Lead AI Scientist in London

Quilter plc is a leading provider of financial advice, investments and wealth management, committed to being the UK’s best wealth manager for clients and their advisers. Quilter oversees £141.2 billion in customer investments (as at December 2025). The business offers financial advice, investment platforms, multi‑asset investment solutions and discretionary fund management.

The new role sits within the Chief Data Office (CDO) and reports to the Head of AI. Key accountabilities for the role are as follows:

• AI/ML Solution Delivery: Hands‑on end‑to‑end development and deployment of both traditional and GenAI/Agentic AI based machine learning models, including discovery analytics, experimental design, model development, benchmarking, enhancement and deployment.
• Model Design, Prompt Engineering & Evaluation: Design and execute experiments to benchmark and evaluate model performance using classical metrics (precision, recall, F‑score) and GenAI/Agentic AI specific techniques (LLM‑as‑a‑Judge, ROUGE, GANs). Develop and refine prompts to optimise GenAI model reasoning, accuracy and overall effectiveness.
• Responsible AI: Apply a strong understanding of ethical AI principles and governance frameworks, ensuring robust model validation and ongoing monitoring with regulatory and organisational standards.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Work closely with business partners, stakeholders and technical teams to translate business requirements into impactful AI solutions.
• Research & Innovation: Stay abreast of emerging tools, techniques and best practices in LLMs, RAG, GenAI, Agentic AI model development & evaluation techniques and proactively apply new knowledge to drive innovation.

About You:

• PhD or MSc in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Science or a related STEM field.
• Knowledge: Strong foundation in core machine learning algorithms and deep learning concepts; in‑depth understanding of NLP model development and LLM fine‑tuning, evaluation and monitoring framework; deep understanding of prompt engineering techniques; solid grasp of data structures and handling for both structured and unstructured data; demonstrate expertise in designing, building and deploying AI agents to solve complex business problems; awareness of AI governance and regulatory considerations, especially in financial services.
• Experience: Proven track record in building, fine‑tuning and evaluating traditional ML, NLP and LLM‑based models; hands‑on experience with leading ML frameworks and LLM libraries; strong experience in stakeholder management; experience in GenAI and AI Agent development and deployment using scalable cloud platforms; deep expertise in AI model evaluation framework and ongoing monitoring techniques; expertise in providing technical leadership and mentoring AI Scientists.
• Skills: Advanced programming skills in Python; strong data engineering and data wrangling abilities; expertise in model development, evaluation, benchmarking and continuous improvement; effective communication skills; problem‑solving mindset, curiosity and a passion for staying up to date with the latest advancements; ability to document work clearly and adhere to best practices in reproducibility and model governance.

Inclusion & Diversity: We value diversity and strive to promote inclusivity in all aspects of our culture. We believe in equal opportunities for all, ensuring that no applicant encounters less favourable treatment based on anything but their skills, qualifications, experience and potential.

Values: Do the right thing; Always curious; Embrace challenge; Stronger together.

Core Benefits: Holiday: 182 hours (26 days); Quilter Incentive Scheme; Pension Scheme; Private Medical Insurance; Life Assurance; Income Protection; Healthcare Cash Plan.