AI Engineering Lead – Digitisation & Automation (12 months contract)

Positron SE; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Positron SE seeks an hands-on Engineering Lead to set the engineering standard for an enterprise Digitisation & Automation function spanning RPA, Power Platform, AI, integration and custom development.

The role leads as the Principal Engineer across the function, owning how solutions are engineered, implemented, deployed, secured and maintained from PoC through production support. You will review designs and guide developers in coding standards and security.

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering or related field.
• 8+ years in software engineering, automation, systems development or solution delivery.
• Experience across traditional software development and low-code/automation technologies.
• Proven .NET and/or Java development experience.

Responsibilities

• Act as the senior engineering authority across automation, AI, low-code, integration and software engineering initiatives.
• Define and maintain engineering standards, frameworks, patterns and best practices.
• Be the escalation point for complex technical challenges.
• Drive quality, consistency, scalability, security and maintainability across all solutions.
• Translate solution designs into implementable engineering approaches.

Skills

RPA

.NET

Java

APIs & Integration

AI

DevOps

CI/CD

Security

Leadership

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or a related field

Tools

Blue Prism

Power Platform

Azure

Power Apps

Job description

We're looking for a hands‑on Engineering Lead to set the engineering standard for an enterprise Digitisation & Automation function, spanning RPA, Power Platform, AI, integration and custom development.

About the role

This is a leadership role for someone who still builds. You will own how solutions are engineered, implemented, deployed, secured and maintained, from first proof-of-concept through to production support.

You'll work alongside the Solution Architecture Lead, who owns solution design and technology selection, while you act as the engineering authority, effectively the Principal Engineer for the function. One day you might be reviewing a Blue Prism design or a Power Apps build; the next, designing a deployment architecture, building a .NET or Java integration service, or unblocking a team on a complex engineering problem.

What you'll do

Engineering leadership

• Act as the senior engineering authority across automation, AI, low-code, integration and software engineering initiatives
• Define and maintain engineering standards, frameworks, patterns and best practices
• Be the escalation point for complex technical challenges
• Drive quality, consistency, scalability, security and maintainability across all solutions

Engineering design and technical assurance

• Translate solution designs into implementable engineering approaches
• Produce and review technical designs, infrastructure designs, deployment models and integration architectures
• Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture, security, infrastructure and operational standards
• Identify technical risks, dependencies and implementation challenges early

Governance and production readiness

• Support architecture, security, infrastructure and production-readiness forums
• Ensure engineering artefacts are complete, accurate and governance-ready, and present and defend designs when required
• Review technical assumptions, non-functional requirements and deployment approaches

Hands-on development and code review

• Build proof-of-concepts, technical spikes, reference implementations and reusable solution skeletons
• Conduct detailed code reviews across relevant technology stacks
• Guide developers on coding standards, design patterns, testing and security
• Help teams resolve complex technical and integration problems

Capability building

• Mentor developers, automation specialists and engineers
• Promote reusable engineering patterns and assets
• Drive adoption of DevOps, DevSecOps and modern engineering practices

Technical skills

You’ll need strong practical capability across several of these, as someone who builds and reviews, not only manages or architects:

• RPA (Blue Prism or equivalent)
• .NET and/or Java development
• API and integration development
• AI and intelligent automation solutions
• DevOps and CI/CD
• Infrastructure and deployment design
• Application security and engineering governance

What you’ll bring

• Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or a related field
• 8+ years in software engineering, automation, systems development or solution delivery
• Experience across both traditional software development and low-code/automation technologies
• Proven .NET and/or Java development experience
• Experience producing technical design and infrastructure artefacts
• Track record of code reviews and technical leadership

Advantageous

• Banking or financial services experience
• Experience with AI, Azure and enterprise integration solutions
• Experience supporting governance and production-readiness processes
• Microsoft, Azure, Power Platform, Blue Prism or architecture certifications

Who you are

A technical leader who solves problems, makes sound decisions and thinks strategically. You innovate, manage stakeholders well, coach and mentor others, collaborate easily, improve things continuously and stay focused on delivery.

What success looks like

• Higher engineering quality across all solutions
• Solutions that arrive at governance forums ready to pass
• Fewer technical defects, less rework and lower technical debt
• Wider adoption of engineering standards and reusable patterns
• Strong developer capability through your leadership and coaching
• Secure, scalable, maintainable and supportable solutions in production