SUMMARY:
Ready to be the engineer who shapes how software is built in the age of AI?
My client is looking for a highly experienced Principal Engineer to lead the technical evolution of AI-assisted software engineering across a large-scale technology environment. This is not a management role. It is an opportunity for a hands-on technical leader to influence engineering standards, build cutting-edge developer tooling, and drive AI adoption across multiple technology stacks.
If you're passionate about software architecture, developer experience, AI engineering, platform development, and solving complex technical challenges, this could be one of the most impactful developer jobs currently available within the South African IT jobs market.
Why Consider This Opportunity?
- True hands-on Principal Engineer position with no line management responsibilities
- Opportunity to define and build next-generation AI engineering capabilities from the ground up
- Exposure to multiple technology stacks, including Java, .NET, React, Flutter, AWS, microservices, and AI engineering ecosystems
- Influence engineering practices, architecture, and technical standards at organisational scale
- Join a forward-thinking technology environment where experimentation, innovation, and technical excellence are highly valued
POSITION INFO:
Job Description: As the Principal Engineer, the successful candidate will play a pivotal role in designing, building, and evolving the internal engineering platforms that enable safe, scalable AI-assisted software delivery. Responsibilities include: Designing and building AI engineering harnesses, developer tooling, evaluation frameworks, guardrails, and workflow automation Driving AI adoption across development teams through technical leadership, reference implementations, and enablement initiatives Establishing and maintaining engineering standards for AI-assisted development, code provenance, security, and governance Creating telemetry and measurement solutions that provide meaningful insight into engineering performance and delivery outcomes Evaluating AI platforms, developer tools, and emerging technologies to support strategic engineering objectives Mentoring senior engineers and contributing to architectural and technical decision-making across the organisation without direct line management responsibilities Building prototypes and proof-of-concepts that reduce technical risk and accelerate innovation This role offers the opportunity to influence approximately 150 professionals across engineering, product, delivery, and support functions whilst operating as one of the organisation's most senior individual contributors. Skills & Experience: The ideal candidate will demonstrate: Minimum 10+ years' of software engineering experience with a proven track record in senior, staff, principal, or equivalent engineering roles Deep expertise in at least two of the following technologies: Java, .NET, React, and Flutter, with working knowledge across multiple stacks Strong experience in cloud-native architecture, AWS, microservices, API design, event-driven systems, and CI\/CD practices Hands-on experience building AI-powered systems, developer platforms, internal engineering tools, or AI-assisted development frameworks Experience with Large Language Models (LLMs), agentic workflows, retrieval systems, prompt engineering, evaluation frameworks, and AI governance A strong engineering mindset with the ability to solve complex, undefined problems and create practical, scalable solutions Excellent stakeholder engagement and technical communication skills, with the ability to drive change through influence rather than authority Experience within regulated, high-volume, consumer-facing environments will be advantageous Qualification: Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Engineering, or a related field Connect with us on and Register your CV to create a profile or to view all our Jobs in Information Technology. One of the best Developer Recruitment Agencies in Cape Town. Let us assist you with your IT careers. For Further C# Developer jobs, C++ Developer jobs, Java Developer jobs, .Net Developer careers, Angular Developer and Full stack developer jobs.
