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- Tasks: Lead the development of cutting-edge AI systems and mentor a dynamic engineering team.
- Company: Exciting AI startup with a remote-first culture and strong backing.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, Apple devices, meaningful share options, and career growth.
- Why this job: Join a pioneering team and make a real impact in the AI landscape.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in production engineering, strong Python skills, and AI architecture experience.
- Other info: Remote work with occasional London HQ visits for team bonding.
The predicted salary is between 90000 - 210000 £ per year.
TalentCo are delighted to be working with an AI startup looking to hire a high-calibre Lead AI Engineer into their growing engineering team in the UK, having recently closed a significant seed funding round. This is a senior individual contributor hire and can be based remote-first anywhere in the UK, for this London HQ'd startup.
You will drive the technical evolution of the clients AI-first platform and serve as their resident AI expert. You will be a core software engineer architecting the complex systems that make AI useful in production, splitting your time between crafting complex AI processing architectures and hands-on data/backend engineering, with the rest spent doing whatever is needed to ship.
As Lead AI Engineer you will:
- Architect & Engineer AI Systems: You won’t just call an API; you will build robust processing architectures that leverage off-the-shelf LLMs, RAG pipelines, and context engineering to solve hard problems. You will benchmark these systems rigorously to ensure they actually work, not just "feel" smart.
- Build the Backend Foundation: You will spend significant time in Python (FastAPI, SQLAlchemy) building the APIs, data structures, and services that power the product. You are an engineer who ensures the "AI" is delivered on reliable, production-grade rails.
- Close the Data Loop: As we launch, you will lead the transition from "zero-shot" implementations to data-driven optimisation. You will instrument data collection, design online evaluation metrics, and deploy simple, effective ML models (e.g., logistic regression, boosted trees) to optimise user outcomes based on real feedback.
- Mentor & Lead: You will work alongside full-stack engineers, upskilling the team on AI concepts and best practices. You are the "from-the-trenches" expert who helps the team distinguish between Twitter hype and engineering reality.
- Strategically Advise: You will help Product and Leadership navigate the map of what’s valuable and what’s possible, steering the roadmap toward features that achieve business impact through data-driven optimisation.
We want to hear from you if you bring:
- Production Engineering (5+ years): You are a strong software engineer first. You have extensive experience building and maintaining backend services in Python (ideally FastAPI or similar async frameworks) deployed to modern cloud providers (GCP/AWS) or point solutions (Railway, Render, Vercel).
- Applied AI Architecture: You have built complex applications using Foundation Models / LLMs. You understand context window management, prompting strategies, and how to chain models together to achieve reliable results.
- Team-Oriented Mindset: Strong communication skills for explaining complex ideas to technical and non-technical audiences, and a passion for collaborating within cross-functional teams.
- Passion and Pride in Shipping: A do-whatever-it-takes attitude to deliver against important business goals that help the entire team win.
- Pragmatic Best Practices: An overarching desire to build efficient, scalable, and maintainable code, while managing the tradeoffs between technical debt and delivery speed. You’d rather ship a heuristic that solves the user's problem today than a perfect model two weeks late.
What do they offer?
- Base salary c£150k
- Remote-first with occasional trips to the London HQ to see the team
- Apple devices and the best AI tooling
- Meaningful early-stage share opportunities
- Career rocket fuel - real growth, real ownership, real impact
Lead AI Engineer (UK Remote) in Oxford employer: TalentCo
Contact Detail:
TalentCo Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead AI Engineer (UK Remote) in Oxford
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the AI space on LinkedIn or at meetups. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can get you in the door.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio showcasing your AI projects and contributions. We want to see what you can do, so make sure it’s easy for potential employers to find your work.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those interviews! Brush up on your technical knowledge and be ready to discuss your past projects in detail. We’re talking about real-world applications of AI, so be ready to impress!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love hearing from passionate candidates who are eager to join our mission.
We think you need these skills to ace Lead AI Engineer (UK Remote) in Oxford
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for AI: When you're writing your application, let your enthusiasm for AI shine through! Share specific examples of projects you've worked on that demonstrate your skills and passion for the field. We love seeing candidates who are genuinely excited about what they do.
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your application to highlight how your experience aligns with the Lead AI Engineer role. Use keywords from the job description and showcase your relevant skills in Python, AI architecture, and backend engineering. This helps us see why you’re a perfect fit!
Be Clear and Concise: While we appreciate detail, clarity is key! Keep your application straightforward and to the point. Avoid jargon unless it’s necessary, and make sure your achievements stand out. We want to understand your journey without getting lost in the details.
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 any important updates. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining our team at StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at TalentCo
✨Know Your AI Stuff
Make sure you brush up on the latest in AI architecture and processing systems. Be ready to discuss your experience with LLMs, RAG pipelines, and how you've tackled complex problems in the past. This is your chance to show them you're not just a theorist but someone who can build robust solutions.
✨Showcase Your Python Skills
Since you'll be spending a lot of time in Python, especially with FastAPI and SQLAlchemy, prepare to talk about specific projects where you've built backend services. Bring examples that highlight your ability to create reliable, production-grade systems and how you've optimised them over time.
✨Demonstrate Team Leadership
As a Lead AI Engineer, mentoring is key. Think of instances where you've guided others in understanding AI concepts or best practices. Be ready to share how you’ve helped teams navigate technical challenges and fostered collaboration across different roles.
✨Be Data-Driven
They want someone who can close the data loop effectively. Prepare to discuss how you've implemented data collection and evaluation metrics in previous roles. Share your experiences with deploying ML models and how you've used real feedback to optimise user outcomes.
