Head of Artificial Intelligence in Oxford

I'm working on a key leadership hire to build and lead its Applied AI capability. We're looking for someone who can combine deep technical AI expertise, client leadership and people management, while helping shape the future direction and commercial growth of an established engineering capability.

You'll lead a team delivering real-world AI solutions, working across Generative AI, Agentic AI, Machine Learning and intelligent automation. Crucially, these aren't innovation-lab projects that stop at proof of concept. The focus is on taking AI from an initial idea through to secure, reliable production systems that deliver measurable business outcomes.

The role

• You'll have overall responsibility for the technical direction and development of the Applied AI capability.
• Leading senior client conversations around AI strategy and implementation.
• Taking AI opportunities from discovery through to production.
• Leading engineers building AI systems from the ground up.
• Setting technical direction across Generative, Agentic and Predictive AI.
• Remaining close enough to engineering to challenge architecture and solution design.
• Leading important client engagements and remaining approximately 20–30% billable.
• Developing and mentoring senior technical people.
• Building and scaling the team as demand increases.
• Working alongside Sales and Pre-Sales to shape and win new engagements.
• Contributing to proposals, solution design and statements of work.
• Developing repeatable AI offerings and technical accelerators.
• Driving innovation and evaluating emerging AI technologies.
• Acting as a senior technical voice with both executive and engineering stakeholders.
• Helping the wider organisation adopt AI effectively.

Who we're looking for

The ideal person will have grown from a strong Software Engineering, Data, Machine Learning or Data Science background before progressing into architecture, technical leadership or management. You should still be highly technically literate. We're not looking for someone who has spent the last several years entirely removed from engineering.

You'll ideally bring experience across areas such as:

• Production LLM applications.
• Generative AI.
• Agentic AI and agent orchestration.
• RAG.
• Machine Learning.
• AI architecture.
• Cloud-based AI platforms.
• MLOps / LLMOps.
• Evaluation and observability.
• AI governance.
• Software Engineering and system design.

Specific tooling is less important than demonstrating that you've designed and delivered AI systems that people actually use in production. You'll also need to be comfortable operating in front of clients. That could mean discussing business value and AI strategy with senior leadership in the morning, reviewing an architecture with engineers in the afternoon, and helping shape a proposal for a new engagement later that day.

You don't necessarily need to have previously run an entire AI practice either. This could suit an existing Head of AI / Practice Lead, but we're also interested in ambitious Principal AI Engineers, AI Architects, Engineering Managers and senior technical leaders who are ready to take the next step. What's important is that you can demonstrate technical credibility, leadership, client impact and an entrepreneurial approach to building something.

Package

• £120,000–£160,000 base salary.
• Up to 30% bonus.
• Equity.
• Fully remote within the UK.
• Brilliant benefits package.
• Significant autonomy to shape and grow the capability.

UK right to work is required and sponsorship isn't available for this position. If this sounds like you then please click apply now!