At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of innovative AI solutions and collaborate with business stakeholders.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking bank focused on AI-driven transformation.
- Benefits: Hybrid work, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Exciting role with a focus on innovation and career advancement.
- Why this job: Shape the future of AI in banking and make a real impact.
- Qualifications: Experience in software engineering and strong leadership skills required.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Join us in RBSI CIO as we begin building Gen AI solutions to real business challenges, where a driven Principal Engineer will lead the technical delivery of a software engineering team focused on business‑facing Gen AI development.
You’ll play a hands-on role working directly with senior business stakeholders to shape, define and build AI-powered solutions that support real business processes. You’ll be responsible for leading solution design options and working collaboratively with the business to explore trade-offs, ambiguity and constraints, explaining the pros and cons to key stakeholders for appropriate decision making.
You’ll demonstrate a strong interest in AI experimentation and actively seek opportunities to drive forward AI-led innovation and transformation across business functions, particularly through the practical application of Generative AI to solve business problems. Hone your existing technical skills and advance your career in this innovative and challenging role.
If you don’t currently live in Jersey, you’ll need to specifically state in your CV that you have the right to live and work here to be considered for this role.
What you'll do
In this role, you'll lead the development and deployment of innovative generative AI-based products and services within the bank’s ecosystem. You’ll define the technical vision and strategy for AI-driven projects, aligning them with the bank’s overall technology roadmap and clearly articulated business outcomes.
We’ll look to you to oversee the work quality of the software engineering team, making sure that it meets the technical standards for all services output, as well as implementing a culture of concise and comprehensive technical documentation as a continuous process.
Day-to-day, you’ll be:
- Driving the development of scalable, maintainable, and reliable software architecture that can handle AI applications and AI model hosting at scale.
- Collaborating with stakeholders across various business units, including product management, compliance, and risk, embedding yourself with the business to understand processes, objectives and areas of uncertainty, incorporating them into AI solutions.
- Monitoring the technical progress against plans, while safeguarding functionality, scalability and performance and providing updates to stakeholders, often in situations where requirements are evolving.
- Leading and mentoring the team in the understanding of relevant software languages and technical domains.
- Liaising with engineers, architects, business analysts and other key stakeholders to understand the objectives, requirements and options, acting as a trusted technical partner to senior stakeholders.
The skills you'll need
To be successful in this role, you’ll need a background in software engineering, extensive demonstrable experience in working to co-create software with the business stakeholder or product owners as well as experience in providing technical leadership and accountability for a software engineering team.
We’ll also look to you to have experience of test-driven development and the use of automated test frameworks, mocking, stubbing and unit testing tools, along with knowledge of the key phases of the software delivery lifecycle and established software development methodologies.
You’ll also demonstrate:
- The ability to develop software in an SOA or micro-services paradigm.
- Development experience in a programming language.
- A background of implementing programming best-practice, especially around scalability, availability and performance.
- Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Hours: 35
Job Posting Closing Date: 17/05/2026
Ways of Working: Hybrid
Principal Engineer, Artificial Intelligence in Edinburgh employer: NatWest Group
Contact Detail:
NatWest Group Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Engineer, Artificial Intelligence in Edinburgh
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in your industry, especially those already working at the company you're eyeing. A friendly chat can give you insider info and maybe even a referral!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to AI and software engineering. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to boost your confidence.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your passion for AI! Bring examples of your past projects or experiments to the table during interviews. This will demonstrate your hands-on experience and commitment to driving innovation.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Engineer, Artificial Intelligence in Edinburgh
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Principal Engineer role. Highlight your experience in AI, software engineering, and any leadership roles you've had. We want to see how you can bring value to our team!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about AI and how your background makes you the perfect fit for this role. Don’t forget to mention your interest in working collaboratively with stakeholders.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: In your application, be sure to highlight your technical expertise, especially in software development methodologies and AI applications. We’re looking for someone who can lead and mentor, so share examples of how you've done this in the past.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative!
How to prepare for a job interview at NatWest Group
✨Know Your AI Stuff
Make sure you brush up on the latest trends and technologies in AI, especially generative AI. Be ready to discuss how you've applied these concepts in past projects and how they can solve real business problems.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've led software engineering teams in the past. Highlight your experience in mentoring others and how you've collaborated with stakeholders to drive projects forward.
✨Understand the Business Context
Familiarise yourself with the bank's objectives and challenges. Be prepared to discuss how your technical solutions can align with their goals and improve business processes.
✨Communicate Clearly
Practice explaining complex technical concepts in simple terms. You'll need to convey your ideas effectively to non-technical stakeholders, so focus on clarity and confidence in your communication.