Founding Software Engineer

Founding Software Engineer

Location: Hertfordshire- Hybrid

Salary: £125,000-£150,000

Our client is a well-established, successful organisation embarking on a significant technology transformation. It is seeking an exceptional Founding Software Engineer to lead the creation of its engineering and AI capability.

This is a rare opportunity to join an established business at a pivotal point in its evolution. Backed by senior leadership and long-term investment, the successful candidate will take ownership of software engineering, technical architecture, AI adoption and technology delivery across the organisation.

Unlike many founding engineering opportunities, this role combines genuine ownership and influence with the stability, resources and commercial maturity of an established company.

The successful candidate will define the engineering strategy, establish development standards and processes, drive AI-first ways of working and build the foundations of a scalable engineering function. They will also remain hands-on, leading the design and delivery of modern software platforms that support critical business objectives.

The Opportunity

As the organisation’s most senior engineering hire, you will:

• Own and shape the software engineering function from the ground up
• Establish and lead the company’s AI-first development strategy
• Define architecture, tooling, engineering standards and delivery processes
• Lead the development of business-critical software products and platforms
• Drive the adoption of modern AI-assisted engineering practices
• Partner directly with senior stakeholders to translate business needs into technical solutions
• Build the foundations for future engineering team growth
• Act as the principal technical authority across the organisation

This is a highly visible role with significant autonomy and influence, offering the opportunity to shape the future technology direction of a growing business.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership

• Lead the design and delivery of scalable, secure and high-quality software systems
• Define architectural principles, technical standards and development best practices
• Make strategic technology decisions that balance speed, scalability and maintainability
• Remain hands-on with software development, technical design and code reviews
• Champion engineering excellence across the software lifecycle

AI and Technology Transformation

• Establish an AI-first engineering culture and operating model
• Evaluate, implement and govern AI-assisted development tools and workflows
• Improve productivity, quality, testing and delivery through the effective use of AI
• Identify opportunities to leverage AI across engineering and wider business processes

Delivery and Ownership

• Take end-to-end ownership of major technology initiatives
• Deliver resilient, production-ready software solutions
• Manage technical risk, dependencies and delivery priorities
• Work closely with stakeholders to align technology delivery with business goals

Building Capability

• Create the foundations of a scalable engineering organisation
• Mentor future team members and contribute to hiring activities
• Establish processes that support long-term growth and operational excellence

Candidate Profile

We are interested in speaking with experienced software engineering leaders who combine strong technical depth with a builder’s mindset.

You will likely have:

• Significant experience delivering complex software systems in production environments
• Strong expertise in one or more modern languages, such as TypeScript, JavaScript, Python, Java or C#
• A deep understanding of software architecture, APIs, cloud-native systems and scalable application design
• Experience working with AWS, Azure or GCP
• Strong DevOps, CI/CD, automation and engineering operations experience
• A track record of leading technical projects and influencing engineering strategy
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills
• Experience operating in fast-moving, high-growth or transformational environments

Experience building teams, establishing engineering functions or driving technology transformation programmes would be particularly valuable.

What the Role Offers

This role offers a unique combination of:

• Genuine ownership of an entire engineering and AI function
• Significant influence over technology strategy and delivery
• Executive-level visibility and support
• The opportunity to build something lasting from the ground up
• The backing, stability and resources of an established organisation
• The chance to define how AI is embedded within a modern engineering capability

For ambitious engineering leaders seeking broad ownership and the opportunity to make a lasting impact, this represents a genuinely exceptional opportunity.