Technology
Principal AI Engineer
Our client is seeking a Principal AI Engineer who will be embedded in the business, partnering with key stakeholders to prioritise initiatives and translate them into architecture and real code. You’ll work closely with delivery‑focused engineers, tech leads, SMEs and senior leaders to accelerate ERP modernisation across the organisation.
What you’ll be doing
- Own end‑to‑end design and delivery of features and subsystems across the modernising ERP platform – Angular micro‑frontends, .NET APIs, and Azure event‑driven services.
- Work directly with SMEs, operations leaders and executives – interrogating their AI‑generated prototypes, clarifying the real problem, and translating it into robust, scalable architectures.
- Use tools like Claude / Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor (or similar) as part of your daily craft – generating, reviewing, refactoring and shipping production code at multiples of traditional velocity.
- Set technical direction across multi‑team initiatives – defining micro‑frontend boundaries, API contracts, and event‑driven patterns on Azure (Service Bus, Event Grid, APIM, Functions) within clear cloud‑first guardrails.
- Define new ways of working – exploring what replaces the backlog, stand‑up and user story when prompts and prototypes become the spec.
- Mentor and co‑invent with the wider engineering group on what “good” looks like with AI in the loop – from prompt discipline and evals to code review, ownership and accountability.
- Treat prototypes, conversations and agreed outcomes as your primary specification, rather than waiting for a fully documented backlog.
- Lean into collaboration – shaping design, influencing plans and owning the code, while helping define the next‑generation SDLC.
- Stay deeply hands‑on with coding, while exercising strong architectural influence and technical leadership, and owning business outcomes, not just commits or tickets.
What you’ll bring
- Around 10+ years of strong, hands‑on commercial engineering experience – and you’re still shipping production code now, not just directing others.
- A proven track record in solution architecture across multi‑team programs – spanning micro‑frontends, APIs, event‑driven designs and cloud‑first patterns.
- Deep capability in modern front‑end and back‑end stacks – Angular or React (micro‑frontend ready) plus .NET (C#, .NET 8+, ASP.NET Web APIs, EF Core, DDD, event‑driven, GraphQL).
- Solid Azure cloud‑native skills – e.g. Service Bus, Event Grid, APIM, Functions, App Services/AKS, Azure DevOps, and IaC (Bicep/Terraform).
- Strong consulting and facilitation chops – able to run effective sessions with frontline leaders, C‑suite stakeholders and engineers, leaving each with clarity and next steps.
- High fluency in AI‑assisted development – using tools like Claude / Claude Code and GitHub Copilot / Cursor / Windsurf, including agentic workflows and tool‑augmented development, not just basic chat.
- Ease working without a traditional agile backlog – comfortable co‑creating new ways of working where prompts, prototypes and outcomes effectively become the spec.
- Experience in ERP, logistics or large core platform modernisation is a strong plus.
