Lead AI Software Engineer

Lead AI Software Engineer

Who We Are
VOIS (Vodafone Intelligent Solutions) is a strategic arm of Vodafone Group Plc, creating value for customers by delivering intelligent solutions through Talent, Technology & Transformation. As the largest shared services organisation in the global telco industry with 30,000 FTE, our portfolio of next-generation solutions and services are designed in partnership with customers across Vodafone Group, local markets, and partner markets to simplify and drive growth. With our strategic partner Accenture, we work alongside our Vodafone customers, other Telco and tech companies to drive transformation, meet the challenges of our industry and ensure we stay relevant and resilient. This partnership is a unique, industry-first model which brings together the best of in-house and 3rd party capability. We work with customers across 28 countries from 10 VOIS locations: Albania, Egypt, Hungary, India, Romania, Spain, Turkey, UK, Germany, Ireland, and with a network of teams in Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, and Portugal. #VOIS #BeUnrivalled #CreateTheFuture
About This Role
Location: Newbury or Paddington (hybrid)
We are seeking a Lead AI Software Engineer to lead software implementation and engineering delivery across squads, platform capabilities, or engineering domains. This is a senior hands-on role responsible for translating specifications, solution designs, and architectural direction into scalable, secure, production-ready software.
You will combine deep software engineering expertise with strong judgement in the use of AI-native engineering practices, ensuring AI-generated code, tests, documentation, and engineering artefacts are accurate, maintainable, secure, and aligned to business requirements. Working closely with Technical Leads, Architects, Product Owners, Platform Engineers, and delivery teams, you will drive implementation quality, testing, observability, operational readiness, and continuous improvement throughout the software development lifecycle.
What You Will Do

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

Who You Are

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

What’s In It For You

Opportunity to shape and deliver next‑generation digital and technology capabilities that support Vodafone’s future growth
Exposure to AI-native engineering practices and modern software delivery methodologies
Opportunity to work on cloud‑native platforms, reusable services, APIs, integrations, and large‑scale digital products
Collaboration with highly skilled engineers, architects, platform specialists, and product teams across global markets
Involvement in modern engineering disciplines including automation, continuous delivery, observability, and platform engineering
Ability to influence engineering standards, software quality, delivery practices, and operational excellence

What Skills You Will Learn

Advanced AI-native engineering and AI-agent orchestration techniques
Large‑scale cloud-native software architecture and distributed systems practices
Modern software delivery frameworks, automation strategies, and developer productivity improvements
Advanced observability, operational readiness, and production engineering capabilities
Enterprise‑scale implementation planning, architecture alignment, and engineering governance
Coaching, mentoring, and technical leadership skills within multi‑disciplinary engineering environments

VOIS Equal Opportunity Employer Commitment
Vodafone recognises and celebrates the value of diversity in building a workforce that reflects the customers and communities it serves.
No form of discrimination is tolerated.
This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination based on race, colour, age, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, ethnicity, disability, religion or belief, political affiliation, trade union membership, nationality, citizenship, indigenous status, medical condition, HIV status, neurodiversity, social origin, cultural background, marital or civil partnership status, or socio‑economic background.
Join Us
At Vodafone, we’re working hard to build a better future. A more connected, inclusive and sustainable world. As a dynamic global community, it's our human spirit, together with technology, that empowers us to achieve this.
We challenge and innovate in order to connect people, businesses, and communities across the world. Delighting our customers and earning their loyalty drive us, and we experiment, learn fast and get it done, together.
With us, you can be truly be yourself and belong, share inspiration, embrace new opportunities, thrive, and make a real difference.
#J-18808-Ljbffr