AI Engineering Lead

Sabenza IT & Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Sabenza IT & Recruitment in Johannesburg, South Africa, seeks an Engineering Lead to own the design, build, deployment and support of Digitization and Automation solutions. This hands-on leadership role blends code review, proof-of-concepts, and setting engineering standards, across RPA, Power Platform, AI, integrations and custom development.

You will drive engineering execution, ensure quality and production readiness, mentor engineers, and raise maturity across the function while shaping

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years experience in software engineering, automation, or solution delivery.
• Strong practical experience in .NET and/or Java, plus exposure to RPA and Power Platform.
• Experience with APIs and integrations, Azure, DevOps/CI/CD, and application security.
• Proven ability to produce technical designs and provide hands-on technical leadership.

Responsibilities

• Act as the senior engineering authority across Digitization and Automation.
• Translate solution designs into implementable engineering approaches and technical artefacts.
• Build proof-of-concepts, reference implementations, and reusable frameworks.
• Conduct code reviews and guide developers on standards, security, and best practices.
• Ensure solutions are secure, scalable, maintainable, and ready for governance and production.
• Mentor engineers and raise engineering maturity across the function.

Skills

.NET/Java

RPA

Power Platform

APIs & Integrations

Azure

DevOps/CI-CD

Security practices

Education

Degree in Computer Science/IT/Engineering

Tools

Blue Prism

Microsoft Power Platform

Job description

Johannesburg, South Africa

Engineering Lead – Digitization & Automation

Principal Engineer | Hands-On Technical Leadership

Build the standard. Lead the engineering.

We are looking for an Engineering Lead to own how Digitization and Automation solutions are designed, built, deployed, and supported. This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who is equally comfortable reviewing code, building proof-of-concepts, setting engineering standards, and guiding teams through complex technical challenges.You will work across RPA, Power Platform, AI, integrations, and custom development. While the Intelligent Solutions Lead owns architecture and solution design, you will own engineering execution, technical quality, and readiness for production.

What You Will Do

• Act as the senior engineering authority across Digitization and Automation.
  
• Translate solution designs into implementable engineering approaches and technical artefacts.
  
• Build proof-of-concepts, reference implementations, and reusable frameworks.
  
• Conduct code reviews and guide developers on standards, security, and best practices.
  
• Ensure solutions are secure, scalable, maintainable, and ready for governance and production.
  
• Mentor engineers and raise engineering maturity across the function.
  

Requirements

What You Bring

• Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
  
• 8+ years’ experience in software engineering, automation, or solution delivery.
  
• Strong practical experience in .NET and/or Java, plus exposure to RPA (Blue Prism or equivalent) and Power Platform.
  
• Experience with APIs and integrations, Azure, DevOps/CI/CD, and application security.
  
• Proven ability to produce technical designs and provide hands‑on technical leadership.
  

Preferred

• Banking or financial services experience.
  
• Experience with AI, Azure, and enterprise integration solutions.
  
• Microsoft, Azure, Power Platform, or Blue Prism certifications.
  

Why This Role

You will shape how modern automation and intelligent solutions are engineered. You will set the standards, review the work, build the foundations, and ensure every solution that reaches production is built to last.This is not a pure management or architecture role.

You need to be able to build, review, and lead.