Lead Software Engineer in Belfast

hackajob is collaborating with Kainos to connect them with exceptional professionals for this role. Join Kainos and shape the future. At Kainos, we’re problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators—driven by a shared mission to create real impact. Whether we’re transforming digital services for millions, delivering cutting-edge Workday solutions, or pushing the boundaries of technology, we do it together. We believe in a people-first culture, where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your contributions truly make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of a diverse, ambitious team that celebrates creativity and collaboration. Ready to make your mark? Join us and be part of something bigger.

Responsibilities

• As a Lead Software Engineer in Kainos, you will be responsible for leading teams and developing high-quality solutions which delight our customers and impact the lives of users worldwide.
• You’ll manage, coach and develop a small number of staff, focusing on managing employee performance and assisting in their career development.
• You’ll provide direction and leadership for your team as you solve challenging problems together.
• As the technical leader in the team, you will interact with customers, share knowledge and mentor those around you.

Minimum requirements

• Expertise in designing, building, testing and maintaining modern software applications, with strong experience in at least one of Python or C#/.NET.
• Technical leadership of teams building and testing modern, scalable, secure, performant applications in line with software development principles, practices and patterns e.g. XP, TDD.
• Experience building AI or ML-powered products - including model integration, evaluation, prompt engineering, or retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure AI services (e.g. Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Foundry, Cognitive Services) or equivalent cloud AI platforms.
• Experience of technical ownership for a product or software project, including architecture, estimation, product planning and user story/requirement creation.
• Expertise in software design and development across all layers of an application, including API design, data pipelines, and front-end integration.
• A demonstrated ability in managing, coaching and developing junior members of your team and wider community.
• Experience with the latest Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery techniques, including CI/CD for ML/AI workloads (model versioning, experiment tracking, automated evaluation).

Desirable

• Experience with the Microsoft agent ecosystem - such as Microsoft Agent Framework, Copilot Studio, Microsoft 365 Agents SDK, or Semantic Kernel.
• Knowledge of responsible AI practices - including content filtering, PII handling, bias testing, and governance of autonomous agent actions.
• Good communication skills, with the ability to communicate technical concepts and trade-offs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Active participation in knowledge sharing activities, both within the team and at a wider capability level and externally where appropriate.
• Experience of multiple programming languages and data storage technologies, including vector databases or search indices.
• Knowledge of public cloud platforms such as Azure or AWS, including SaaS and PaaS offerings.

Embracing our differences

At Kainos, we believe in the power of diversity, equity and inclusion. We are committed to building a team that is as diverse as the world we live in, where everyone is valued, respected, and given an equal chance to thrive. We actively seek out talented people from all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other characteristic that makes them who they are. We also believe every candidate deserves a level playing field. Our friendly talent acquisition team is here to support you every step of the way, so if you require any accommodations or adjustments, we encourage you to reach out. We understand that everyone's journey is different, and by having a private conversation we can ensure that our recruitment process is tailored to your needs.