Principal AI Software Engineer (Java, Scala)

iManage; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading SaaS company in Greater London is seeking an experienced AI Principal Software Engineer to develop cutting-edge retrieval systems and work with a diverse team. This role offers the chance to shape new offerings by engaging with customers and leveraging AI technologies. The ideal candidate has 7+ years in engineering, deep JVM ecosystem expertise, and a passion for solving complex problems. Join a dynamic workplace with flexible hours and numerous benefits to empower personal and professional growth.

Benefits

Market-leading salary

Annual performance-based bonus

Enhanced parental leave

Private medical insurance

Flexible time off policy

Access to LinkedIn Learning

Company wellness days

Qualifications

• 7+ years of engineering experience building production software.
• Deep expertise in JVM ecosystem with high-performance systems.
• Good judgment on applying AI versus traditional solutions.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement semantic understanding retrieval systems.
• Work with early adopters to gather feedback.
• Develop evaluation frameworks to improve retrieval quality.

Skills

Problem solving

Self-directed

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

Tools

JVM ecosystem (Java/Scala)

Kubernetes

Azure cloud services

Job description

We offer a flexible working policy that supports a healthy balance between personal and professional wellbeing. This role requires in‑office presence on Tuesdays & Thursdays to collaborate, connect, and learn from peers – while also maintaining the flexibility for meaningful work‑life balance.

Being an AI Principal Software Engineer at iManage Means…

You’ll be at the forefront of AI research and practical engineering, working at the intersection where cutting‑edge ML meets production systems serving millions of user queries. You’ll work on a small, autonomous team with direct customer contact, taking ideas from the lab into production within an established DMS company with petabytes of data. This is an opportunity to make our customers’ data truly work for them through AI‑powered experiences.

We view research and engineering as two sides of the same coin. You’ll be shaping a new offering by learning directly from customers, analysing usage patterns, and applying your engineering skills to create transformative user experiences. You’ll have the autonomy to experiment, fail fast, and iterate rapidly while building on iManage’s decades of trust in the legal sector.

iM Responsible For…

• Designing and implementing retrieval systems that bridge traditional search with modern semantic understanding, making legal documents accessible to AI agents at scale
• Working early adopter customers to understand their workflows, gather feedback, and rapidly iterate on solutions that solve their problems
• Building and optimising production systems that handle thousands of concurrent queries while maintaining sub‑second latency
• Developing evaluation frameworks and metrics to continuously improve retrieval quality
• Taking ownership of complex challenges end‑to‑end, from initial research through production deployment
• Balancing research goals with practical engineering constraints, knowing when to leverage AI and when to build traditional solutions

iM Qualified Because I Have…

• The heart of a maker with hunger to solve complex problems and humbleness to maintain a learning mindset
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science with strong theoretical foundations in algorithms, data structures, and distributed systems
• 7+ years of engineering experience building and shipping production software
• Deep expertise in JVM ecosystem (Java/Scala) with proven ability to build high‑performance, fault‑tolerant systems
• Proven ability to be a “manager of one” – self‑directed, taking initiative, and owning challenges
• Good judgment about when to apply AI solutions versus traditional engineering approaches

Bonus Points If I Have…

• Strong software engineering skills with a track record of building systems that scale in a SaaS environment
• Production experience with LLMs, including prompt engineering, context engineering, and token management
• Experience with implementing hybrid search strategies combining BM25 with vector embeddings, developing relevance algorithms and result ranking systems
• Experience with functional programming paradigms and their application to complex data processing problems
• Hands‑on experience with evaluation frameworks for ML systems and A/B testing at scale
• Expertise in Kubernetes, Azure cloud services, and modern DevOps practices

Don’t meet every qualification listed above? Studies show that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet all qualifications. At iManage, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive environment, and encourage everyone to show up as their full authentic selves. We welcome those that come with a growth mindset and a hunger for learning; so, if you are excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification we encourage you to apply anyway!

iM Getting To…

• Join a rapidly evolving, industry‑leading SaaS company on an exciting journey of growth and scalability!
• Take on meaningful, high‑impact challenges by leveraging cutting‑edge technologies and best‑in‑class protocols to drive innovation.
• Own my career path with our internal development framework. Ask us more about this!
• Expand my skill set and earn certifications with unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning courses and interactive Microsoft courses & training.
• Be part of a supportive and experienced team within a dynamic, inclusive, and encouraging culture.
• Enjoy flexible work hours that empower me to balance personal time with professional commitments.
• Collaborate in a modern, open‑plan workspace featuring a gaming area, free snacks and drinks, and regular social events.

iManage Is Supporting Me By…

• Creating an inclusive environment where you’re encouraged to help shape the culture by bringing your unique perspective, not just by fitting in.
• Providing a market‑leading salary determined through a fair and consistent process, equitable for all our employees, and regularly reviewed against industry benchmarks.
• Rewarding me with an annual performance‑based bonus.
• Providing enhanced parental leave (20 weeks for primary and 10 weeks for secondary caregiver at 100% pay).
• Matching my pension contribution (up to 6%).
• Offering BUPA private medical insurance & a Simplyhealth cash plan to assist with the everyday costs.
• Providing Group life cover, including life insurance, income protection, and critical illness protection.
• Encouraging me to make use of our top‑tier flexible time off policy, which includes 25 days of annual leave and the flexibility to take further additional time off as needed.
• Having multiple company wellness days each year to prioritise mental health and well‑being.
• Providing access to RethinkCare, a global behavioural health platform that enhances personal well‑being, strengthens professional resilience, and empowers parental success through expert‑led training and resources.

iManage is committed to providing an excellent candidate experience and will never ask you to engage in recruitment activity via text and exclusively communicate from emails using the @imanage.com domain. If you have any concerns or questions about communications you have received, please send them to [e-mail] so our team members can review.

About iManage…

At iManage, we are dedicated to Making Knowledge Work™. Our intelligent, cloud‑enabled, and secure platform is trusted by 4,100+ customers and 430,000 users worldwide, managing over 11 billion documents and 11 petabytes of data. We empower professionals across 65+ countries to unlock the full potential of their business content and communications.

We are continuously innovating to solve the most complex professional challenges and enable better business outcomes; our work is not always easy but it is ambitious and rewarding.

So we’re looking for people who embrace challenges. People who thrive on solving problems, pushing boundaries, and collaborating with the industry’s best and brightest. That’s the iManage way. It’s how we turn the impossible into reality, empower our employees to grow, unlock their potential, and create a meaningful impact on everything we do.

Whoever you are, whatever you do, however you work. Make it mean something at iManage.

iManage provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Learn more at: www.imanage.com

Please see our privacy statement for more information on how we handle your personal data: https://imanage.com/privacy-policy/