Principal Engineer | AI

IFS; Staines-upon-Thames; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

IFS is seeking a Lead / Principal Engineer (Frontend-focused) to build a new planning and simulation product from scratch. This hands-on role emphasizes frontend architecture while allowing backend contributions and architectural ownership across UI, data-heavy workflows, and API integrations.

You will design AI-first UI patterns and drive performance on large data views, working with Go, Python, Java, or .NET backends as needed in a modern enterprise SaaS environment.

Qualifications

• Senior/Lead level Angular expertise is mandatory.
• Enterprise SaaS experience with data-heavy applications preferred.
• Experience building AI-native UI patterns is a plus.
• Willingness to contribute to backend services and cloud-native architecture.

Responsibilities

• Build the frontend for a new planning and simulation product from scratch.
• Design AI-first UI patterns that surface automated status updates and proactive suggestions.
• Collaborate with backend, UX, and product as requirements evolve.
• Handle large, data-heavy views with performance in mind.
• Deliver end-to-end features from UI through APIs to deployment.
• Contribute to backend services in Go when needed.
• Build and maintain enterprise integrations and platform frameworks.
• Provide technical leadership: architecture decisions, code reviews, mentoring.

Skills

Angular

Frontend architecture

Leadership

Tools

Go

Python

Java

.NET/C#

Job description

We're building a new AI-first planning and simulation product from the ground up, and we need a Principal Engineer with current, hands-on Angular experience at a senior/lead level — this is non-negotiable. If your recent frontend work has been in React (even with Angular somewhere in your history), this role isn't the right fit, and your application won't move forward.

Backend language is flexible — Go, Python, Java or .NET/C# all count — but we do need genuine experience building AI-native user experiences: interfaces that generate themselves dynamically and respond to natural-language input, not just apps that call an AI API. This is enterprise SaaS work, not startup or greenfield-website territory, so a background in complex, data-heavy applications matters more than a trendy stack.

IFS is a billion-dollar revenue company with 7000+ employees on all continents. Our leading AI technology is the backbone of our award-winning enterprise software solutions, enabling our customers to be their best when it really matters–at the Moment of Service. Our commitment to internal AI adoption has allowed us to stay at the forefront of technological advancements, ensuring our colleagues can unlock their creativity and productivity, and our solutions are always cutting-edge.

At IFS, we’re flexible, we’re innovative, and we’re focused not only on how we can engage with our customers but on how we can make a real change and have a worldwide impact. We help solve some of society’s greatest challenges, fostering a better future through our agility, collaboration, and trust.

We celebrate diversity and understand our responsibility to reflect the diverse world we work in. We are committed to promoting an inclusive workforce that fully represents the many different cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints of our customers, our partners, and our communities. As a truly international company serving people from around the globe, we realize that our success is tantamount to the respect we have for those different points of view.

By joining our team, you will have the opportunity to be part of aglobal, diverse environment;you will be joining awinning teamwith acommitment to sustainability;and a company where we get things done so that you canmake a positive impacton the world.

We’re looking for innovative and original thinkers to work in an environment where you can#MakeYourMomentso that we can help others make theirs. With the power of our AI-driven solutions, we empower our team to change the status quo and make a real difference.

If you want to change the status quo, we’ll help you make your moment. Join Team Purple. Join IFS.

Job Description

We are seeking a Lead / Principal Engineer (Developer) to build a new planning and simulation product from scratch. This is a hands-on technical leadership role with a strong focus on frontend engineering, combined with the full-stack capability to contribute to backend services and architectural ownership across UI, data-heavy workflows, and integrations with backend APIs.

You will work within a modern platform environment to deliver scalable, secure, and high-performance UI solutions, designing AI-first UI patterns that surface automated status updates and proactive suggestions rather than relying on manual, click-driven interactions. While experience in utilities or asset-intensive industries is valuable, the primary focus is on enterprise SaaS product development.

This role suits an engineer who wants to code, lead, and shape architecture — primarily on the frontend, with the range to work across the stack — while adopting AI-first and modern engineering practices, and who is comfortable working in a fast-evolving product environment where requirements are still being shaped.

Qualifications

What You’ll Be Doing

Building the frontend for a new planning and simulation product from scratch, with a strong focus on frontend architecture and delivery.

Designing UI patterns for an AI-first workflow — surfacing automated status updates and proactive suggestions rather than manual click-driven interactions.

Working closely with backend, UX and product while requirements are still being shaped.

Handling large, data-heavy views (scheduling, capacity, simulation output) with a strong eye on performance.

Delivering end-to-end features, from UI through APIs to data and deployment, and contributing to backend services in Go where needed.

Building andmaintainingenterprise integrations (internal/external systems, APIs, identity services).

Contributing tocloud-native architecture (containers, CI/CD, observability).

Working within and extending platform frameworks.

Providing technical leadership: architecture decisions, code reviews, mentoring, standards.

Ensuring quality, performance, security, and maintainability across the stack.

Collaborating closely with Product, UX, and cross-functional teams.