Artificial Intelligence Specialist in Salisbury

A rapidly expanding, £170m+ international group operating across multiple countries is looking for a Group AI & Business Intelligence Lead. This newly shaped role sits at the heart of the organisation’s digital and analytics strategy and will take ownership of AI, machine learning and business intelligence capabilities across all business units.

Reporting to the Group Finance Director, you will be the go-to expert for AI/ML, data engineering and BI — setting the strategic direction, delivering high-impact projects, and embedding advanced analytics into everyday decision-making.

The Opportunity

This is a rare chance to build and run an enterprise-wide AI & BI function within a growing group environment. You will lead the roadmap, create measurable commercial value and champion adoption of cutting-edge technologies across diverse operational, commercial, and financial teams. Your success will be measured through improvements in forecasting accuracy, ROI on AI/BI programmes, reduction in manual reporting processes, and enhanced customer service performance.

What You’ll Lead & Deliver

• Strategic Direction
  • Shape and own the long-term AI, LLM and BI vision across the group.
  • Ensure all initiatives directly support commercial objectives and operational KPIs.
• AI/ML & BI Programme Delivery
  • Develop compelling business cases that outline clear benefits, costs, and timelines.
  • Drive delivery of AI/ML and BI projects from concept through to deployment.
• Data Engineering & Architecture
  • Build and maintain robust ETL pipelines for both structured and unstructured data.
  • Oversee the creation of a unified, reliable data source for all critical reporting.
  • Design scalable architectures capable of powering dashboards and model training.
• AI / LLM Development
  • Customise and refine LLMs using product, operations and support data.
  • Embed AI capabilities into quoting tools, customer support workflows, dashboards and decision processes.
• Analytics & Insight
  • Produce dashboards, analysis and rapid proof-of-concept models to test ideas quickly.
  • Convert business challenges into predictive, prescriptive or generative AI solutions.
• Systems Integration
  • Connect AI/BI outputs with key business systems including ERP, CRM and operational platforms.
  • Ensure data flow, accuracy and accessibility are optimised for analytics and AI use.
• Governance & Data Quality
  • Implement processes and standards ensuring accuracy, compliance and consistency across all datasets.
  • Monitor quality for both reporting and model training.
• Training & Cultural Adoption
  • Upskill teams across multiple sites, building data literacy and driving adoption.
  • Act as the internal champion for AI and BI across the group.

What You’ll Bring

• Strong expertise in data pipelines, data warehousing and ETL development (Python, DuckDB, Azure Data Lake or similar).
• Advanced BI experience with proven capability in dashboard/report creation (Power BI ideal).
• Hands-on experience with LLM technologies (Hugging Face, GPT, LangChain) and fine-tuning models on enterprise data.
• Background integrating BI/AI solutions with ERP, CRM or multi-site operational systems.
• Excellent commercial awareness with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Solid knowledge of data governance, compliance and industry standards (e.g., GDPR, regulated environments).

Experience Required

• 3+ years in AI/ML and Business Intelligence roles.
• Proven success working with stakeholders across multiple countries or business units.
• Demonstrated ability to create business cases and deliver quantifiable business outcomes.
• Entrepreneurial self-starter who can operate autonomously and drive initiatives forward.
• Experience leading ERP development or transformation programmes.