers, establishing code quality standards, CI/CD pipelines, and development culture.
Benefits
- LGBTQ+ Inclusive Healthcare Support: This no-cost program helps you find doctors who will treat you with dignity and respect and who are experienced in providing compassionate, high-quality LGBTQ+ healthcare.
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan: Avery Dennison supports your retirement readiness financially through company contributions to the 401(k) Plan. You receive an automatic contribution of 3% of eligible pay (even if you contribute $0) plus a matching contribution of 50% on the first 7% of eligible pay you contribute.
- Comprehensive Medical Plan Options: Avery Dennison offers the following medical insurance plan options to best meet your needs and shares your plan costs with you. Choice PPO Plan (Preferred Provider Organization), Health Savings HDHP (High Deductible Health Plan), Variable Copay Plan, Health Maintenance Organization Plan (HMO - Available in Southern Californian only).
- 100% Paid Parental Leave: Your salary is 100% paid during your approved parental leave of absence as a biological, adoptive, and/or foster parent.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
