Staff Applied AI Engineer

Is an experienced applied AI or software engineer who enjoys deep, hands‑on delivery and wants to stay on an individual contributor path rather than move into line management. You may already be designing and operating complex AI‑enabled systems and are ready to take end‑to‑end ownership, shape technical direction, and define what “good” looks like for applied AI at scale. This role suits someone confident making architectural decisions, comfortable working in regulated environments, and motivated by raising engineering standards across teams.

A bit about the job: This role sits within Aviva’s expanding Applied AI Engineering capability, which exists to deliver real, measurable business and customer outcomes through production‑grade AI systems. The team designs, builds, and operates applied AI solutions, while establishing shared patterns, tooling, and standards that allow AI to be delivered safely and consistently across the organisation. As a Staff Applied AI Engineer, you will own applied AI systems end‑to‑end, be accountable for technical quality and reliability, and help define engineering practices that other teams adopt.

Skills and experience we are looking for:

• Strong Python engineering expertise, with a track record of delivering and operating production‑grade systems.
• Proven experience building and owning applied AI or LLM‑powered systems in live environments.
• Ability to make system‑level architectural and design decisions, balancing customer value, delivery speed, and risk.
• Experience defining or applying evaluation approaches that clarify quality, safety, and correctness before and after deployment.
• Confidence working in regulated environments, embedding responsible AI, security, and compliance into everyday engineering decisions.

What you’ll get for this role:

• Salary: Circa £130K (depending on location, skills, experience, and qualifications)
• Bonus opportunity – 12% of annual salary. Actual amount depends on your performance and Aviva’s.
• Generous pension scheme – Aviva will contribute up to 14%, depending on what you put in.
• 29 days holiday plus bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell up to 5 days.
• Aviva-funded Private Medical Benefit to help you get expert support when you need it.
• Up to 40% discount on Aviva products, and other retailer discounts.
• Up to £1,200 of free Aviva shares per year through our Matching Share Plan and Save As You Earn scheme.
• Brilliantly supportive policies including parental and carer’s leave.
• Flexible benefits to suit you, including sustainability options such as cycle to work.
• Make a difference, be part of our Aviva Communities and use your 3 paid volunteering days to help others.
• We take your wellbeing seriously with lots of support and tools.

Aviva is for everyone: We’re inclusive and welcome everyone – we want applications from all backgrounds and experiences. Excited but not sure you tick every box? Even if you don’t, we’d still encourage you to apply. We also consider all forms of flexible working, including part time and job shares. We flex locations, hours and working patterns to suit our customers, business, and you. Most of our people are smart working – spending at least 50% of their time in our offices every week – combining the benefits of flexibility, with time together with colleagues. We interview every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the job.