AI MCP Architect, Engineering AI & Data, Engineering, London

We are seeking a highly skilled AI MCP Architect to drive the strategic design, development, and implementation of innovative architectures for integrating AI applications and agents with external enterprise systems and APIs for our Financial Services and Private Sector Clients. The role involves defining the technical vision and roadmap for integrating AI capabilities into the broader enterprise ecosystem, ensuring high performance, reliability, and security.

Responsibilities

• Lead the MCP architecture and implementation of innovative integration solutions for AI applications and intelligent agents with external systems and APIs.
• Develop and enforce architectural principles, standards, and best practices for AI integration, specifically leveraging the MCP protocol for seamless data flow and system interoperability (e.g., specification templates, client/server design & mappings, transport layer selection).
• Evaluate and recommend appropriate integration technologies, platforms, and tools, including MCP/API gateways, message brokers, cloud-based integration services, and other middleware.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams, guiding them through complex integration challenges and optimisations (e.g., token efficiency and dynamic context adaptation).
• Collaborate with product owners, data scientists, business stakeholders and development teams to translate functional and non‑functional requirements into robust integration architectural designs.
• Conduct architectural reviews, performance tuning, and security assessments of integrated AI systems.
• Stay abreast of emerging integration technologies, MCP developments (e.g., OpenAI/Google adoptions), and innovative architectural patterns to continuously enhance our solution offerings for AI connectivity.

Qualifications & Skills

• Proven experience in senior architectural roles, specifically designing and implementing complex integration solutions in enterprise environments.
• Demonstrable experience working within the Financial Services and/or Private Sector, understanding their unique business drivers, data complexities, and regulatory requirements.
• Extensive experience with integration design and architecture, including deep knowledge of various integration patterns, API design (REST, GraphQL), event‑driven architectures, and middleware technologies.
• Demonstrable expertise with the MCP protocol, its architecture and its application in large‑scale system integrations.
• Strong understanding of LLMs, RAG, Agent orchestration frameworks (e.g., Langchain, CrewAI, GCP Vertex AI Agent Builder) and how governance and context can be maintained within multi‑agent system architectures.
• Working knowledge in cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP), iPaaS technologies and their integration offerings.
• Experience with API management and data encryption best practices.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Ability to lead and mentor technical teams, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.
• Experience working in a consulting environment is a significant advantage.

Location & Working Environment

You’ll be based in London with a hybrid working policy. Depending on the requirements of the role, you will have the opportunity to work in your local office, virtual collaboration spaces, client sites, and remotely. You will be asked to meet face‑to‑face when needed, while collaborating and learning from colleagues to build relationships that will fuel your career and prioritise your wellbeing.

Return to Work Support

For candidates returning to the workplace after an extended career break, we can offer coaching and support designed to refresh your knowledge and skills and help you transition back into the workplace after a career break of two years or more. Let your recruiter know if this is relevant for you.

Commitment to You

We have a culture that prioritises purpose, inclusion, and personal growth across all levels. Through world‑class development you will gain invaluable technical and personal skills, and become empowered to make a valued personal contribution.