At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead teams in building AI-powered applications and drive technical excellence.
- Company: Confidential leading technology consultancy with a strong impact on digital transformation.
- Benefits: Negotiable salary, fully flexible working, and investment in your growth.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with opportunities for career progression and mentoring.
- Why this job: Make a real-world impact while developing cutting-edge software solutions.
- Qualifications: Expertise in Python or C#/.NET and experience leading engineering teams.
Permanent, full-time role with a market-leading technology consultancy.
Lead engineering teams building AI-powered, cloud-native applications.
Hands-on technical leadership - architecture, mentoring, and client engagement.
Fully flexible working - office attendance entirely optional.
Salary negotiable depending on experience.
You must currently reside in Northern Ireland.
About the Company:
This is a confidential search on behalf of a leading technology consultancy with a strong track record of delivering complex digital transformation programmes across the UK and beyond. They work across sectors including healthcare, public services, and enterprise - building software that has a genuine impact on people's lives. They have built a culture where engineers are empowered, ideas are valued, and career growth is actively supported.
Role Overview:
As Lead Software Engineer, you'll take technical ownership of teams building modern, AI-powered applications. You'll be the engineering lead - setting direction on architecture and standards, guiding the team through complex challenges, and acting as the senior technical voice with clients. This isn't a management-only role. You'll remain hands-on, contributing to design and development alongside your team, whilst also coaching and developing the engineers around you.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead teams designing, building, testing, and maintaining high-quality software applications.
- Take technical ownership of products - including architecture, estimation, planning, and requirements.
- Drive integration of AI and ML capabilities, including prompt engineering, model evaluation, and RAG pipelines.
- Work with Microsoft Azure AI services (Azure OpenAI, Microsoft Foundry, Cognitive Services) or equivalent platforms.
- Champion software development best practices - XP, TDD, CI/CD - including for ML/AI workloads.
- Engage directly with clients, communicating technical concepts and trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Manage, coach, and develop junior team members, supporting their performance and career growth.
- Contribute to knowledge sharing within the team and broader engineering community.
What You'll Need:
Essential:
- Strong expertise in Python or C#/.NET, with a track record of building scalable, secure, modern applications.
- Proven experience leading engineering teams and taking technical ownership of software products end to end.
- Hands-on experience with AI/ML-powered product development - model integration, prompt engineering, RAG, or evaluation pipelines.
- Experience with Microsoft Azure AI services or equivalent cloud AI platforms.
- Expertise across the full application stack - API design, data pipelines, and front-end integration.
- Experience with CI/CD practices, including for ML/AI workloads (model versioning, experiment tracking, automated evaluation).
- A genuine commitment to developing people - coaching and mentoring junior engineers.
Desirable:
- Experience with the Microsoft agent ecosystem - Copilot Studio, Semantic Kernel, Microsoft 365 Agents SDK, or Agent Framework.
- Knowledge of responsible AI practices - content filtering, PII handling, bias testing, and governance of autonomous agent actions.
- Familiarity with vector databases, search indices, or multiple programming languages and storage technologies.
Benefits & Package:
- Salary negotiable - based on your experience, discussed openly at first conversation.
- Fully flexible working arrangement - office attendance is entirely optional.
- A genuine investment in your growth, with access to learning, development, and career progression opportunities.
- Work on technically ambitious programmes with real-world impact.
If this sounds like the right move, we'd like to hear from you.
Lead Software Engineer in Belfast employer: Ocho People
Join a leading technology consultancy in Belfast that champions innovation and technical excellence, offering fully flexible working arrangements and a culture that empowers engineers. With a strong commitment to employee growth, you'll have access to learning opportunities while working on impactful AI-powered projects across various sectors. This is an ideal environment for those looking to make a meaningful contribution while advancing their careers.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Software Engineer in Belfast
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Ocho People or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Ocho People.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Ocho People.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Ocho People that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Software Engineer in Belfast
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Ocho People.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Ocho People and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Ocho People
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Ocho People uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
