At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and delivery of AI systems that transform finance.
- Company: Join Cardo AI, a fintech innovator on a mission to revolutionise asset-based finance.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, performance bonuses, stock options, and team retreats.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for career growth and mentoring.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in a fast-paced environment with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in leading engineering teams and strong software engineering skills required.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
About Cardo AI
At Cardo AI, we've been on a mission since 2018 to make Private Credit and Asset-Based Finance (ABF) markets more accessible and efficient. Today, with over $40 billion in assets under technology, our platform empowers banks, trustees, and investors to accelerate growth through smarter strategies, faster transactions, and optimized investment portfolios. Driven by a bold vision to help grow the ABF market beyond $40 trillion, we're building a future defined by speed, confidence, and innovation. By combining automated workflows, comprehensive data, and AI-driven insights, we transform complexity into opportunity, enabling our clients to unlock growth and stay ahead.
The Data Science & AI team is growing, and we are looking for an Applied AI Manager to lead our application of AI across the platform and the business. You will work on genuinely hard problems: structured finance data is complex, high-stakes, and largely unstructured, and you will build systems that actually change how the market operates. This is not a research role — we need someone who ships.
What You Will Do
- Lead the design and delivery of complex ML and GenAI systems — robust, scalable, and built for production.
- Guide the team across the full AI lifecycle, from experimentation and evaluation through deployment and monitoring, with a strong focus on reproducibility and reliability.
- Drive architectural decisions for data-intensive, AI-driven applications, making sharp trade-offs between cutting-edge approaches and production readiness.
- Apply NLP and GenAI to extract structure from unstructured financial documents: credit agreements, indentures, and servicer reports.
- Build and deploy models that operate on structured finance data, where a logic error has real financial consequences.
- Mentor and grow engineers across levels, building a high-performing team with a strong engineering culture.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Product, Data, and Business teams to shape roadmaps and deliver real impact.
- Champion AI adoption across the organization and influence company-wide technology strategy.
What You Bring
- Proven experience leading engineering teams in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
- Solid understanding of structured finance: loan tapes, cash flow waterfalls, ABS/CLO structures, and priority of payments.
- Strong software engineering skills (Python preferred) combined with deep knowledge of AI/ML frameworks, GenAI tooling, and modern data infrastructure.
- Hands-on experience building and deploying ML/GenAI systems in production within finance, legal, or other high-complexity, data-heavy domains.
- Ability to lead architectural discussions and technical trade-offs without losing sight of the details.
- Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred) and modern MLOps practices.
- Commitment to people development: mentoring, performance conversations, and building high-performing teams.
- Bonus: experience with NLP on financial contracts, RAG or LLM-based applications on structured data, large-scale loan data pipelines, or containerization tooling (Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform).
Competitive salary and performance-based bonus. Stock option plan. Regular team events and annual retreats. Opportunities for career growth within a fast-scaling fintech innovator. A collaborative, innovative, and entrepreneurial culture that values creativity, initiative, and impact.
Applied AI Manager employer: PLP Group
At Cardo AI, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic and innovative work environment in the heart of London. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through mentorship opportunities and a culture that encourages creativity and initiative, ensuring that you can make a meaningful impact while advancing your career in the fast-evolving fintech landscape. With competitive salaries, performance-based bonuses, and regular team events, we foster a collaborative atmosphere where your contributions are valued and rewarded.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Applied AI Manager
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with people on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by practising common questions and scenarios related to AI and finance. We recommend doing mock interviews with friends or using online platforms to get comfortable with your responses.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your projects! Whether it's a GitHub repo or a portfolio website, make sure to highlight your hands-on experience with ML and GenAI systems. This will give potential employers a taste of what you can bring to the table.
✨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, we love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our mission at Cardo AI.
We think you need these skills to ace Applied AI Manager
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that align with the Applied AI Manager role. Highlight your experience in leading engineering teams and working with AI/ML systems, especially in finance.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to tell us why you're passionate about AI and how you can contribute to our mission at Cardo AI. Share specific examples of your past work that demonstrate your ability to tackle complex problems.
Showcase Your Technical Skills:Don’t shy away from detailing your technical expertise! Mention your proficiency in Python, cloud infrastructure, and any relevant AI/ML frameworks. We want to see how you can lead architectural discussions and make informed trade-offs.
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’re considered for this exciting opportunity to join our growing team!
How to prepare for a job interview at PLP Group
✨Know Your AI Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of AI and ML frameworks, especially those relevant to finance. Be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with deploying models in production and how you've tackled complex data problems in the past.
✨Understand Structured Finance
Get familiar with structured finance concepts like loan tapes and cash flow waterfalls. Being able to speak confidently about these topics will show that you understand the industry and can apply AI solutions effectively.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
Prepare examples of how you've led engineering teams in fast-paced environments. Highlight your mentoring experiences and how you've built high-performing teams, as this role requires strong people development skills.
✨Be Ready for Technical Discussions
Expect to dive deep into architectural decisions and technical trade-offs during the interview. Prepare to discuss specific projects where you made critical decisions, and be clear about the impact those choices had on the outcomes.
