Principal AI Platform Engineer

Principal AI Platform Engineer

Full-Time 80000 - 100000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
UBDS Group

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Lead the design and implementation of cutting-edge AI architectures for real-world solutions.
  • Company: Join UBDS Group, a leader in modern cloud, data, and AI solutions.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, private medical cover, and generous holiday allowance.
  • Other info: Dynamic environment with opportunities for personal development and career growth.
  • Why this job: Shape the future of AI platforms and make a real impact in diverse sectors.
  • Qualifications: Strong engineering background with experience in secure AI platforms and mentoring skills.

The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.

UBDS Group delivers modern cloud, data and AI solutions across public and private sector organisations. We design and build scalable, secure and production‑ready platforms that solve real‑world problems and deliver measurable outcomes.

We’re looking for a Principal AI Platform Engineer who combines deep AI architecture expertise with strong engineering capability and technical leadership. This is a senior hands‑on role for someone who can shape AI platforms and production AI solutions, guide delivery teams and help expand AI engineering as a core capability within UBDS.

The Role

As a Principal AI Platform Engineer at UBDS, you will lead the design and implementation of AI architectures across complex transformation programmes.

What You’ll Do

  • Lead the design and implementation of AI architectures
  • Help clients move AI solutions from experimentation into secure production delivery for large‑scale user bases
  • Define platform standards covering governance, observability, security, orchestration and operational support
  • Support technical discovery, bids and client architecture discussions
  • Work closely with delivery, account and capability teams to shape AI opportunities
  • Mentor and upskill engineers moving into AI engineering delivery
  • Build reusable engineering patterns, accelerators and reference architectures
  • Support internal AI enablement and automation initiatives across UBDS

What We’re Looking For

Essential Experience

  • Strong hands‑on engineering background with experience delivering secure AI platforms, AI‑enabled applications or machine learning solutions into production environments
  • Deep understanding of modern AI architecture patterns and real‑world operational delivery, including MLOps/Evals
  • Strong Python engineering capability and experience working across cloud‑native engineering environments
  • Experience integrating AI capabilities into wider enterprise, cloud and data ecosystems
  • Experience acting as a senior technical lead, principal engineer or design authority
  • Comfortable working directly with senior client stakeholders
  • Strong mentoring and coaching capability
  • Experience with some of the following technologies or ecosystems:
    • Amazon Bedrock and SageMaker
    • Claude / Anthropic
    • Azure AI Foundry or Azure OpenAI
    • Databricks
    • Vector databases and RAG architectures
    • Agentic AI orchestration frameworks and MCP servers
    • Model and data lifecycle management

Desirable Experience

  • Experience working within public sector or regulated environments
  • Experience with secure government delivery environments
  • Experience contributing to bids, pre‑sales or technical strategy
  • Knowledge of responsible AI and AI governance frameworks
  • Experience scaling engineering capability or building new technical practices

We do not expect candidates to have deep expertise across every technology listed above. We are looking for individuals with strong real‑world production AI delivery experience, architectural depth and the ability to adapt across evolving AI ecosystems.

Employee Benefits

  • Training – All team members are offered a number of options in terms of personal development, whether it is technical led, business acumen or methodologies. We want you to grow with us and to help us achieve more
  • Private medical cover for you and your spouse/partner, offered via Vitality
  • Discretionary bonus based on a blend of personal and company performance
  • Holiday – You will receive 25 Days holiday, plus 1 day for Birthday and 1 day for your work anniversary in addition to UK bank holidays
  • Electric Vehicle leasing with salary sacrifice
  • Contributed Pension Scheme
  • Death in service cover

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability or age.

Principal AI Platform Engineer employer: UBDS Group

UBDS Group is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, particularly for the role of Principal AI Platform Engineer. With a strong commitment to employee growth through extensive training opportunities and a supportive work environment, we empower our team to lead transformative AI solutions in both public and private sectors. Our competitive benefits, including private medical cover and a generous holiday allowance, alongside our focus on equal opportunities, make UBDS a rewarding place to advance your career in AI engineering.

UBDS Group

Contact Details:

UBDS Group Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Principal AI Platform Engineer

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the AI and engineering space, especially those at UBDS. A friendly chat can open doors that applications alone can't.

Tip Number 2

Show off your skills! If you’ve got a portfolio of projects or contributions to AI platforms, make sure to highlight them in conversations. Real-world examples speak volumes.

Tip Number 3

Prepare for technical discussions. Brush up on your knowledge of AI architecture patterns and MLOps. Being able to discuss these topics confidently will set you apart from the crowd.

Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets the attention it deserves. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive!

We think you need these skills to ace Principal AI Platform Engineer

AI Architecture Design
MLOps
Python Engineering
Cloud-Native Engineering
AI Integration
Technical Leadership
Mentoring and Coaching

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience with AI platforms and engineering. We want to see how your skills align with the role, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant projects!

Showcase Your Technical Skills:When detailing your experience, focus on your hands-on engineering background and any specific technologies you've worked with. Mention your familiarity with cloud-native environments and AI architecture patterns to catch our eye.

Highlight Leadership Experience:As a Principal AI Platform Engineer, we value strong technical leadership. Share examples of how you've mentored others or led teams in delivering AI solutions. This will help us see your potential impact on our team.

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application through our website for a smoother process. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and get you into our system quickly!

How to prepare for a job interview at UBDS Group

Know Your AI Architecture Inside Out

Make sure you’re well-versed in modern AI architecture patterns and can discuss them confidently. Prepare to explain how you've applied these in real-world scenarios, especially in production environments.

Showcase Your Engineering Skills

Be ready to demonstrate your strong Python engineering capabilities. Bring examples of secure AI platforms or machine learning solutions you've delivered, and be prepared to discuss the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

Engage with Technical Discovery

Familiarise yourself with the technical discovery process and be prepared to discuss how you would approach client architecture discussions. Highlight your experience in shaping AI opportunities and how you can contribute to bids and pre-sales.

Mentorship Matters

Since mentoring is key for this role, think about specific instances where you've guided engineers in AI delivery. Be ready to share your mentoring philosophy and how you’ve helped others grow their skills in AI engineering.