At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovative AI projects from concept to production, creating impactful solutions.
- Company: Join a global leader in information and analytics, driving science and healthcare advancements.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible hours, generous leave, and a comprehensive pension plan.
- Other info: Collaborative culture focused on innovation and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in the world with cutting-edge AI technologies.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering with strong AI system design experience.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Are you excited about building intelligent systems powered by innovative AI technologies? Do you enjoy creating solutions that turn complex data into impactful outcomes?
About the team: Embedded Innovation Teams are cross-functional squads embedded within our segments to rapidly turn internal AI experimentation into validated, reusable solutions, building the capabilities we need to deliver customer value and growth. We work problem-first rather than tool-first, directly inside segment and function teams, improving the internal workflows that help our people deliver better outcomes for customers, faster.
About the role: As a Principal AI Engineer, you will be the technical lead for an embedded Innovation Squad, owning technical execution from discovery through to production. You will assess and harden existing AI prototypes, deliver new ones, and establish the agentic AI patterns, orchestration, tool use, memory, and retrieval that other squads reuse. You are the senior source of expertise on AI architecture, integration, and delivery. You will work directly with internal stakeholders and end users in the host function, finalising requirements, making the architectural calls, and codifying validated solutions into reusable patterns, reference implementations, and starter kits. You may also provide sizing, infrastructure, and budget recommendations, and you will mentor and elevate the engineers around you.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own technical execution from discovery to production; build, assess, and harden prototypes and proofs of concept, and deliver new ones.
- Design and govern reusable agentic AI patterns (orchestration, tool use, memory, retrieval).
- Ensure delivery meets architecture, security and data-governance standards; recommend infrastructure, hosting and data residency.
- Codify validated solutions into patterns, reference implementations, and starter kits so they can be picked up and scaled across other functions.
- Provide design input, finalise requirements, and work directly with internal stakeholders and end users in the host function.
- Write specifications, fix complex bugs, and design complex data models.
- Act as the primary technical contact for external resources and the squad's go-to on coding and AI.
- Establish baselines and report measurable outcomes for every initiative.
- Maintain visibility of in-flight AI pilots within the function to prevent duplication and surface candidates for reuse.
- Ensure alignment with enterprise non-negotiables: security, compliance and central technology infrastructure standards.
- Continuously evaluate emerging technologies and mentor and elevate team members.
- Take on related responsibilities as the squad's needs evolve.
Requirements:
- Engineering experience: 10+ years in software engineering, with hands-on AI system design, build or integration, and a track record of taking AI prototypes to production in enterprise environments.
- Education: BS in Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent; advanced degree preferred.
- Agentic AI / LLMs: LLM orchestration, prompt engineering, context-window management and production guardrails; MCP, tool-augmented agents and RAG at enterprise scale.
- Enterprise integration: Integrating AI into enterprise systems via APIs and data pipelines, with strong security, data governance and residency practices.
- Cloud: AWS, Azure or GCP, including managed AI/ML services.
- Delivery: Agile, CI/CD, modern SDLC and TDD.
- Data and architecture: Modelling across relational, columnar and vector stores, grounded in sound architectural principles.
- Ways of working: Thrives in ambiguity, framing the problem, extracting defined spec, and prioritises shipping validated outcomes over perfect solutions, moving pilots to production at pace.
- Languages: Python, Java, TypeScript/JavaScript, SQL and relevant AI SDKs.
- Leadership and delivery management: Plans and sequences work, manages scope, dependencies and priorities, removes blockers, and drives delivery to keep innovation moving.
- Communication and influence: Presents concisely to senior management, host-function stakeholders and cross-functional teams, and builds buy-in and drives technical decisions across.
- Commercial awareness: Budget-aware; partners with internal and external resources, including managed services and staff augmentation.
- Measurement: Establishes baselines and instruments solutions to track productivity, cost and quality outcomes from pilot through scale.
Why Join Us? Join our team and contribute to a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence. If you are ready to advance your career and make a significant impact, we encourage you to apply.
Work in a way that works for you: We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organization. We offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance, and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long-term goals.
Working flexible hours: flexing the times when you work in the day to help you fit everything in and work when you are the most productive.
Working for you: We know that your well-being and happiness are key to a long and successful career. These are some of the benefits we are delighted to offer:
- Comprehensive Pension Plan
- Generous vacation entitlement and option for sabbatical leave
- Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, and Family Care leave
- Personal Choice budget
- Internal communities and networks
- Various employee discounts
- Recruitment introduction reward
- Employee Assistance Program (global)
About the business: A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. Building on our publishing heritage, we combine quality information and vast data sets with analytics to support visionary science and research, health education, and interactive learning, as well as exceptional healthcare and clinical practice. At Elsevier, your work contributes to the world’s grand challenges and a more sustainable future. We harness innovative technologies to support science and healthcare to partner for a better world.
We know your well-being and happiness are key to a long and successful career. We are delighted to offer country specific benefits. We are committed to providing a fair and accessible hiring process. If you have a disability or other need that requires accommodation or adjustment, please let us know by completing our Applicant Request Support Form or please contact 1-855-833-5120.
Criminals may pose as recruiters asking for money or personal information. We never request money or banking details from job applicants. Learn more about spotting and avoiding scams here.
Please read our Candidate Privacy Policy. We are an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Principal AI Engineer in London employer: RELX
At Elsevier, we pride ourselves on fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, making us an exceptional employer for a Principal AI Engineer. Our commitment to employee well-being is reflected in our comprehensive benefits package, including generous vacation entitlement, flexible working hours, and various wellbeing initiatives that support a healthy work/life balance. With ample opportunities for professional growth and the chance to contribute to meaningful projects that advance science and healthcare, joining our team means being part of a mission-driven organisation dedicated to making a positive impact on society.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal AI Engineer in London
✨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 RELX 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 RELX.
✨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 RELX.
✨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 RELX 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 Principal AI Engineer in London
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 RELX.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at RELX 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 RELX
✨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 RELX 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.
