Contract Principal Operations Engineer (Automation & AI)

TL;DR

Contract Principal Operations Engineer (Automation & AI): Designing, building, and automating internal systems to eliminate operational friction across various business functions with an accent on pragmatic application of AI and integration of existing platforms. Focus on identifying high-leverage pain points, developing resilient systems, and creating sustainable operational foundations.

Location: Must be based in the UK or Portugal. Regular travel to Portugal is expected.

Company

hirify.global is a remote-first consultancy specializing in software engineering, product design, and data, committed to helping clients build skills and capabilities to stay ahead.

What you will do

• Identify and eliminate high-leverage operational pain points across the business.
• Design, build, and automate internal tools, workflows, and systems using scripting, APIs, low-code, and AI.
• Integrate and extend existing platforms (HRIS, finance systems, CRM, access management) ensuring end-to-end functionality.
• Pragmatically apply AI to remove cognitive or manual load, implementing AI-assisted workflows that teams adopt.
• Work closely with various teams and leadership to understand operational constraints and deliver practical improvements.
• Ensure improvements are understandable, maintainable, and clearly owned, defining longer-term operational capabilities.

Requirements

• Strong engineering background (software, platform, automation, or systems engineering).
• Proven experience applying technical solutions to business or operational problems.
• Comfort working across non-technical teams such as People, Finance, and Commercial.
• High judgment and the confidence to make trade-offs.
• Experience using automation and AI in real workflows.

Culture & Benefits

• Remote-first working environment with flexible working and work–life balance.
• Commitment to an equal-opportunity workplace that values diversity in all its forms.
• Values centered on growth, inclusion, honesty, ethics, inspiring solutions, and winning together.

Hiring process

• 1st Interview with the Talent team (30-45 mins).
• 2nd Interview with two Engineers (~1h30).
• 3rd Panel Interview with the COO, Head of Client Services, and Head of People (1h30).