Principal Engineer

Addition Solutions; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 129,000 - 148,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first

Outside IR35

Expensed travel

Competitive day rate

Job summary

Addition Solutions is seeking a Principal Engineer to provide strategic technical leadership across AI and engineering, working directly with the CTO to influence direction and support business growth. You will engage with C-suite stakeholders, translate complex challenges into commercially viable solutions, and shape AI capabilities across multiple client environments.

This senior, client-facing role combines AI strategy, solution architecture and technical pre-sales leadership.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in senior technical leadership roles within a consultancy or boutique agency.
• Strong AI engineering background including scalable architectures and modern tooling.
• Proven pre-sales experience with client discovery, design, presentations and opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Define technical strategy with the CTO and shape AI capabilities.
• Lead AI engineering disciplines, establish standards and priorities.
• Drive technical pre-sales activities, including discovery, architecture and proposals.
• Advise senior stakeholders and translate complex tech into commercial value.
• Mentor engineering teams and build technical capabilities across client environments.
• Design secure, scalable architectures balancing innovation with business needs.
• Develop client relationships and support strategic engagements, including visits.

Skills

AI engineering

Pre-sales

Stakeholder management

Technical leadership

Tools

Cloud infrastructure

Solution architecture

Job description

Principal Engineer – AI & Technology Leadership

Start Date: ASAP
Contract | Outside IR35 | £700–£800 Per Day
Duration: 6 Months Initially (Potential Extension)
Location: Remote (UK-Based Candidates Only, Fully Expensed Client Travel)

We're partnering with a forward-thinking technology consultancy to appoint an experienced Principal Engineer on an initial 6-month contract.

This is an excellent opportunity for a commercially minded technical leader to work closely with the CTO, shape AI strategy and engineering capabilities, and play a pivotal role in developing client relationships and supporting new business opportunities.

We're particularly interested in candidates with experience in boutique technology consultancies or specialist digital agencies, combining deep technical expertise with strong pre-sales capabilities and a practical understanding of how AI can deliver commercial value.

The Opportunity

As Principal Engineer, you'll provide strategic technical leadership across AI and engineering disciplines, working directly alongside the CTO to influence technical direction, develop capabilities and support business growth.

This is a senior, client-facing role combining AI strategy, solution architecture and technical pre-sales leadership. You'll engage with C-suite stakeholders, translate complex technical challenges into commercially viable solutions and help shape how emerging technologies are adopted across the business and its clients.

You'll balance strategic thinking with hands‑on technical expertise, taking ownership of engineering standards, AI capabilities and technical solutions across a variety of client environments.

Key Responsibilities

You'll play a key role in shaping technical strategy and driving commercial success by:

• Working closely with the CTO to define technical strategy, develop AI capabilities and strengthen the wider engineering offering.
• Leading AI engineering disciplines, establishing best practices, technical standards and long-term development priorities.
• Driving technical pre‑sales activities, including discovery sessions, solution architecture, client presentations and proposals.
• Acting as a trusted technical advisor to senior stakeholders, including CTOs, CIOs and C‑suite decision‑makers.
• Supporting new business opportunities by translating complex technical requirements into commercially focused solutions.
• Providing technical leadership across engineering teams, mentoring developers and strengthening organisational capabilities.
• Designing scalable, secure and cost‑effective architectures that balance innovation with business requirements.
• Identifying opportunities to implement AI‑powered solutions, automation and modern engineering practices across client environments.
• Building strong client relationships and supporting strategic engagements, including occasional client‑site visits.
• Working across multiple industries and technical environments to deliver solutions aligned with commercial and organisational objectives.

About You

You will be an experienced technical leader with a strong consultancy background, deep AI engineering expertise and the commercial awareness to influence senior stakeholders and support business development.

You will also have:

• Extensive experience as a Principal Engineer, Technical Architect, Head of Engineering or similar senior technical leader within a consultancy environment.
• A strong background in boutique technology consultancies or specialist digital agencies.
• Proven technical pre‑sales experience, including client discovery, solution design, presentations and supporting commercial opportunities.
• Deep understanding of AI engineering, including LLMs, AI agents, context engineering, evaluation frameworks and AI‑assisted development tools.
• Broad technical expertise across backend engineering, distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, data platforms and modern application development.
• Strong architectural judgement, with the ability to design secure, scalable and commercially viable technical solutions.
• Experience leading engineering teams, mentoring developers and building technical capabilities.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the confidence to advise and influence C‑suite decision‑makers.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to translate technical concepts into clear business outcomes.
• A proactive, hands‑on approach, combining strategic leadership with practical technical problem‑solving.
• The ability to work independently, make informed technical decisions and represent engineering leadership in client‑facing environments.
• Previous experience within the iGaming or gambling industry would be advantageous.

Why Apply?

This is a fantastic opportunity to take a leading role in shaping AI strategy and technical capabilities within an ambitious technology consultancy, working directly alongside senior leadership to influence business growth and innovation.

In return, you'll benefit from:

• Competitive day rate of £700–£800.
• Initial 6-month contract with potential for extension.
• Outside IR35 engagement.
• Remote‑first working, with fully expensed client‑site travel when required.
• Direct collaboration with the CTO, with genuine influence over technical direction and AI strategy.
• Ownership of AI capabilities, engineering standards and technical development.
• A commercially focused leadership role involving pre‑sales, strategic client engagement and business development.
• The opportunity to mentor engineers, develop technical teams and work across varied industries and technology environments.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.