Software Engineering Practice Lead

Software Engineering Practice Lead / Director AI & Automation

Location: Remote, United States Preferred Locations: Indianapolis, IN | Minneapolis, MN | Charlotte, NC | Orlando, FL Salary: Up to $220,000 base + discretionary bonus Employment: Full-time, Permanent

YourCode Recruitment is partnering with one of the largest professional services organisations in the United States to appoint a Director-level Software Engineering Practice Lead within its growing AI & Automation practice.

This is a senior technology leadership opportunity for an experienced Software Engineering, Digital Engineering or Application Development leader who has built and led engineering capabilities within a consulting or professional services environment.

This is not simply a role managing an established engineering team.

You will have the opportunity to shape the future direction of an existing Software Engineering capability, bringing together people, technology, consulting, strategy, client delivery and emerging AI technologies into a cohesive, market-leading practice.

The Opportunity

The wider AI & Automation practice consists of approximately 25 professionals spanning Strategy & Governance, Data Science & AI Implementation and Software Engineering.

Software Engineering represents approximately half of this wider team and includes capabilities across:

• Full-stack software engineering
• Modern application development
• Cloud infrastructure
• Low-code development
• Microsoft Power Platform and Power Automate
• AI-enabled software development
• Automation and emerging technologies

The organisation already has strong technical talent and established client demand. The next stage is to bring these capabilities together under a senior leader who can define where the Software Engineering practice goes next.

You will operate at the intersection of Software Engineering, AI, Consulting and Digital Transformation.

What You'll Be Doing

As Software Engineering Practice Lead, you will:

• Lead and develop the Software Engineering capability within the wider AI & Automation practice
• Establish the strategic and technical vision for the function
• Bring multiple engineering disciplines together into a cohesive consulting practice
• Assess existing capabilities against evolving client and market requirements
• Identify new technologies, services and engineering capabilities to develop
• Lead and mentor technical professionals across software engineering, cloud and low-code technologies
• Work closely with AI, Data Science, Strategy and Governance teams
• Engage directly with clients to understand business and technology challenges
• Shape technology solutions from discovery and strategy through to implementation
• Act as a senior technical SME with client executives and technology leaders
• Support growth opportunities through technical expertise and credibility
• Remain close enough to architecture, engineering and delivery to provide meaningful technical direction
• Help define how AI and emerging technologies will change software engineering and consulting delivery

What We're Looking For

We're particularly interested in candidates who have operated within technology consulting, digital transformation, digital engineering, professional services or a similar client-facing environment.

You may currently be working as a:

• Software Engineering Practice Lead
• Software Engineering Practice Director
• Director of Software Engineering Consulting
• Digital Engineering Practice Lead
• Application Development Practice Lead
• Modern Applications Practice Lead
• Director of Digital Engineering
• Director of Technology Consulting
• Head of Software Engineering Consulting
• VP / Director of Software Engineering within a consultancy

Your exact title is less important than the environment and scope you've worked within.

Essential Experience

You'll ideally bring:

• Significant software engineering or application development leadership experience
• Experience working within a consulting or professional services organisation
• Leadership of multidisciplinary software engineering teams
• Direct client-facing consulting experience
• Experience building, developing or evolving a technology consulting practice
• Strong understanding of modern software engineering and application development
• Commercial awareness and experience supporting consulting opportunities
• Ability to communicate with executive, commercial and technical stakeholders
• Strong technical credibility across architecture, engineering and delivery
• Experience shaping technology strategy and translating it into delivery
• An informed perspective on AI and the future of software development

Experience across areas such as cloud-native development, AI-assisted engineering, Agentic AI, automation, Microsoft Power Platform and low-code technologies would be particularly valuable.

You do not need to be an expert in one prescribed technology stack. Breadth, technical credibility and the ability to set direction are more important.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to shape a practice rather than inherit a finished one.

You'll join a major US professional services organisation that already has technical talent, client demand and significant investment in AI, automation and digital technology.

You'll have the opportunity to:

• Lead an established technical team
• Define the future Software Engineering strategy
• Build and evolve new consulting capabilities
• Influence future technology services and market offerings
• Work at the intersection of Software Engineering and AI
• Remain directly involved with clients and delivery
• Operate at Director level within a large national professional services organisation
• Work remotely from anywhere in the United States

If you're currently leading Software Engineering, Digital Engineering or Application Development within a consulting environment and want the opportunity to build something with genuine strategic influence, we'd be keen to hear from you.

Apply today or contact YourCode Recruitment for a confidential discussion.