Principal AI‑Driven Software Engineer — Hands‑On Leader

HelloKindred; Gauteng; Hybrid; ZAR 2,000,000 - 2,800,000; Full time

Job summary

HelloKindred in Gauteng, South Africa seeks a Principal Software Engineer with 20+ years of hands-on software experience to architect and deliver enterprise-grade systems. This role emphasizes AI-enabled engineering, multi-cloud platforms, and cross-functional leadership in a hybrid work setup.

You will mentor engineers, explore cutting-edge technologies, and translate strategic goals into robust software while ensuring delivery and operational stability across cloud and mobile domains.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field; 20+ years of professional software engineering experience preferred.
• Hands-on coding with enterprise-scale software and architecture leadership mandated.
• Experience with cloud-native, AI-enabled software development and modern engineering practices.

Responsibilities

• Design and build enterprise-grade software from concept through production.
• Define architecture across cloud, backend, web, AI, and mobile platforms.
• Develop production-quality software using AI-assisted engineering workflows.
• Build intelligent applications powered by LLMs, AI agents, and modern AI platforms.
• Mentor senior engineers and influence engineering standards through hands-on leadership.
• Collaborate with Product Owners, architecture, security, QA, and platform teams.

Skills

Hands-on coding

AI-native engineering

Cloud architecture

Mentoring engineers

Architecture design

DevSecOps

Stakeholder engagement

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS

Tools

Azure

AWS

GCP

Flutter

Swift

Kotlin

OpenAI Codex

Copilot

Job description

HelloKindred in Gauteng, South Africa seeks a Principal Software Engineer with 20+ years of hands-on software experience to architect and deliver enterprise-grade systems. This role emphasizes AI-enabled engineering, multi-cloud platforms, and cross-functional leadership in a hybrid work setup.

You will mentor engineers, explore cutting-edge technologies, and translate strategic goals into robust software while ensuring delivery and operational stability across cloud and mobile domains.