Senior Engineer - Backend / AI

Walker Lovell; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 350,000 - 500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Visa sponsorship for relocation

Opportunity for technical leadership

Job summary

Walker Lovell is seeking a Principal Backend Engineer to shape the technical direction of a rapidly growing technology business in remote-first arrangements with occasional travel to Abu Dhabi. The ideal candidate will have over 8 years of experience in complex Python backend systems and a strong ability to mentor engineers.

In this pivotal role, you'll influence engineering strategy and take ownership of a sophisticated AI platform's backend architecture. The position offers significant autonomy, exposure to cutting-edge AI technologies, and a genuine opportunity to build and mentor a growing engineering team.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience delivering complex Python backend systems at production scale.
• Expertise designing AI agent frameworks using LangChain, LangGraph or equivalent technologies.
• Proven success leading architecture for distributed, high-throughput platforms.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and technical direction of mission-critical backend services.
• Define AI agent architecture and scalable LLM integration patterns.
• Drive engineering excellence through technical leadership and design reviews.

Skills

Python backend systems expertise

AI agent framework design

Mentoring engineers

Architectural leadership

Job description

Principal Backend Engineer - A

Location: Remote with occasional travel to Abu Dhabi

Travel: International travel as required

Compensation: Exceptional package reflecting seniority, ownership and long-term impact

Build the future of AI infrastructure

This is more than a Principal Engineering role. It's an opportunity to shape the technical direction of a business entering an exciting phase of international growth.

As one of the most senior engineers in the organisation, you'll take ownership of the backend architecture behind a sophisticated AI platform, influence engineering strategy from the ground up and play a pivotal role in building a world-class engineering function. If you're motivated by solving complex technical challenges while leaving a lasting impact on both technology and people, this is the opportunity you've been waiting for.

Package & Benefits

• Exceptional package reflecting seniority and technical leadership
• Remote-first with long-term flexibility
• Opportunity to shape engineering strategy and platform architecture
• Significant autonomy with direct access to senior leadership
• Genuine opportunity to build, mentor and develop a growing engineering team
• Exposure to cutting-edge AI, large-scale distributed systems and intelligence technologies
• Visa sponsorship available should future relocation be mutually beneficial

Why this business

Our client is a rapidly growing technology business developing advanced AI and intelligence solutions for government, national security and highly regulated organisations across more than 50 countries.

With significant investment, an expanding customer base and ambitious growth plans, the business is entering the next stage of its evolution. They are investing in senior engineering leaders who can influence technical strategy, establish engineering best practice and help scale both the platform and the people behind it.

This is an opportunity to join early enough to leave your mark. You'll influence key architectural decisions, help define engineering standards and play an instrumental role in building a high-performing backend engineering capability as the organisation continues to grow.

What you'll be doing

• Own the architecture and technical direction of mission‑critical backend services powering advanced AI platforms
• Define AI agent architecture and scalable LLM integration patterns across the organisation
• Drive engineering excellence through technical leadership, design reviews and mentoring of backend engineers
• Collaborate with senior technical leaders to scale highly available, high‑performance distributed systems

What you'll bring

• 8+ years' experience delivering complex Python backend systems at production scale
• Expertise designing AI agent frameworks using LangChain, LangGraph or equivalent technologies
• Proven success leading architecture for distributed, high‑throughput platforms
• Experience mentoring engineers and raising technical standards across growing engineering teams

Who this suits

You're an experienced engineering leader who enjoys solving difficult technical problems while helping others succeed. You want more than another Principal Engineer position – you're looking for the opportunity to influence strategy, build engineering capability and play a meaningful role in the growth of an ambitious technology business.

You thrive with autonomy, enjoy taking ownership of complex systems and are excited by the chance to help shape the future of an organisation where your technical decisions will have lasting impact.