E2 Engineer - Data and AI Engineering in Swindon

As an AI/ML Engineer within the AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) team, you will contribute to combining AI techniques with Nationwide’s distinctive data assets to support business decisions and automate processes. This role offers the opportunity to develop your expertise in AI applications for financial services, using techniques in Natural Language Processing and statistical machine learning. You will contribute to products that improve efficiency, help experts prioritise tasks and support decision-making.

Our growing suite of AI-powered products and services provides opportunities to reuse foundational components through well-designed libraries and services across the team. This position blends applied research with software engineering and will help you build experience across both domains. You will have the opportunity to work on a variety of projects spanning machine learning and Generative AI. We are happy to consider flexible working approaches to help you perform at your best. At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible.

More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected. For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, based at either our London or Swindon office.

If your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. Nationwide is committed to the redeployment of our employees impacted by change, as such applications for redeployment candidates will be prioritised in this recruitment process.

Responsibilities:

• You will support the development of scalable classifiers and tools using machine learning, time-series predictive methods and deep learning models.
• Working with software engineers and data engineers, you will help deploy machine learning models and Generative AI applications into production environments using established ML workflows.
• You will also contribute to reusable technical assets that help accelerate adoption.
• You will work with customers and colleagues to understand problems, support the implementation of AI solutions and share clear guidance on appropriate AI adoption patterns and pathways.

About you:

• Practical knowledge of ML and AI, with some hands-on experience of building applications using large foundation models.
• A good understanding of statistics, optimisation and ML fundamentals, with familiarity with common deep learning architectures such as transformers, autoencoders and VAEs.
• Experience developing clear, maintainable Python code, ideally for production environments.
• Awareness of explainable AI techniques and metrics used to assess fairness, transparency and interpretability in ML models.
• Working knowledge of prompt engineering, retrieval approaches and other common AI application components.
• Experience working with Azure cloud services and an ability to develop solutions within an established technical environment.
• Good problem-solving skills and a willingness to explore practical solutions.
• Exposure to financial services or consulting would be beneficial.

Our customer first behaviours put customers and members at the heart of how we work together:

• Feel what customers feel - We step into our customers’ shoes, using their feedback and insights to empathise with them and to understand their needs.
• Say it straight - We are brave in speaking out and saying what we think – we’re honest and direct with good intent.
• Push for better - We don’t settle for mediocrity, we challenge the status quo, taking responsibility for continuous improvement and personal development.
• Get it done - We prioritise what will have the greatest impact, we are decisive, and we take accountability for delivering brilliant customer outcomes.

You can strengthen your application by showing how our customer first behaviours resonate with you, and where you may have already demonstrated these.

The extras you’ll get:

• 25 days holiday, pro rata.
• Private medical insurance.
• A highly competitive pension to help you build a strong foundation for retirement.
• Access to an annual performance-related bonus.
• Training and development to help you progress your career.
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme.
• Life assurance to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones in the event of your death.
• Wellhub – access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness.
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year.

Banking – but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society. We forge our own path at Nationwide. As a mutual, we’re owned by our members - those customers who bank, save or have a mortgage with us. We challenge the financial sector status quo. We don’t see customers as the engine of our own profit. We share our profits with them and put their needs first.

If you’re inspired by fairer finances, passionate about making a meaningful impact, and truly care about our customers, you’re one of us. At Nationwide, you are challenged to grow and rewarded for doing so. Valued. Recognised. Inspired to be your best.

What to do next:

If this role is for you, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button. You’ll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us. We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.