Principal Software Engineer

About the role

Disco is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to drive technical strategy and architecture for our legal technology suite. You will own the technical vision and execution for our flagship platforms that power the global legal ecosystem. This role involves shaping the future of how law firms and corporate legal departments manage information during high-stakes litigation. You will be responsible for designing systems that handle massive volumes of sensitive data with precision and reliability. The ideal candidate will bridge the gap between complex legal workflows and cutting-edge software delivery. You will mentor engineers while ensuring that architectural decisions align with strict compliance and performance standards. This position is critical for advancing our integrated suite of tools from data collection through analysis and review. You will directly influence the trajectory of our AI initiatives and core platform evolution.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Lead the architecture and design of the Disco Platform, focusing on the scalability and resilience of core components within the Ediscovery, Deposition Management, and Auto Review ecosystems.
• Spearhead the integration strategy for Cecilia AI, embedding advanced generative AI capabilities seamlessly into existing legal workflows to enhance attorney productivity.
• Define and enforce technical standards that ensure the robustness, security, and maintainability of software solutions in a highly regulated environment.
• Partner with product management and stakeholders to deconstruct complex legal and business requirements into clear, actionable technical specifications for the engineering team.
• Drive initiatives to optimize system performance, ensuring that data processing, search, and retrieval operations meet stringent demands for speed and accuracy.
• Provide hands-on technical leadership by reviewing code, guiding complex implementation efforts, and elevating the overall engineering craftsmanship across the organization.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to deliver end-to-end features that solve critical challenges in large-scale litigation support and data management.
• Act as a technical advisor for the deployment and scaling of the Disco API, ensuring it remains a reliable and performant interface for our platform.
• Champion best practices in data management to handle the full lifecycle of information, from collection through to the secure disposal of case materials.
• Investigate and prototype emerging technologies to address difficult problems in the ediscovery space, translating research into practical engineering solutions.
• Mentor senior engineers and junior staff, fostering a culture of learning and enabling the team to build sophisticated legal technology products.
• Ensure that all development efforts adhere to the rigorous standards required for software used in the discovery process of litigation and regulatory investigations.
• Work closely with the Product team to prioritize the roadmap for features related to TAR 2.0 and other advanced review methodologies.
• Serve as the primary technical authority for the Disco Platform, providing clarity and direction on long-term technical strategy.

Requirements

• Bring extensive professional experience in software engineering, with a demonstrated focus on building distributed systems or large-scale data platforms that handle complex workloads.
• Possess deep expertise in modern software architecture and design patterns, allowing you to make informed decisions that impact the entire technology stack.
• Show a proven ability to translate complex legal and business requirements from stakeholders into detailed functional and technical specifications.
• Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills specifically related to data processing, search technologies, and AI-driven workflows within demanding operational contexts.
• Have a history of succeeding in environments that require strict adherence to regulatory standards and data governance practices.
• Exhibit excellent communication skills to collaborate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including legal professionals.
• Hold the right to work in the United Kingdom and be prepared to work from our London office.
• Commit to working full-time hours as required for this role to ensure successful project delivery and team collaboration.

Nice to have

• Possess prior experience working within the legal technology sector or on complex ediscovery software that serves enterprise clients.
• Have direct experience with TAR 2.0 or similar technology-assisted review methodologies and the associated data workflows.
• Bring a background in implementing or scaling generative AI models in production environments, particularly within regulated industries.

Practical notes

This position is based in London. Disco provides a comprehensive suite of legal technology products, including forensic services, collections, and managed services. Applicants should be prepared to work on systems that support high-stakes litigation and enterprise-grade legal operations.