At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.
Your impact
At Jacobs, we are building a Digital and Data capability, working to apply digital expertise to some of the most ambitious urban and infrastructure developments around the world.
In Digital and Data we work with clients to establish their digital infrastructure needs, then develop place-based digital strategies by exploring the assets required and benefits they can bring key stakeholders. We support the design, deployment, cybersecurity and operation of networks, Smart City platforms and operational technology. In this emerging business area, we work with cities, local authorities and developer clients, leading telecom operators and investors, manufacturing clients, IoT providers and development owners.
About The Opportunity
We are seeking a hands-on Development Lead who combines fullstack software craftsmanship with applied AI. You will architect and ship production-grade applications (web, APIs, microservices), lead a small squad of developers, and integrate AI featuresespecially Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)to solve real business problems across engineering consultation projects. You understand how to turn ideas into reliable products, balancing speed with quality, and aligning delivery to business outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & Delivery
- Lead and mentor a cross-functional squad (frontend, backend, data/AI); own sprint outcomes and engineering quality.
- Translate business requirements into technical roadmaps, user stories, and architecture designs; manage scope, risks, and stakeholders.
- Drive reliable delivery with strong DevOps practices (CI/CD, automated testing, code reviews).
Architecture & Engineering
- Design and implement fullstack applications React/Next.js (TypeScript), APIs/services in Python (FastAPI/Django) and/or Node.js (Express/Nest).
- Build scalable microservices and event-driven architectures; containerize with Docker and orchestrate on Kubernetes or Azure App Service.
- Model and manage data across SQL/NoSQL/graph; ensure performance, reliability, and cost efficiency on Azure.
AI & Data Integration
- Design RAG systems ingestion, chunking, embeddings, vector search (e.g., Azure Cognitive Search, FAISS/Pinecone), grounding, and guardrails.
- Use Azure OpenAI and frameworks (LangChain/LlamaIndex) to build AI features (assistants, copilots, summarization, Q&A) inside apps.
- Establish prompt/version management, offline evaluation (e.g., RAGAS), telemetry, and Responsible AI controls.
Security & Compliance
- Implement identity and access (OAuth2/OIDC, Azure AD); follow OWASP, secure secrets, and data governance standards.
- Ensure privacy, model/content safety, and compliance across regions and projects.
Stakeholder & Product
- Work closely with business leads to define value propositions, prioritize features, and measure ROI.
- Prepare architecture diagrams, decision records, and clear documentation for handover and reusability.
Here's what you'll need
- Fullstack development React/Next.js (TypeScript), Python (FastAPI/Django) and/or Node.js (Express/Nest).
- Cloud engineering on Azure App Service/Functions, AKS, Storage, Azure SQL/PostgreSQL, Cosmos DB, Redis, Azure Cognitive Search.
- AI integration with RAG embeddings, vector databases, grounding, evaluation; experience with Azure OpenAI and LangChain/LlamaIndex.
- Security-first mindset OAuth2/OIDC, Azure AD, OWASP Top 10, secrets management.
- Data engineering fundamentals ETL/ELT, APIs, data modeling; ability to work with Power BI/Power Platform when needed.
- Leadership mentoring, code reviews, sprint ownership, stakeholder communication.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Azure Fabric, Synapse, or Palantir Foundry.
- Vector DBs (Pinecone, Weaviate) and evaluation frameworks (RAGAS).
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform/Bicep) and Kubernetes.
- UI/UX collaboration, design systems, accessible frontends.
- Domain exposure to AEC (BIM/IFC), GIS, or geospatial data.
- MLOps (MLflow/Azure ML) and model monitoring.
At Jacobs, from our inclusive employee networks to our positive mental health championswe are committed to fostering a culture of care where you can truly be yourself. Joining Jacobs connects you locally and globally, leveraging our diverse perspectives and unique backgrounds to power our collective strength. We collaborate and share to ensure mutual success.
Safety, flexibility, and professional growth remain paramount in our workplace culture. We provide flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities to make a positive impact through global giving and volunteering programmes. Jacobs offers you the support and resources to maximise your potential and help clients worldwide create a better future.
Begin your Jacobs career in an environment that inspires and empowers you to deliver your best worktoday, tomorrow, and beyond.
From our inclusive employee networks to our positive mental health champions we're committed to driving a culture of caring where you can be you. Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally - and together, our diverse perspectives and unique backgrounds power our collective strength. We collaborate and share! By supporting one another, we all succeed.
With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we've gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You'll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits and opportunities to do good too from participating in our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place.
No matter what drives you, you'll discover how you can cultivate, nurture and achieve your goals all at a single global company.
We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.
Your application experience is important to us, and we're keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.
