Principal AI-Driven Software Engineer (Security-First)

Forward Role; Manchester; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Ownership

Innovation time

Venture funding

AI engineering

Career progression

Fast hiring

Job summary

Forward Role are seeking Principal and Senior Software Engineers for an AI-led, security-first consultancy. You will shape client solutions from initial conversation to secure, production-ready systems, using AI agents and modern tooling to move faster while maintaining quality and security.

The role combines hands-on development with client-facing responsibility. Principals lead architecture, customer relationships and product direction, while seniors contribute technically and mentor others.

Qualifications

• Background in solutions architecture or solving customer problems with technology.
• Experience with complex, strongly typed languages such as TypeScript, C++, Rust, C# or Java.
• Security-first mindset with knowledge of threat modelling and secure coding practices.
• Ability to learn quickly and adapt to new tooling and approaches.
• Pragmatic judgement and reflective problem-solving.
• Positive outlook on AI-led engineering and evolving software roles.
• Principal: leadership, mentoring, and business development experience.

Responsibilities

• Translate client needs into well-designed technical solutions and speak with customers.
• Deliver secure, high-quality software across diverse technologies and problems.
• Utilise AI-assisted development and tooling to accelerate delivery while ensuring quality.
• Embed security at every stage: threat modelling, testing, build and dependencies.
• Reflect on solutions and improve the approach for future work.
• Mentor colleagues and promote automation of best practices.

Skills

Typed languages

TypeScript

C++

Rust

C#

Java

Job description

Forward Role are seeking Principal and Senior Software Engineers for an AI-led, security-first consultancy. You will shape client solutions from initial conversation to secure, production-ready systems, using AI agents and modern tooling to move faster while maintaining quality and security.

The role combines hands-on development with client-facing responsibility. Principals lead architecture, customer relationships and product direction, while seniors contribute technically and mentor others.