Principal Software Engineer - AI Enablement & Strategy

Belfast | Senior Technical Leadership | AI Transformation | 2 Days Hybrid An opportunity to lead AI adoption across an enterprise-scale software engineering organisation. Our client is embarking on an ambitious programme to transform how its engineering teams design, build, test and deliver software through AI. They are seeking an exceptional Principal Software Engineer to shape AI strategy, drive adoption across engineering teams and turn emerging technology into measurable business value. This is a high-impact opportunity combining deep software engineering expertise, AI innovation and technical leadership. The Opportunity You'll play a pivotal role in shaping AI adoption across a large, established engineering function. Working with senior engineering leaders, architects and developers, you'll identify opportunities to embed AI throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The challenge goes beyond introducing new tools. You'll establish the technical direction, standards and practices needed to make AI adoption scalable, secure and genuinely valuable. You'll influence engineering strategy, champion innovation and help shape the future of software delivery. What You'll Be Doing Define and deliver AI adoption strategy across the engineering organisation. Implement AI-enabled improvements across development, testing, deployment and operations. Champion AI-assisted development, automation, agentic workflows and modern tooling. Establish reusable engineering patterns, technical standards and responsible AI practices. Collaborate with Engineering, Architecture, DevOps, Security and Product teams. Evaluate emerging AI technologies to improve productivity, quality and delivery. Mentor engineers and build confidence in AI-enabled development. Measure the impact of AI initiatives and demonstrate tangible improvements. Ensure AI adoption meets enterprise security, governance and compliance requirements. What We're Looking For Significant software engineering experience at Principal, Staff, Lead or equivalent level. Strong hands-on experience delivering complex, production-grade software systems. Practical experience with Generative AI, LLMs, AI-assisted development or AI-enabled workflows. Strong knowledge of CI/CD, automation, testing, architecture and distributed systems. Experience influencing engineering standards, driving improvements and mentoring developers. Ability to translate emerging technology into practical, measurable outcomes. Excellent communication skills and credibility with senior technical and business stakeholders. Understanding of responsible AI, security and governance within enterprise environments. Particularly Interesting Experience Leading AI adoption or developer productivity initiatives across engineering teams. Experience with GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code or similar tools. Building AI-powered applications, LLM integrations or agentic workflows. Establishing engineering enablement programmes or reusable development frameworks. Experience in large-scale, regulated or transaction-intensive environments. Why Consider It? Genuine influence: Shape AI strategy and engineering practices across an established organisation. Meaningful transformation: Lead practical AI adoption, not isolated proof-of-concept projects. Technical leadership: Collaborate with experienced engineers and senior stakeholders. Enterprise scale: Solve complex engineering challenges with significant impact. Long-term opportunity: Help build a modern, AI-enabled engineering culture. This opportunity will suit an accomplished Principal Engineer who enjoys solving complex technical challenges, influencing teams and driving meaningful change. Interested? Apply or contact Adepta for a confidential conversation about the opportunity Skills: AI Enablement Agentic Engineering Enterprise AI Strategy Software Leadership Benefits: Generous Salary 20%bonus Hybrid 2 days

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