At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design and delivery of innovative automation solutions using cutting-edge technologies.
- Company: Waystone, a leader in asset-servicing solutions with over 25 years of experience.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, and opportunities for career growth.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team focused on AI integration and continuous improvement in a collaborative environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by driving efficiency and innovation in automation across the organisation.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in automation or software engineering, with expertise in n8n and Microsoft Power Automate.
The predicted salary is between 60750 - 74250 £ per year.
About Waystone
Waystone is a leading asset-servicing solutions provider of institutional governance, administration, risk and compliance services to financial institutions.
With over 25 years’ experience and a comprehensive range of specialist services to its name, Waystone helps our clients structure, operate and grow through our expertise, innovation and digitisation, backed by the operational scale to support global expansion
Summary
Reporting to the AI and Automation Manager, the Lead Automation Engineer will be vital to the success of Waystone’s engineering, integration, automation and assurance capabilities.
The role leads the design, delivery, governance and continuous improvement of automation across Waystone, where the process and the integration are the product: driving efficiency by removing manual and repetitive work, orchestrating workflows, and connecting systems through APIs, webhooks and event-driven integration.
Acting as the technical authority for workflow automation platforms — with n8n and Microsoft Power Automate as key strategic technologies — the role sets the standards, reusable patterns and guardrails for building reliable, secure and supportable automations.
The role increasingly draws AI into workflows as a step, such as LLM calls to classify, extract or summarise, working in close partnership with the AI Engineering team, which owns agents, LLM-powered applications, prompt engineering, evaluations and AI safety.
Essential Duties And Responsibilities
- Act as Waystone’s technical lead and subject matter expert for workflow automation and orchestration — with n8n and Microsoft Power Automate as the key strategic platforms — driving efficiency across the organisation by removing manual and repetitive work.
- Define and maintain the automation Centre of Excellence (Co E), including automation standards, reusable patterns, templates, documentation expectations and operational guardrails.
- Lead the design and delivery of complex, enterprise-grade automation solutions integrating Saa S platforms, internal systems, APIs, cloud services and third-party providers.
- Provide hands‑on contribution to automation delivery, including workflow design, configuration, scripting, integration logic and technical validation.
- Establish best practice for how automations are designed, tested, deployed, monitored and supported, including error handling, version control, environment separation and observability.
- Embed AI as steps within workflows, such as LLM calls to classify, extract or summarise, consuming capabilities and patterns provided by the AI Engineering team, and preferring deterministic automation where it is safer, simpler or more cost effective.
- Ensure automations that consume AI do so responsibly, operating within the guardrails, evaluation and responsible‑AI standards defined by AI Engineering, with appropriate human oversight, auditability, cost control and operational ownership.
- Partner with the Lead AI Engineer and AI Engineering team on hybrid solutions, owning the workflow, integration and orchestration layer while AI Engineering owns agents, LLM‑powered features, prompt engineering, model selection and evaluations.
- Support business users, Operations Champions and Power Users in the safe design and adoption of no‑code and low‑code automations, providing reusable guidance, examples and guardrails.
- Guide the transition of user‑developed automations into supported enterprise solutions when they outgrow personal or team productivity use cases.
- Review automation designs to identify fragility, unnecessary complexity, security risks, control gaps and long‑term support issues.
- Evaluate emerging automation technologies, including computer‑use agents and successors to traditional RPA, and maintain a roadmap for automation capability maturity.
- Uplift automation capability across the business through coaching, knowledge sharing and practical guidance, and promote automation‑first thinking, complementing the broader AI literacy and enablement agenda led by AI Engineering.
Requirements
- Deep understanding of low‑code automation, workflow orchestration and intelligent process automation, with strong hands‑on experience of n8n and Microsoft Power Automate.
- Good understanding of the wider Microsoft Power Platform, and awareness of complementary workflow platforms such as Workato, Xceptor and Appian, with no immediate expectation to use or own them.
- Strong understanding of how to consume AI within workflows, including LLM calls for classification, extraction and summarisation, intelligent document processing and human‑in‑the‑loop design.
- Practical judgement on when to use AI in automation, and when deterministic, rules‑based automation is safer, simpler or more cost effective.
- Experience integrating AI services as steps within automation platforms, with sufficient awareness of agents, prompts, guardrails and frameworks such as Microsoft Agent Framework and Lang Chain to collaborate effectively with AI Engineers.
- Strong understanding of APIs, webhooks, event‑driven integration, authentication patterns, data mapping and system‑to‑system communication.
- Fluency in modern engineering practice, including source control, code review, automated testing, CI/CD and environment management.
- Good understanding of governance, security, privacy, auditability and data handling in a regulated enterprise environment.
- Clear communication across technical and non‑technical audiences, with the ability to influence stakeholders and promote best practice without over‑engineering.
- The ability to mentor engineers, analysts, Operations Champions, Power Users and business users, uplifting automation capability across the wider organisation.
Experience
- 5+ years’ experience in automation, integration, software engineering, workflow orchestration or a related technical discipline.
- Proven experience designing, leading and delivering enterprise automation using low‑code platforms such as n8n or Microsoft Power Automate.
- Experience establishing automation standards, governance and reusable patterns, ideally within a regulated environment.
- Experience embedding AI capabilities as steps within business workflows, delivered in partnership with AI engineering teams.
- Experience collaborating with cross‑functional teams and mentoring others in automation, workflow design and platform best practice.
EDUCATION
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or a related discipline (or equivalent practical experience).
- Relevant certifications in automation, Microsoft Power Platform, software engineering, integration, process improvement, or AI are desirable.
- #J-18808-Ljbffr
Lead Automation Engineer in Leeds employer: Waystone
Waystone is an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and innovative work culture, where creativity and strategic thinking are highly valued. Located in a vibrant market, employees benefit from comprehensive professional development opportunities, competitive compensation, and a collaborative environment that encourages growth and success. Joining Waystone means being part of a forward-thinking team dedicated to excellence in fund administration marketing.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Automation Engineer in Leeds
✨Get Involved in Local Automation Meetups
We can’t stress this enough – getting your face out there in the automation and control systems community can really set you apart. Look for local meetups or workshops where you can chat with industry professionals, learn about what’s trending, and even discover hidden job gems. Who knows, you might meet someone from a company like Waystone!
✨Show Off Your Projects
Make sure you have a portfolio of your work ready to roll. Whether it’s academic projects, internships or personal experiments, showcase how you’ve tackled automation challenges. When you apply for the Lead Automation Engineer position at Waystone, linking your portfolio gives your application that extra oomph and demonstrates your practical knowledge.
✨Leverage Your Uni Career Services
If you’re fresh out of uni, don’t forget about your career services! Many universities have established connections with companies in the automation field. They may know when Waystone is looking for fresh talent or even have internships that lead to full-time positions. So, hit them up!
✨Keep an Eye on Industry Certifications
While hunting for roles, consider getting certified in relevant automation technologies. It shows dedication and gives you a leg up in the job market. Plus, many organisations offer job boards or networking events to certified professionals. This might just lead you to that coveted Lead Automation Engineer role at Waystone!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Automation Engineer in Leeds
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Technical Skills:When applying for an automation-control-systems role, it’s crucial to highlight your technical skills. Whether it's your proficiency in programming languages like Python or understanding control systems, make sure your CV showcases these prominently. Don't forget to mention any specific software or tools you're experienced with – that’s music to the ears of hiring managers!
Tailor Your Projects to Automation:If you've worked on any relevant projects, especially those involving automation or control systems, make them stand out in your CV. Use a dedicated section to highlight these projects, explaining your role and the impact of your contributions. This could be the difference between getting noticed and getting overlooked!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine, so tell us why you’re passionate about automation-control-systems! Discuss specific experiences that sparked your interest in this field. Maybe it's a university project or a previous job that truly got you hooked. We love seeing that spark! Make sure to reference how you can contribute to Waystone and its goals.
Quantify Your Achievements:In the world of automation, results matter. When listing your experiences, quantify your achievements wherever possible. Did you improve system efficiency by a percentage? Did you reduce downtime? Putting numbers to your successes not only demonstrates your impact but also lets us see the tangible outcomes of your efforts. It makes your application pop!
How to prepare for a job interview at Waystone
✨Master Your Technical Knowledge
In the automation control systems field, you need to brush up on your technical know-how. Be prepared to talk about specific control systems you’ve worked with, such as PLCs or SCADA systems, and expect technical questions or even hands-on problem-solving scenarios during the interview.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Whether it's freelance projects or your academic work, come ready to showcase your portfolio of automation projects. Bring along any diagrams, code samples, or automation solutions you’ve implemented—these can really set you apart and demonstrate your applied skills to Waystone.
✨Understand Industry Trends
Stay updated on the latest trends in automation technologies and methodologies, like Industry 4.0 or IIoT. We'll want to discuss how these concepts may affect the role and future projects at Waystone, so showing that you're knowledgeable about current and emerging technologies can give you an edge.
✨Commit to Continuous Learning
As this is a full-time role, it's essential to express your eagerness for continuous improvement and learning. Share how you plan to enhance your skills and keep pace with the evolution of automation in the workforce – companies love candidates who are committed to growth and adaptability.
