Principal Consultant
Expert Thinking is a specialist UK cloud consultancy. Our ambition is to be the best, not the biggest. Built by engineers, for engineers, we help enterprise organisations solve complex technology challenges across Cloud Platforms, Cloud Data & AI, Cloud Migration, and DevSecOps & Cloud Automation.
We are growing, with strong client demand and a healthy pipeline, and are looking for two exceptional Principal Consultants to join our Cloud & Platform Engineering practice.
The Role
As a Principal Consultant you will be the technical and design authority on complex enterprise engagements. You will often lead the Strike Team day to day, shaping the architecture, guiding engineers and owning the technical outcome, working closely with the Account Principal who owns the customer relationship.
Your background is likely to be in cloud platforms, platform engineering, DevOps or SRE. You stay hands-on enough to build as well as review, and you can explain to senior stakeholders how cloud, data and AI fit together in their wider strategy.
What You Will Do
- Lead the design of cloud architectures, landing zones, platforms and transformation roadmaps across AWS and Azure.
- Run Strike Teams day to day, owning technical decisions and quality on the engagement.
- Stay hands-on with Terraform / OpenTofu, CI/CD, Kubernetes and automation.
- Lead discovery and architecture workshops with senior customer stakeholders.
- Shape solutions and effort estimates for proposals and Statements of Work.
- Mentor colleagues and help shape our standards, frameworks and reusable IP.
What We Are Looking For
- Experience at Principal Consultant, Principal Cloud Architect or equivalent level in a consultancy or professional services firm.
- Deep expertise in AWS or Azure, with strong architectural understanding of both.
- A track record of delivering enterprise cloud transformation, migration or platform programmes.
- Experience leading technical delivery teams and making key architectural decisions.
- Technical pre-sales experience: discovery, solution shaping and estimation.
- A broad understanding of modern data platforms, analytics and AI.
- Commercial awareness of cloud cost, TCO and the value behind technology investment.
- Excellent communication skills with senior technical and business stakeholders.
Why Expert Thinking
- Complex, high-profile enterprise cloud programmes where your judgement matters.
- Real influence over technical direction and the standards we build on.
- Direct access to technical and business leadership.
- Remote-first, flexible working built on trust.
- Funded certifications and continued professional development.
- A clear progression path, including to Account Principal.
Apply
If you combine technical depth, sound architectural judgement and the confidence to lead senior conversations, we would love to hear from you.
