Lead AI Software Engineer — AI-Driven Cloud & Microservices

Vodafone Group Plc; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Vodafone Group Plc is seeking a Lead AI Software Engineer to drive AI-native software delivery across squads, translating complex designs into scalable, production-ready solutions. You will guide engineers and AI agents, ensuring quality, security, and operational readiness while aligning with business requirements.

The role requires strong Java and Spring Boot expertise, experience with React/Angular, and a proven track record in building RESTful APIs and microservices within cloud-native

Qualifications

• 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 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Java & Spring Boot

React/Angular

REST APIs

Microservices

Cloud-native

Distributed systems

Event-driven (Kafka/RabbitMQ)

CI/CD

Observability

AI-assisted engineering

Responsible AI

Tools

Kafka

RabbitMQ

Job description

Vodafone Group Plc is seeking a Lead AI Software Engineer to drive AI-native software delivery across squads, translating complex designs into scalable, production-ready solutions. You will guide engineers and AI agents, ensuring quality, security, and operational readiness while aligning with business requirements.

The role requires strong Java and Spring Boot expertise, experience with React/Angular, and a proven track record in building RESTful APIs and microservices within cloud-native