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- Tasks: Lead AI Engineering, drive technical strategy, and oversee R&D teams.
- Company: Join an innovative AI start-up redefining intelligent systems with cutting-edge technology.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, equity package, and flexible working environment.
- Why this job: Shape the future of AI while influencing company growth and culture.
- Qualifications: PhD in AI or related field, extensive AI/ML experience, and strong leadership skills required.
- Other info: Opportunity for global travel and board-level visibility in a high-impact role.
The predicted salary is between 129000 - 171000 £ per year.
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This range is provided by 55 Exec Search. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.
Base pay range
Director of AI Engineering:
Company Overview:
Our client is an AI start-up on a mission to redefine how intelligent systems solve real-world problems through cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies. Backed by early-stage investors and building momentum towards the next growth phase, we are exclusively assisting our client in building a team of bold thinkers, top-tier engineers, and commercially driven innovators.
We’re now hiring a Director of AI Engineering to drive the technical strategy, lead the engineering team, and represent the company’s deep tech capabilities both internally and externally.
This is a unique opportunity offering a mixed blend of hands-on technical capability and leadership responsibilities
Role Summary:
As Director of AI Engineering, you will be responsible for the strategic and hands-on leadership of the AI Engineering division. You will head the UK-based Research & Development team and play a critical role in steering the company’s technical roadmap, research agenda, and engineering execution.
The Director of AI Engineering will serve as the technical co-pilot of our client, owning the company’s AI and machine learning vision while managing the engineering and research teams. You’ll drive fundamental breakthroughs in behavioural AI, guide product integration, and serve as the Technical Lead for the organisation.
You must combine world-class technical depth with strategic clarity and commercial understanding. This is a high-impact executive role that shapes both what they build and how they grow.
The ideal candidate combines academic depth, startup agility, and an enterprise-level outlook, preferably holding a PhD or equivalent in a related field, with extensive experience in AI/ML engineering and a demonstrated history of team leadership and alignment with commercial goals.
Key Responsibilities:
- Strategic Leadership: Define and evolve the company’s AI strategy and technical roadmap, aligning with product and go-to-market priorities.
- Research & Development Ownership: Lead the UK-based technical research & development team, fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation.
- Technical Oversight: Oversee the technical architecture and ensure the scalability, reliability, and security of AI systems
- Build a scalable engineering organisation and instil best practices in model development, system architecture, deployment, and experimentation.
- Balance deep technical decision-making with business practicality, ensuring feasibility, budget alignment, and time-to-market optimisation.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineering, product, and design to translate research into production-ready features.
- Represent the company in technical discussions with investors, strategic partners, and at conferences.
- Act as a thought partner to the founders on AI strategy and vision.
- Stay across the latest advancements in AI and machine learning to ensure they stay at the forefront of technology
Requirements:
- Must be open to global travel – typically between the UK and US as well as UK-wide, i.e. London to Manchester and vice versa.
- Deep expertise in AI Engineering, including experience leading teams building machine learning systems.
- Experience building foundational Machine Learning Models, specifically models trained from scratch
- Experience with transformer-based LLMs or multimodal on large-scale data sets
- PhD in AI, Machine Learning, Computational Linguistics, Cognitive Science or a closely related field.
- Strong background in technical R&D, productisation of AI research – from ideation to creation, and driving innovation from lab to launch.
- Commercially astute, with experience working in a startup or high-growth tech environment.
- Excellent people leadership skills, with the ability to attract, retain, and develop top-tier technical talent.
- Experience in a corporate or Big Tech environment, ideally with investor visibility.
- Prior involvement in VC fundraising processes or strategic technology partnerships.
- A strong public profile in AI research, conferences, or publications.
- Competitive salary: Up to £150,000 – £200,000 base – dependent on experience and expertise
- Equity package on offer
- Flexible working environment
- Early-stage leadership opportunity with board-level visibility and influence
Seniority level
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Seniority level
Director
Employment type
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Employment type
Full-time
Job function
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Job function
Information Technology
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Industries
Technology, Information and Media
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Director of AI Engineering employer: 55 Exec Search
Contact Detail:
55 Exec Search Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Director of AI Engineering
✨Tip Number 1
Network with professionals in the AI and tech industry. Attend conferences, webinars, and meetups to connect with potential colleagues and leaders in the field. This can help you gain insights into the company culture and the specific challenges they face.
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase your thought leadership by engaging in discussions on platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter. Share your insights on AI trends, research findings, or innovative projects you've worked on. This will help establish your credibility and visibility in the AI community.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss your vision for AI and machine learning during interviews. Be ready to articulate how you would align technical strategies with commercial goals, as this role requires a balance of deep technical knowledge and business acumen.
✨Tip Number 4
Familiarise yourself with the latest advancements in AI technologies, particularly in areas relevant to the company's focus. Being well-versed in current trends and breakthroughs will demonstrate your commitment to staying at the forefront of the industry.
We think you need these skills to ace Director of AI Engineering
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV highlights your experience in AI engineering and leadership. Focus on specific projects where you've led teams or developed machine learning systems, and quantify your achievements where possible.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter should reflect your passion for AI and your strategic vision for the role. Discuss how your background aligns with the company's mission and how you can contribute to their growth and innovation.
Showcase Technical Expertise: In your application, emphasise your deep expertise in AI and machine learning. Mention any relevant research, publications, or conferences you've participated in, as well as your experience with foundational models and large-scale datasets.
Highlight Leadership Skills: Demonstrate your ability to lead and develop teams. Provide examples of how you've attracted and retained top talent, and discuss your approach to fostering a culture of innovation within a technical team.
How to prepare for a job interview at 55 Exec Search
✨Showcase Your Technical Expertise
As a Director of AI Engineering, it's crucial to demonstrate your deep understanding of AI and machine learning. Be prepared to discuss specific projects you've led, the technologies you used, and the outcomes achieved. Highlight your experience with foundational models and transformer-based LLMs.
✨Emphasise Leadership Skills
This role requires excellent people leadership skills. Share examples of how you've attracted, retained, and developed top-tier technical talent in previous positions. Discuss your approach to fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration within your teams.
✨Align with Commercial Goals
Demonstrate your ability to balance technical depth with business practicality. Prepare to discuss how you've aligned technical strategies with commercial objectives in past roles, ensuring that projects are feasible, budget-friendly, and optimised for time-to-market.
✨Stay Current with Industry Trends
Being at the forefront of AI technology is essential. Be ready to talk about the latest advancements in AI and machine learning, and how they can be applied to drive innovation within the company. This shows your commitment to continuous learning and thought leadership in the field.
