AI Enablement Engineer

About Phorest

Phorest Salon Software supports over 11,000 hair and beauty salons across multiple countries including Ireland, UK, Germany, Australia, Finland, USA, Canada, UAE, and Netherlands. Our platform handles around 7 million appointments monthly and is recognized as the leading salon software brand for premium independent salons. Our system encompasses the in-salon desktop application, a native staff app called Phorest Go, an online booking website, and customized native apps for salons. Each month, we manage 3 million appointments, send over 3 million SMS and 4 million emails, process 200,000 online bookings, and maintain over 150 custom-built white label native applications.

The Opportunity

AI is transforming software companies, and Phorest is investing deeply in AI integration both in our product and operational workflows. We are seeking a Staff Software Engineer to be a founding member of the AI Enablement team. This is a highly autonomous, hands-on role requiring a blend of technical expertise, product insight, and strategic thinking to turn ambiguous problems into scalable AI-driven solutions that create tangible business impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the technical strategy for AI Enablement by identifying and addressing complex, high-impact challenges across the organization and setting engineering standards.
• Collaborate with various business functions to understand goals and workflows, identify where AI can add the most value, and drive projects from discovery to outcome.
• Develop AI-powered tools, automations, agents, or traditional software by making effective decisions about build versus buy considering value, costs, security, and maintainability.
• Deliver production-grade solutions that are scalable, secure, observable, reliable, and well-maintained with clear ownership.
• Measure the impact of AI initiatives by establishing baselines, tracking costs related to engineering, tooling, and AI models, and quantifying value generated to guide future investments.
• Create reusable capabilities, governance practices, and workflows to accelerate and secure future AI projects while overseeing AI tooling, security, production usage, and expenditure.
• Mentor colleagues and promote knowledge sharing to elevate AI and engineering proficiency within the company, while fostering independent good decision-making about AI and tech solutions.
• Ensure each project clearly answers: What changed? What was the cost? What value was created?

Success Indicators

Within 90 days, develop a deep understanding of Phorest's strategy, customer base, business model, and AI opportunities. Identify and prioritize high-impact AI Enablement projects and cultivate strong relationships across teams. Lead at least one project from idea through successful, measurable implementation. Begin creating frameworks, technical patterns, governance, and operating models to scale AI Enablement.

In the long term, establish a repeatable AI Enablement model delivering returns well in excess of its cost. Help build technical foundations and frameworks enabling a growing AI Enablement team to consistently deliver increasing impact across multiple functions.

Who You Are

• You have preferably over 10 years' experience designing, building, and managing complex production software and possess the broad technical judgment expected of a Staff Engineer.
• You have hands-on experience with modern AI technologies, including AI-powered products, internal AI tools, or deploying large language models in production.
• You have led complex high-profile technical projects crossing team or functional boundaries.
• You bring strong software engineering fundamentals across APIs, integrations, cloud infrastructure, security, scalability, observability, and reliability.
• You demonstrate excellent product and commercial acumen, able to navigate ambiguous problems through discovery, experimentation, feedback, and delivery.
• Your strategic judgment balances short-term experiments with long-term sustainable technical solutions connected clearly to business outcomes.
• You operate autonomously, influence without formal authority, and drive projects to measurable results.
• You have excellent communication and collaboration skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• You possess nuanced judgment about the evolving AI landscape including build versus buy decisions, governance, security, quality, and cost control.
• You have a history of enhancing team effectiveness through leadership, mentoring, and knowledge sharing.
• You embody a growth mindset, actively seek and provide meaningful feedback, and exemplify Phorest’s values as a cultural ambassador.
• You are deeply curious about AI, regularly exploring emerging possibilities, and motivated to convert these into impactful organizational improvements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing AI tools that assist teams in effective AI adoption, agentic AI systems, AI evaluation and orchestration, or establishing AI governance, including managing AI tooling and model expenditures.

Employee Benefits

• Private healthcare coverage, 2 wellness days annually, employee assistance program, and access to a free online GP service.
• Competitive compensation packages, employee share purchase scheme, pension, life assurance, and income protection.
• Support for commuting with bike-to-work schemes and tax-savvy transport tickets.
• Enhanced family support including 2 weeks leave for fertility treatment, pregnancy loss, and menopause-related needs, as well as enhanced maternity and paternity benefits.
• Continuous professional development through development programs and extensive online learning resources.
• Three days off provided for moving house.
• Flexible scheduling including work-from-home and remote options.

Additional Information

Phorest is committed to equal opportunity employment. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds, and even if you do not meet every listed requirement but believe you can contribute positively to the role, we welcome you to get in touch for a discussion about your fit.