Senior AI Engineer - QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey

Senior AI Engineer - QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey

Full-Time 75600 - 92400 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
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At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the design and development of innovative AI solutions with a global team.
  • Company: Join QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, a leader in AI-driven solutions.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and a focus on holistic well-being.
  • Other info: Collaborative culture with mentorship and opportunities for rapid personal growth.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact by transforming businesses through advanced analytics and AI.
  • Qualifications: 6+ years in data solutions, strong Python skills, and experience with AI technologies.

The predicted salary is between 75600 - 92400 £ per year.

Who You'll Work With

Driving lasting impact and building long-term capabilities with our clients is not easy work. You are the kind of person who thrives in a high performance/high reward culture - doing hard things, picking yourself up when you stumble, and having the resilience to try another way forward. In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we’ll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues—at all levels—will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients.

Every day, you’ll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won’t find anywhere else.

When you join us, you will have:

  • Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development.
  • A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity.
  • Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients.
  • World‑class benefits: On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well‑being for you and your family.

Your Impact

You will lead the design and development of innovative AI solutions by seamlessly combining advanced software development practices with robust data engineering expertise. You will collaborate with a global network of technologists, data scientists, and industry experts to help clients transform their businesses through advanced analytics and AI‑driven solutions. You’ll develop scalable data pipelines, build cutting‑edge software products, and contribute to the development of AI models while mentoring client teams and shaping engineering cultures.

You will take on diverse and impactful responsibilities that blend technical expertise with strategic collaboration. You will architect and build scalable, modular, and reproducible data pipelines tailored for machine learning and AI applications. Additionally, you will develop software products and services from the ground up, ensuring they are maintainable, scalable, and secure. Collaborating with cross‑functional teams, you will assess data landscapes, ensure data quality, and prepare data for advanced analytics models. Your work will also involve managing secure data environments and contributing to research and development initiatives, as well as internal asset development, to continuously expand your technical expertise.

Beyond technical execution, you will participate in cross‑functional problem‑solving sessions with client leaders, helping shape their digital strategies and delivering solutions that extend beyond the product itself. A key part of your work will be mentoring client teams on engineering best practices, user‑centric design, and Agile values, enabling them to build the technical capabilities and cultures necessary to sustain AI‑driven solutions. Your work will address real‑world challenges across industries, driving meaningful and lasting impact.

By partnering with QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey and QuantumBlack Labs teams, you will help create cutting‑edge machine learning systems that accelerate AI adoption and solve complex business problems at scale.

Your Qualifications and Skills

  • Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent experience
  • 6+ years of professional experience in building and deploying data solutions and software products
  • Strong coding skills in Python, with additional experience in Scala or Java being a plus
  • Experience working with structured, semi‑structured, and unstructured data
  • Hands‑on expertise in containerization and orchestration using Docker and Kubernetes for scalable production systems
  • Familiarity with distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Dask), cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP), and analytics libraries (e.g., pandas, numpy, matplotlib)
  • Exposure to DevOps, DataOps, and MLOps concepts and best practices.
  • Experience with core technologies such as Python, PySpark, SQL, Airflow, Databricks, Kedro, Dask/RAPIDS, Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud services (AWS/GCP/Azure)
  • Experience with Generative AI (GenAI) or agentic systems, including building Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, implementing large language models (LLMs), or integrating advanced AI frameworks is a plus
  • Exposure to AI modeling frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, or Scikit‑Learn, along with familiarity with AI Governance and Safety principles, including Responsible AI practices, bias and hallucination testing, and LLM safety guardrails
  • Demonstrated experience working collaboratively with other developers, as well as technical and non‑technical people within software teams.
  • Additionally, experience working in Agile teams including active participation in sprint ceremonies
  • Exceptional time management to meet your responsibilities in a complex and largely autonomous work environment
  • Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, in English and local office language(s), with the ability to adjust your style to suit different perspectives and seniority levels

Senior AI Engineer - QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey employer: QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey

At QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a high-performance culture where your contributions truly matter. Located in London, we offer world-class benefits and a commitment to continuous learning, ensuring you have the resources and mentorship needed to accelerate your growth as a data engineer. Join a diverse global community of experts, collaborate on cutting-edge AI projects, and make a meaningful impact while developing your skills in a supportive and innovative environment.

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Contact Details:

QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Senior AI Engineer - QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey

Join Local Tech Meetups

Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!

Contribute to Open Source Projects

Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey.

Tap into Online Developer Communities

Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey.

Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles

Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!

We think you need these skills to ace Senior AI Engineer - QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey

Python
Scala
Java
Data Engineering
Containerization
Orchestration
Docker

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.

Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey.

Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!

Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!

How to prepare for a job interview at QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey

Brush Up on Your Coding Skills

For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.

Know Your Tools and Frameworks

Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.

Showcase Your Projects

Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.

Prepare for Behavioural Questions

While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.