Lead AI Software Engineer

Salary: £49,000 - 89,000 per year

Requirements:

• We are looking for significant experience delivering production-grade software within complex engineering environments.
• We need strong hands-on expertise in Java and Spring Boot, with experience in React or Angular.
• We need proven experience designing and implementing RESTful APIs, microservices, integrations, platform services, and digital applications.
• We need a strong understanding of cloud-native architectures, distributed systems, containerised environments, and modern integration patterns.
• We need experience building event-driven solutions using technologies such as Kafka, RabbitMQ, or equivalent platforms.
• We need demonstrated ability to lead software implementation within agile engineering teams or technical domains.
• We need experience with CI/CD, continuous delivery practices, automated testing frameworks, observability, and production support.
• We need the ability to convert specifications, acceptance criteria, and architectural designs into actionable implementation plans and verified software.
• We need strong code review and diff-review capability, including validation of AI-generated software outputs.
• We need experience using AI-assisted engineering tools and effectively steering AI coding agents.
• We need understanding of responsible AI practices, including validation, security, traceability, governance, and quality assurance.
• We need excellent stakeholder engagement, coaching, collaboration, and communication skills.
• We need a strong focus on software quality, resilience, operational readiness, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities:

• We lead build execution within a squad, platform capability, or engineering domain.
• We translate specifications, designs, and architectural intent into clear implementation plans and verifiable engineering tasks.
• We decompose solution designs into small, sequenced, testable delivery increments.
• We guide engineers and AI coding agents through implementation, validation, and release activities.
• We deliver and oversee complex, high-risk, or business-critical software components.
• We review AI-generated and engineer-written code to ensure correctness, maintainability, security, and alignment with specifications.
• We drive engineering excellence through automated testing, contract testing, regression testing, observability, and production verification.
• We support CI/CD processes, deployment readiness, operational handover, runbooks, and service ownership.
• We ensure AI-generated outputs are explainable, traceable, secure, and compliant with engineering standards.
• We escalate architectural ambiguity, cross-domain risks, and decisions beyond agreed engineering guardrails.
• We identify recurring engineering or AI-agent delivery issues and transform them into improved controls, guidance, and quality practices.
• We coach engineers on AI-native software engineering, implementation planning, code review, testing practices, and responsible AI usage.
• We contribute to the evolution of AI-native Software Development Life Cycle practices, developer experience, automation, and engineering productivity.

Technologies:

• AI
• ARM
• Angular
• CI/CD
• Cloud
• Support
• Java
• Kafka
• PLC
• RabbitMQ
• React
• Security
• Spring
• Spring Boot
• microservices
• Network

More:

We are VOIS (Vodafone Intelligent Solutions), a strategic arm of Vodafone Group Plc, creating value for customers through Talent, Technology & Transformation. We are the largest shared services organisation in the global telco industry, with 30,000 FTE and a portfolio of next-generation solutions and services delivered in partnership with customers across Vodafone Group, local markets, and partner markets. We work with our strategic partner Accenture to support Vodafone customers and other telco and tech companies in driving transformation and staying relevant and resilient. We operate across 28 countries, with VOIS locations including Albania, Egypt, Hungary, India, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the UK, Germany, and Ireland, plus teams in Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, and Portugal. This Lead AI Software Engineer role is based in Newbury or Paddington on a hybrid basis, and offers the opportunity to shape next-generation digital capabilities, work with modern cloud-native and AI-native engineering practices, collaborate with global technical teams, and influence engineering standards, software quality, and operational excellence.

last updated 34 week of 2026