Principal Consultant

ABOUT LIGHTWORKS

Lightworks is a global firm that integrates consequential technologies and bolsters mission-critical programs. Launched in the AI era, Lightworks is powered by people who have spent decades implementing net-new and highly iterative technologies at scale across banking, insurance, telecommunications, and public infrastructure.

Our team brings deep engineering expertise and first-hand knowledge of how organizations operate, distribute change at scale, and manage risk. We specialize in control plane engineering, bolstering mission-critical programs, modernization, and scaling emergent technologies.

THE ROLE

Lightworks Principal Consultants are senior technology leaders who combine institutional credibility, executive presence, and the technical judgment required to deliver complex programs inside regulated environments. Principals are expected to operate as trusted advisors to client executives, shape complex programs, lead delivery teams, and contribute directly to Lightworks’ commercial growth.

This role spans two core service streams, both requiring leadership experience within governed environments and the ability to turn executive priorities into enterprise-scale delivery.

Agentic Control Plane (ACP) – The ACP is Lightworks’ flagship joint development program, built in partnership with several of the world’s largest and most regulated institutions. Principals embedded in ACP work inside an industry-led engineering consortium alongside distinguished engineers and institutional leaders from across financial services, telecommunications, and insurance. You will be on the engineering team building the systems, working with frameworks such as LangFuse, LangGraph, Agent Gateway, and related orchestration and observability platforms to develop the control infrastructure that governs how AI is deployed at scale. The platform currently processes over 2 trillion tokens per month. You will be providing hands-on execution of the deliverables.

CTO-as-a-Service – Direct execution support of mission-critical and strategic programs across AI, cloud, data, and migrations. Where clients require embedded executive technology leadership, Lightworks seconds a principal directly into the client’s existing executive team. CTOaaS engagements are delivered exclusively by luminaries with proven experience at CTO and SVP levels, operating within regulated enterprises with $1B+ technology budgets. Our Principals embed alongside existing executive team members and operate effectively across complex vendor landscapes – including hyper-scaler partnerships and incumbent delivery organizations – bringing hands-on experience across operating models, master planning, strategic program design, and the day-to-day execution required to run complex, high-risk initiatives. All engagements are structured to strengthen internal capability and transition leadership to permanent teams, not exceeding 24 months. 

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Delivery

• Lead complex technology, AI, modernization, and platform programs inside regulated enterprise environments, from architecture through delivery
• Translate board and executive priorities into structured programs, delivery roadmaps, operating models, and clear decision paths
• Assume direct VP or SVP-level accountability for technology programs in CTOaaS engagements – owning structure, operating model, team structure, and delivery roadmap

Client & Relationship Leadership

• Build and maintain trusted advisor relationships with client C-suite, board-level stakeholders, and regulators – present at steering committees, brief executive sponsors, and own key client communications
• Lead steering committee discussions, executive briefings, and complex stakeholder conversations with clarity and credibility
• Foster relationships across client business units, facilitating cross-functional AI and technology initiatives

Commercial & Team Leadership

• Contribute to business development through client relationship development, scope expansion, proposal leadership, and identification of new opportunities
• Mentor and develop Senior Consultants on your engagements – invest in their growth, hold them to a high standard, and build the next generation of Lightworks’ delivery capability

Technical Implementation

• AI
  • Lead, design and build enterprise AI capabilities including LLM gateway, model and inference routers, implementation of guardrails usingLangGraph, LangFuse, ADK, and other leading LLM orchestration and observability platforms
  • Own and deliver AI and data workstreams within large-scale enterprise programs, including AI/ML infrastructure, data platforms, and agentic system deployments
• CTOaaS & Cloud Consulting
  • Lead, design and build secure, compliant cloud platforms, and foundations for highly regulated industries (finance, insurance, aviation, or similar)
  • Drive client stakeholder meetings at the Executive and C-suite level, communicating progress, risks, and decisions clearly
  • Produce technical documentation, architecture decision records, and delivery artefacts that are clear, defensible, and production-ready

WHAT WE LOOK FOR

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, electronics, or another STEM-related field. 
• Hyper-scale certifications at the Associate or Professional level are required

Experience

• 10+ years of demonstrated delivery experience in senior technology leadership roles, 3+ of which inside a highly regulated institution – financial services, insurance, telecommunications, or government  
• Demonstrated consulting, professional services, or advisory experience with evidence of owning outcomes at meaningful scale – program scope, budget, roadmap, stakeholder alignment, delivery teams, and executive communication
• Evidence of contributing to business development, executive relationship management, proposal leadership, or scope expansion

Domain Expertise

• Demonstrated experience building enterprise AI capabilities – LLM gateways, model inference routing, model guardrails, and agent orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LangGraph, Google ADK, or equivalent) inside regulated environments
• Ability to engage credibly with engineers and architects, defend technical decisions in architecture and risk reviews, and understand the engineering implications of your recommendations
• Familiarity with regulated delivery expectations – governance, compliance, auditability, and production readiness

Communication & Culture Fit

• Exceptional communication range - able to work effectively with engineers, CIOs, regulators, and board-level stakeholders without losing precision or credibility at any level
• Collaborative leadership style that builds trust quickly, earns credibility and raises the standard of the teams around you
• Sound judgment under ambiguity – prioritize with clarity, and keep delivery focused on what matters most

Advantageous

• Mainframe and/or legacy application modernization exposure
• Multi-cloud experience – AWS, Azure & GCP
• Familiarity with observability, SRE practices, and production operations in regulated environments
• IaC fluency: Terraform, CloudFormation, Bicep, or equivalent

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive base compensation with performance bonus, aligned with industry standards 
• Full benefits package and stock options plan participation
• Direct access to the ACP platform and consortium - a first-of-its-kind program at the frontier of regulated AI
• Close collaboration with the Lightworks Principals and founding team across strategy, delivery, platform development and client growth
• Opportunity to shape how the world’s most regulated institutions govern and scale agentic AI
  
  

WHY LIGHTWORKS

At Lightworks, the opportunity is to work at the level where the most important technology decisions are being made. Our team is trusted by CIOs, CTOs, risk leaders, and senior engineering teams inside some of the world’s most highly regulated institutions. The people we bring into Lightworks are expected to meet that standard- to think deeply, communicate clearly, and deliver alongside others who have built and led systems at serious scale.

Lightworks is helping shape how AI is deployed, governed, and scaled inside highly regulated institutions. Through enterprise AI, control plane engineering, modernization, and the Agentic Control Plane, we are working on the standards, systems, and delivery models that regulated institutions will rely on in the next era of technology. For someone operating at this level, Lightworks offers the chance to do defining work, with exceptional people, on problems that will matter well beyond a single engagement.