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# Senior | Lead AI-First Software Engineer (Contract)

- **Company:** Ai-first
- **Location:** Liverpool Metropolitan Area, UK
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** £156,000.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft Azure, C Sharp (Programming Language), Program Analysis, Software Engineering, ReactJS, Backend, Code Restructuring
- **Published:** August 19, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.apply4u.co.uk/jobs/x/44352396/

## About the Role

engineering workflows that combine AI with strong software engineering discipline.Champion AI-first development practices across the wider engineering team.Coach engineers on how to effectively use AI tooling to increase productivity without compromising quality.Help establish repeatable engineering standards for AI-assisted development across future programmes.Lead the modernisation of a large legacy monolithic application into a modern Azure-based architecture.Design APIs and middle-tier services consumed by external React engineering teams.Drive engineering excellenceTo be considered, we're looking for an experienced Lead Engineer | Senior Engineer with a passion and expertise in AI First engineering.You'll bring:Expertise embracing and driving AI-assisted engineering using OpenAI CodexStrong experience building enterprise backend applications using C# / .NETExperience modernising legacy applications and monolithic platformsAzure cloud experienceAPI-first architecture
experienceExperience designing scalable backend servicesA passion for software craftsmanship and engineering quality #J-18808-Ljbffr

## Description

Lead AI-First Software EngineerType: ContractDay rate: £600 per day (outside IR35)Location: Liverpool (2 days per week)This isn't a traditional Senior or Lead Engineer role. We're looking for someone who sees AI as a force multiplier.From the CTO: "We're embarking on a major modernisation programme for one of our core business platforms. An internal proof of concept has already demonstrated what's possible using AI-assisted engineering. Your role will be to take that concept into production, creating a scalable engineering approach that accelerates software delivery while maintaining high standards of quality, security and maintainability."This is about far more than migrating applications. It's about redefining how engineering teams build software utilising AI tools particularly Codex.What You'll Be DoingLead AI-assisted software engineeringUse Codex and modern AI development tooling to dramatically accelerate software analysis, refactoring, testing and modernisation.Develop practical


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