Principal Software Engineer | AI

Simple Machines is a leading independent boutique technology and consulting firm with a global presence, including teams in Sydney, London, Poland and New Zealand.

We specialise in architecting and engineering scalable data platforms and software systems designed for an AI-driven world. By combining strong engineering discipline with applied AI, we transform raw data into practical, high-value solutions.

We Engineer Data to Life.

Our mission is to help enterprises, technology companies, and governments better connect with and understand their organisations, their people, their customers, and citizens.

We are a senior only consultancy of engineers, architects, and advisors who care deeply about clarity, craft, and outcomes.

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to work at the leading edge of applied AI engineering, building real-world systems that move beyond prototypes into production. You’ll help shape how modern organisations operationalise LLM driven capabilities designing reliable, scalable software that integrates intelligent workflows into core products and platforms.  

Rather than focusing on model research, the emphasis is on solving complex engineering problems, productionising emerging frameworks, and turning fast-evolving AI concepts into durable, maintainable solutions. 

Requirements

The Role

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will design and build backend or full-stack agentic systems that orchestrate LLM-powered workflows using frameworks such as LangGraph or LangChain. You’ll develop agentic pipelines, integrate APIs and data services, and implement robust application logic that enables reasoning-driven automation at scale.  

The role requires strong engineering discipline system design, performance, testing, and deployment more aligned to a data or platform engineer mindset than a data scientist.  

You will work hands-on across architecture and implementation to deliver production-grade intelligent solutions. 

Key Requirements

Strong Software Engineering Background

• We are looking for experienced engineers with hands-on development expertise across full-stack or server-side environments.

LLM Application Framework Experience

Demonstrated experience with at least one of the following is required:

• LangGraph or LangChain, with a focus on building production-grade applications rather than experimentation.

Agentic / Workflow-Oriented Architectures

• Experience designing or implementing agentic workflows, orchestration layers, or multi-step reasoning pipelines is highly valued.

Model Context Protocol (MCP) Familiarity (Desirable)

• Exposure to MCP or similar patterns is a strong indicator of alignment with the type of systems we build.

Engineering-Focused (Not Data Science)

• This role is centred on application engineering and system integration, not model research or training.

Benefits

Why Join Simple Machines?

• You’ll work on interesting, high-impact problems
• You’ll build modern platforms, not maintain legacy mess
• You’ll be surrounded by senior engineers who actually know their craft
• You’ll have autonomy, influence, and room to grow

If you’re a senior software engineer who wants to build properly, think clearly, and deliver real outcomes - we should talk.