Principal Software Developer

Principal Software Developer - BricsCAD (C++)

Job Location (Short): Ghent, Belgium

Workplace Type: Hybrid

Req Id: 3439

Overview

Octave BricsCAD is a global technology company creating innovative Computer Aided Design software for worldwide markets. Our products enable the world’s most innovative companies to streamline complex design workflows every day. Our people are active in 80 countries, and our software is available in fifteen languages. We offer innovative solutions for 2D drafting, 3D direct modeling, manufacturing (e.g., sheet metal), surveying and building (BIM) design. BricsCAD powers an ecosystem of over 1,200 market-specific applications through our developer program. Our focus is to deliver reliable software with friendly licensing, and industry-leading direct support - all at a fair price.

We are looking for a Principal Software Developer to join one of our Core or Manufacturing development teams. You will combine deep engineering expertise with responsibility for architecture and technical direction. You will tackle some of the most complex engineering challenges in the product and help ensure that solutions remain robust, maintainable and aligned across teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for complex software areas and create innovative, future-proof solutions to engineering challenges.
• Shape software architecture and help ensure architectural consistency and maintainability.
• Act as a close technical partner to team leadership on software design and architecture.
• Solve complex or ambiguous problems that may span multiple components or teams.
• Remain hands-on in software development while contributing to high-level technical design.
• Provide expert technical input to important product and engineering decisions.
• Promote sound software-engineering principles, clean code and appropriate design patterns.
• Participate in and help drive product-wide design and code reviews.
• Mentor developers across experience levels and actively share technical expertise.
• Shape and refine engineering practices and development processes to improve efficiency, transparency and collaboration.
• Help balance short-term product needs with long-term technical sustainability and strategic product growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor, Master or PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering or another relevant technical discipline, or equivalent experience.
• At least 7 years of professional experience, predominantly in C++ using C++11 or later, gained while working in software-development teams.
• Deep expertise in software design, architecture, advanced object-oriented design and the development of complex systems.
• Demonstrated ability to take technically complex functionality from requirements through architectural design to implementation independently.
• Strong understanding of software quality, maintainability, performance, algorithms and algorithmic complexity.
• Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as vector geometry and linear algebra.
• Proven ability to mentor and technically guide other developers.
• Ability to influence technical decisions through expertise and collaboration.
• Knowledge of Agile methodologies and experience working in Scrum teams.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills, with professional fluency in English.

Knowledge of any of the following is a plus

• DWG file formats, ODA libraries or the ACIS modeler.
• Mechanical CAD, BIM, 2D or 3D sketching, computational geometry, graphics or 3D software.
• Numerical methods.
• Qt/QML, Python, CMake or parallel programming.
• Git and modern software-development tooling.
• Agile or Scrum product development.

What do we offer?

• A full-time or 4/5 position, with flexible working hours and remote-work options.
• 32 days of vacation.
• Competitive remuneration with extras, including a pension fund, meal vouchers, expense allowance, hospitalization insurance and car insurance.
• Choice of development platform (Linux, macOS or Windows), choice of tooling such as Visual Studio, VS code or Xcode, Git as version control system, and a powerful company laptop.
• Access to AI assistance, including GitHub Copilot.
• Continuous learning opportunities, with up to 12 learning days and business access to the full Udemy catalogue.
• A no-nonsense work environment with direct access to management.
• Autonomy in planning and designing your work, with guidance and collaboration available when needed.
• An international work environment where initiative, learning and the development of new ideas are encouraged.
• Optional social activities such as parties, food t