Principal AI & Automation Engineer Lead

Belay Talent Solutions; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Belay Talent Solutions is seeking an AI Engineering Lead to serve as the senior engineering authority for a leading bank's Digitization & Automation function. This hands-on leader will guide AI, automation, cloud, and integration initiatives across the enterprise, collaborating with architects and stakeholders to ensure secure, scalable, production-ready solutions.

The role requires 8+ years in software engineering with strong .NET/Java skills, governance experience, and a track record of

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years' experience in Software Engineering, System Development, Automation, or Solution Delivery.
• Strong hands-on development experience in .NET and/or Java.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across AI, Intelligent Automation, RPA, Power Platform, integration, and custom software development initiatives.
• Define and drive engineering standards, frameworks, development practices, and governance processes.
• Translate solution designs into scalable, secure, and production-ready engineering solutions.
• Design and review technical architectures, infrastructure designs, deployment models, and integration approaches.
• Build proof-of-concepts, reference implementations, and reusable engineering components.
• Conduct code reviews and provide guidance on design patterns, security, testing, and engineering best practices.
• Drive adoption of DevOps, DevSecOps, CI/CD, and modern engineering practices.
• Support architecture, security, infrastructure, and production-readiness forums.
• Mentor developers, engineers, and automation specialists to improve technical capability and delivery excellence.
• Act as the technical escalation point for complex engineering and integration challenges.

Skills

AI & Automation

Leadership

Code reviews

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IT/Engineering

Tools

Power Platform

Blue Prism

NET/Java

Azure Cloud

CI/CD

Job description

Belay Talent Solutions is seeking an AI Engineering Lead to serve as the senior engineering authority for a leading bank's Digitization & Automation function. This hands-on leader will guide AI, automation, cloud, and integration initiatives across the enterprise, collaborating with architects and stakeholders to ensure secure, scalable, production-ready solutions.

The role requires 8+ years in software engineering with strong .NET/Java skills, governance experience, and a track record of