AI Engineering Tech Lead in Edinburgh
AI Engineering Tech Lead

AI Engineering Tech Lead in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Full-Time 43200 - 72000 £ / year (est.) No home office possible
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead a high-performing AI engineering team and deliver innovative AI solutions.
  • Company: Join Capita, a dynamic leader in consulting and digital services.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, generous holiday, and opportunities for volunteering.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact with cutting-edge technology in diverse sectors.
  • Qualifications: 4+ years in AI, strong leadership, and technical skills in Python and AWS.
  • Other info: Collaborative culture focused on creativity, growth, and inclusion.

The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.

Purpose of the role: The Lead AI Engineer combines deep technical expertise with strategic leadership to guide a high-performing team. You will be responsible for coordinating the delivery of cutting-edge AI solutions, fostering an innovative environment, and ensuring the team's continued growth. You will lead the AI engineering team from a technical perspective. You will bridge the gap between business requirements and technical execution, driving excellence across the entire AI lifecycle.

What we're looking for:

  • Technical Skills
  • Languages: Proficiency in Python and Terraform is mandatory. Beyond syntax, the candidate must demonstrate mastery of best practices, clean code principles, and the ability to build maintainable, modular systems. Experience with TypeScript and SQL is highly desirable.
  • Cloud Services: Must possess a deep understanding of the AWS ecosystem, including account navigation and resource management. Prior experience or understanding of Azure and GCP is considered a plus.
  • Strategic Architecture: Design and oversee data pipelines based on robust infrastructure foundations and an understanding of complex model chaining using common open source frameworks.
  • Platform Leadership: Expert-level management of LLM and Foundational models across AWS and Azure, ensuring scalable and cost-effective deployments.
  • Standards & Quality: Define and enforce engineering standards for software practices, model serving, and lifetime management (accuracy, drift, and rigorous testing).
  • Development Excellence: Drive best practices in Python and asynchronous programming, ensuring high-performance software architecture and design patterns.
  • CI/CD & DevOps: Architect robust deployment pipelines and distributed computing environments to ensure seamless production cycles.
  • Technical Oversight: Lead code and design reviews, identifying quality issues and refactoring complex systems to maintain technical debt.
  • Solution Implementation: Provide high-level recommendations for AI developments and translate client specifications into actionable engineering roadmaps.

Requirements:

  • Experience: At least 4 years in a specialized AI/Gen AI practitioner role.
  • Leadership & Mentoring: Proven ability to coach and mentor engineers, serving as a primary route of escalation for complex technical issues.
  • Stakeholder Management: Experience chairing meetings and communicating complex technical concepts to both internal leadership and external clients.
  • Strategic Thinking: Strong business awareness to align AI initiatives with organisational drivers, structures, and priorities.
  • Project Governance: Ability to organise, prioritise, and monitor team workloads, ensuring projects stay on schedule and meet service standards.
  • Ethical Oversight: Deep understanding of Engineering and AI ethics, ensuring all team outputs adhere to responsible AI standards.
  • Continuous Innovation: A passion for emerging technologies, staying up-to-date with certifications and industry advancements to keep the team's skills at the forefront.

Join Capita - Where Innovation Meets Opportunity. Capita is a dynamic leader in consulting and digital services, helping some of the UK's most recognized organizations transform and thrive. We use cutting‑edge technology and fearless innovation to create smarter, more efficient solutions that make a real difference. Our work spans diverse sectors - government, healthcare, education, and finance - offering you the chance to contribute to projects that impact millions of lives. At Capita, you'll be part of a collaborative, forward‑thinking team that values creativity, growth, and inclusion.

We're committed to your development and success, providing opportunities to learn, progress, and shape better outcomes for customers and communities. If you're ready to make an impact and grow your career, Capita is the place for you.

What's in it for you?

  • A competitive basic salary
  • 23 days' holiday (rising to 27) with the opportunity to buy extra leave
  • The opportunity to take a paid day out of the office, volunteering for our charity partners or a cause of your choice
  • Company matched pension, life assurance, a cycle2work scheme, 15 weeks' fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paternity pay of two weeks...and plenty more
  • Voluntary benefits designed to suit your lifestyle - from discounts on retail and socialising, to health & wellbeing, travel and technology
  • Access to our Employee Network Groups, which represent every strand of diversity and allow colleagues to connect and learn from each other on an open, inclusive platform

What we hope you'll do next: Choose 'Apply now' to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you. We're an equal opportunity and Disability Confident employer, which means we recruit and develop people based on their merit and passion. We're committed to providing an inclusive, barrier‑free recruitment process and working environment for everyone. If you need the job description or application form in an alternative format (such as large print or audio), or if you'd like to discuss other changes or support you might need going forward, please email reasonableadjustments@capita.com and we'll get back to you. For more information about equal opportunities and process adjustments, please visit the Capita Careers website.

AI Engineering Tech Lead in Edinburgh employer: Capita plc

Capita is an exceptional employer that champions innovation and collaboration, providing a vibrant work culture where creativity thrives. With a strong commitment to employee development, you will have access to numerous growth opportunities, including training in cutting-edge technologies and leadership mentoring. Located in the heart of the UK, Capita offers a competitive salary, generous holiday allowance, and a range of benefits designed to support your lifestyle and well-being, making it an ideal place for those looking to make a meaningful impact in their careers.
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Contact Detail:

Capita plc Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land AI Engineering Tech Lead in Edinburgh

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the AI field, attend meetups, and engage in online forums. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.

✨Tip Number 2

Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your AI projects, especially those involving Python and Terraform. This will give potential employers a taste of what you can do and set you apart from the crowd.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical knowledge and leadership skills. Be ready to discuss how you've led teams and tackled complex AI challenges. Practice common interview questions to boost your confidence.

✨Tip Number 4

Don't forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you're genuinely interested in joining our innovative team at Capita.

We think you need these skills to ace AI Engineering Tech Lead in Edinburgh

Proficiency in Python
Proficiency in Terraform
Mastery of clean code principles
Experience with TypeScript
Experience with SQL
Deep understanding of AWS ecosystem
Familiarity with Azure and GCP
Expert-level management of LLM and Foundational models
Ability to design data pipelines
Knowledge of engineering standards for software practices
Experience in CI/CD and DevOps
Technical oversight in code and design reviews
Strong stakeholder management skills
Leadership and mentoring abilities
Understanding of Engineering and AI ethics

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Technical Skills: Make sure to highlight your proficiency in Python and Terraform right from the start. We want to see how you’ve applied these skills in real-world scenarios, so don’t hold back on sharing specific examples!

Tailor Your Application: Take a moment to customise your application for the AI Engineering Tech Lead role. Use keywords from the job description to demonstrate that you understand what we’re looking for and how you fit into our vision.

Demonstrate Leadership Experience: Since this role involves leading a team, share your past experiences in mentoring or coaching others. We love to see how you’ve helped your team grow and overcome challenges together.

Keep It Professional Yet Personal: While we appreciate professionalism, we also want to get a sense of who you are. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through in your application. A little bit of authenticity goes a long way!

How to prepare for a job interview at Capita plc

✨Master the Technical Skills

Make sure you brush up on your Python and Terraform skills before the interview. Be ready to discuss best practices, clean code principles, and how you've built maintainable systems in the past. If you have experience with TypeScript or SQL, don’t forget to mention that too!

✨Showcase Your Leadership Experience

Prepare examples of how you've led teams or mentored engineers in previous roles. Highlight specific instances where you’ve resolved complex technical issues or chaired meetings, as this will demonstrate your ability to manage stakeholders effectively.

✨Understand the Cloud Ecosystem

Familiarise yourself with the AWS ecosystem, especially account navigation and resource management. If you have any experience with Azure or GCP, be sure to bring that up. This knowledge will show that you can bridge the gap between business needs and technical execution.

✨Emphasise Continuous Innovation

Express your passion for emerging technologies and how you stay updated with industry advancements. Discuss any recent certifications or projects that reflect your commitment to continuous learning and innovation in AI engineering.

AI Engineering Tech Lead in Edinburgh
Capita plc
Location: Edinburgh

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