Principal Software Engineer 188211-1

Opensource; Midrand; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Opensource is seeking a senior software architect to lead enterprise-grade software from concept to production.

You will define architecture across cloud, backend, web, mobile, and AI platforms, while mentoring engineers and delivering AI-powered applications. This role requires hands-on coding and a passion for building scalable systems.

Qualifications

• 20+ years of software engineering experience.
• Proven success designing and delivering complex enterprise systems.
• Deep expertise in software architecture, cloud platforms (Azure/AWS/GCP), distributed systems.
• Strong hands-on development and a passion for coding.
• Experience with native mobile development (Swift and/or Kotlin) and Flutter.
• Practical experience building AI-powered applications and AI-native engineering tools.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and consulting skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and build enterprise-grade software solutions from concept to production.
• Define architecture across cloud, backend, web, mobile, and AI platforms.
• Develop production software using AI-assisted engineering practices.
• Build intelligent applications using LLMs, AI agents, RAG, MCP, and modern AI frameworks.
• Deliver native mobile solutions (iOS/Android) and cross-platform applications using Flutter.
• Partner with clients and engineering teams to solve complex business and technical challenges.
• Mentor senior engineers and influence engineering excellence through hands-on leadership.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and turn innovation into business value.

Skills

Software architecture

Cloud platforms

Distributed systems

Hands-on development

Mobile development

Flutter

AI-powered apps

AI-native tooling

Tools

GitHub Copilot

Cursor

Claude Code

Gemini Code Assist

Job description

What You'll Do

• Design and build enterprise-grade software solutions from concept to production.
• Define architecture across cloud, backend, web, mobile, and AI platforms.
• Develop production software using AI-assisted engineering practices.
• Build intelligent applications using LLMs, AI agents, RAG, MCP, and modern AI frameworks.
• Deliver native mobile solutions (iOS/Android) and cross-platform applications using Flutter or similar technologies.
• Partner with clients and engineering teams to solve complex business and technical challenges.
• Mentor senior engineers and influence engineering excellence through hands-on leadership.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and turn innovation into business value.

What You'll Bring

• 20+ years of software engineering experience.
• Proven success designing and delivering complex enterprise systems.
• Deep expertise in software architecture, cloud platforms (Azure, AWS and/or GCP), distributed systems, and modern engineering practices.
• Strong hands-on development experience and a passion for coding.
• Experience with native mobile development (Swift and/or Kotlin) and Flutter.
• Practical experience building AI-powered applications and embracing AI-native engineering tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, Gemini Code Assist, and similar platforms.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and consulting skills.

Bonus Points

Experience with:

• Multi-agent AI systems
• Edge or on-device AI
• React Native or .NET MAUI
• Open source contributions
• Technical speaking, writing, or community leadership

Why Join Us?

You'll work on some of the most exciting challenges in modern software engineering, helping large organisations adopt AI-native engineering practices while remaining deeply hands-on. If you're the kind of engineer who still loves building software after two decades and believes AI will redefine the future of engineering, we'd love to talk.