Applied AI Engineer

HENSOLDT AG; Irene; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working models

Professional development

Competitive salary & benefits

Job summary

HENSOLDT South Africa invites applications for an Applied AI Engineer who combines professional software engineering with applied machine learning to improve process automation and product capabilities. The role operates in a controlled engineering environment with on-premise AI deployment.

You will maintain and optimize open-weight AI models, build AI agents for documentation, and extend automated pipelines to ensure traceability from code to documentation, while integrating Edge AI into

Qualifications

• BEng in Electronic Engineering or Computer Engineering.
• Minimum 6 years’ professional software-engineering experience, incl. 2+ years in applied ML/dl.
• Honours/Master’s in ML/AI advantageous.
• Certifications in ML/AI tools/platforms advantageous.
• Experience with LLMs, CV or Edge AI advantageous.
• Experience in defence/security or regulated environments advantageous.

Responsibilities

• AI Platform Maintenance and Optimisation across on-prem AI environment.
• AI-Assisted Document Generation using AI agents and approved templates.
• Engineering Automation and Traceability via automated pipelines from source code.
• Edge AI Development and Product Integration across architectures.
• AI Capability Enablement and Knowledge Development for engineering teams.

Skills

Python

C and C++

Computer Vision

Edge AI Development

AI Agent Development

Open-Weight Model Deployment and Serv

Qwen

Llama

Mistral

DeepSeek or Similar Models

OpenCV

PyTorch

TensorFlow

CUDA

TensorRT

NVIDIA Jetson

Version Control

Automated Software Testing

CI/CD Pipelines

Engineering Automation and Traceabil

Education

BEng in Electronic Engineering or Computer Engineering

Honours or Master’s in ML/AI

Job description

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About the Role

The Applied AI Engineer develops, deploys and maintains artificial-intelligence solutions across process automation and product applications. The role combines professional software engineering with applied machine learning, large language models and Edge AI to improve operational efficiency, automate engineering processes and enhance product capability within a controlled engineering environment.

Qualification and experience:

• BEng in Electronic Engineering or Computer Engineering.
• Minimum 6 years’ professional software-engineering experience, including at least 2 years in applied machine learning or deep-learning model development.
• An Honours or Master’s Degree in Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence will be advantageous.
• Recognised certification or formal training in machine learning, AI tools or AI platforms will be advantageous.
• Experience working with large language models, computer vision or Edge AI models will be advantageous.
• Experience within the defence and security industry or a comparable regulated environment, such as aerospace, nuclear, rail or medical devices, will be advantageous.
• Experience working within controlled development processes and technical traceability requirements will be advantageous.

Key technical skills:

• Python
• C and C++
• Computer Vision
• Edge AI Development
• AI Agent Development
• Open-Weight Model Deployment and Serving
• Qwen, Llama, Mistral, DeepSeek or Similar Models
• OpenCV
• PyTorch
• TensorFlow
• CUDA
• TensorRT
• NVIDIA Jetson
• Version Control
• Automated Software Testing
• Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment Pipelines
• Engineering Automation and Traceability Pipelines

Key responsibilities:

AI Platform Maintenance and Optimisation

Maintain and optimise deployed open-weight AI models, GPU hardware and supporting services across the on-premise AI environment to sustain secure and efficient platform operation, resulting in reliable availability and alignment with current technical standards.

AI-Assisted Document Generation

Develop and improve AI agents used to generate organisational, technical and process documentation within approved templates and workflows to strengthen the accuracy and consistency of generated content, resulting in improved document quality and reduced manual rework.

Engineering Automation and Traceability

Develop and extend automated pipelines that generate engineering-design and traceability records from source code in accordance with required templates and development processes to maintain alignment between documentation and the software baseline, resulting in efficient and reliable technical traceability.

Edge AI Development and Product Integration

Develop and integrate Edge AI functional modules across existing and future product architectures to introduce relevant intelligent capabilities within operational constraints, resulting in enhanced product functionality and increased technological value.

AI Capability Enablement and Knowledge Development

Train and advise engineering teams on the effective and responsible use of AI capabilities while maintaining specialist knowledge through structured research and professional development to strengthen organisational AI competence, resulting in informed adoption and sustainable application of AI technologies.

HENSOLDT South Africa focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion in our organisational strategy. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive corporate culture that benefits our employees and delivers better outcomes for our clients. In line with our commitment to equal employment opportunities and our focus on diversity in the operational environment, we welcome applications from all ethnic groups. In line with HENSOLDT's commitment to equal employment opportunities and our focus on diversity in the operational environment, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups.

Application Deadline 21 October 2026.

We support you with flexible working models and offers to help you balance work and family life.

We offer an attractive salary and special payments.

Personal & Professional Development

We support your development with structured onboarding, targeted training programs and tailored talent development.

Working Atmosphere

We offer an innovative working atmosphere with modern premises and expert networks.

Health & Prevention

We promote your health with ergonomic workstations, health management and occupational health and safety programs.

Mobility & Sustainability

We promote mobility and sustainability through various and special offers.

HENSOLDT is committed to diversity and an inclusive corporate culture. We therefore welcome all applications - regardless of origin, age, gender, disability, identity or ideology.