Principal AI-Native Engineer

Senior Software Architect

At AIS, we are dedicated to providing our employees with diverse opportunities to grow their careers while supporting a variety of impactful projects. For this position, we are seeking a talented individual to join AIS as a Senior Software Architect. As your initial project assignment, you will support the unique needs of our client as a Principal AI-Native Engineer.

The Principal AI-Native Engineer serves as the organization's highest-level hands-on engineering leader for AI-enabled software delivery. This role combines deep expertise in software architecture, cloud engineering, AI-native development practices, platform engineering, and technical leadership. The individual will design and deliver scalable enterprise solutions, establish AI-first engineering standards, mentor engineering teams, and drive adoption of modern Azure and Git Hub development ecosystems.

The role requires a unique blend of visionary thinking and hands-on execution, with accountability for delivering secure, observable, testable, and maintainable solutions throughout the software lifecycle.

• Technical Leadership

• Lead the architecture, design, and implementation of complex software solutions.

• Translate business requirements into scalable technical specifications and solution designs.

• Drive engineering practices across development, testing, deployment, observability, and operations.

• Provide technical leadership for engineering teams and serve as a trusted advisor for solution strategy and delivery.

• AI-Native Software Engineering

• Leverage AI-assisted development tools and AI-native engineering methodologies to accelerate software delivery.

• Define and implement effective guardrails, review mechanisms, and quality controls for AI-generated code.

• Establish engineering workflows that maximize developer productivity through intelligent automation.

• Evaluate emerging AI engineering capabilities and continuously evolve development practices.

• Software Design Excellence

• Design maintainable, extensible, and resilient systems with long-term sustainability in mind.

• Apply test-driven and quality-driven engineering methodologies.

• Ensure solutions are secure, observable, scalable, and operationally efficient.

• Make architecture and design decisions based on product lifecycle thinking and operational outcomes.

• Engineering Quality & Verification

• Lead code review practices and engineering quality initiatives.

• Define and implement comprehensive testing strategies, including automated testing and acceptance testing methodologies.

• Establish standards for deployment validation, monitoring, and production readiness.

• Promote engineering accountability throughout the software lifecycle.

• Platform & Technology Enablement

• Drive adoption of modern development and cloud platforms.

• Guide teams in leveraging Git Hub, CI/CD pipelines, automation frameworks, and cloud engineering capabilities.

• Collaborate with platform teams to optimize developer experience, security, governance, and operational efficiency.

• Support integration of AI platforms and services into enterprise software development workflows.

• Talent Development & Mentorship

• Mentor engineers, technical leads, and architects on engineering design principles and AI-native development practices.

• Coach teams on effective system design, testing strategies, and software craftsmanship.

• Foster a culture of continuous learning, experimentation, and technical excellence.

• Help identify and develop future technical leaders within the organization.

• Experience

• 12+ years of professional software engineering experience.

• Proven experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale applications.

• Demonstrated ownership of software products throughout their lifecycle, including ongoing operational responsibility.

• Extensive experience leading engineering teams and technical initiatives.

• Technical Expertise

• Strong expertise in software architecture and system design.

• Deep understanding of modern software development methodologies and engineering practices.

• Experience implementing automated testing strategies and quality engineering practices.

• Expertise in code reviews, engineering governance, and technical standards.

• Strong understanding of cloud-native architectures and modern software delivery platforms.

• AI Engineering Capabilities

• Experience utilizing AI-assisted development tools in production environments.

• Understanding of AI-native software delivery approaches and engineering workflows.

• Ability to establish effective engineering processes that incorporate AI while maintaining quality and security.

• Passion for exploring and adopting emerging AI-driven engineering innovations.

• Platform & Cloud Knowledge

• Experience with cloud platforms and modern application architectures.

• Knowledge of source control, CI/CD, infrastructure automation, and deployment pipelines.

• Familiarity with platform engineering concepts, security controls, observability, and operational excellence.

• Experience working…