Principal Python Engineer (FastAPI/Azure/AKS) - Portugal Full Remote

Principal Python Engineer (FastAPI/Azure/AKS) - Portugal Full Remote

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Join a collaborative engineering team building high-performance software systems that reach millions of users. This is a Principal-level technical partner role, not an infrastructure-maintenance seat. You will set technical direction across multiple teams, design resilient and scalable systems, and define the engineering standards others build on. The environment is agile and empathetic, and genuinely rewards self-organisation, courage to take risks, and continuous learning. You will work directly with leadership (CEO/COO) and with clients, guiding and teaching the engineers around you.

PROJECT & CONTEXT

You will join a major retail organisation operating at significant scale. You will build software services and APIs in Python, design and maintain secure cloud infrastructure across networking, WAF and CDN layers, and deploy scalable workloads using Terraform, Kubernetes (AKS) and Docker. You will also implement end-to-end data solutions spanning real-time streaming and batch architectures. As a Principal engineer you will align system design with strategic goals, communicate complex architecture to diverse stakeholders, and drive technology adoption and operational improvement across the organisation. AI-assisted coding is encouraged and should be used transparently. Occasional travel of 0–15% may be required depending on project and client needs.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR (Required)

• 12+ years of professional experience as a Python engineer, at Principal or equivalent level
• Strong Python development skills (Python 3.12+), with deep expertise in FastAPI (0.115+) and web service architecture
• Deep hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure and cloud infrastructure: networking, WAF, CDN
• Proficiency in Infrastructure as Code with Terraform (1.10+)
• Strong practical experience with Kubernetes (1.30+), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Docker (27+)
• Solid grasp of engineering and architectural principles, applied to both infrastructure and data modelling
• Proven ability to set technical direction across multiple teams and to define and promote engineering best practices
• Expertise in testing methodologies and tools, with a track record of raising quality standards beyond your own team
• Experience embedding security, performance and observability into the development lifecycle
• Expertise operating and supporting software in production, including troubleshooting complex incidents
• Expert-level Agile practice, driving adoption and continuous improvement across teams
• Clear understanding of how probabilistic AI systems differ from traditional deterministic systems
• Fluent English, spoken and written (C1 or above) — you will translate technical concepts for leadership and client partners

NICE TO HAVE (Preferred)

• Experience collaborating on and improving CI/CD workflows and pipelines
• Experience with real-time and batch data architectures using Kafka (3.7+) or AWS Kinesis
• Experience building AI-enabled applications, such as recommendation engines, conversational systems, or LLM evaluation frameworks

Compensation: €2,500 – €3,250/month net, depending on experience and seniority level.

Why HumanIT people stay (4.4 Glassdoor, 89% recommend)

• 15th month salary
• Health insurance covering your family
• Birthday off
• Mobility program for digital nomads
• Real work-life balance

Full benefits: https://www.humanit.pt/careers/#perks
What it's really like: https://www.humanit.pt/careers/#work-at