AI Development Lead in Fareham

This role is available on a part-time, job-share or full-time basis.

Location: UK flexible/hybrid/home working.

The opportunity: Zurich is at an exciting point in its journey to embrace AI, and this role sits at the heart of driving our transformation. You will join our Global Life team, working to enable colleagues across the Zurich Group to get the most from AI, focusing on Life, Health, and Bank Distribution. You will work on cutting‑edge AI solutions at scale, collaborate with our newly‑formed AI Lab, and mentor colleagues in best‑practice and the art‑of‑the‑possible. We are looking for an innovative, visionary, hands‑on AI expert who possesses the passion and experience to take a leading role on AI and ML at Zurich. Using machine learning and GenAI applications you will help improve business outcomes and drive innovation.

The ideal candidate is someone who is proficient in using AI/ML to solve business problems, and is also passionate about people, enjoying mentoring and supporting colleagues to do the same. You will focus on development of AI and ML solutions, while proactively supporting colleagues in delivering for our global business. A successful candidate will understand and explain the art‑of‑the‑possible, leveraging cutting‑edge techniques and knowing when to best apply them, while being comfortable with ambiguous problems and building solutions to them. You will enjoy this aspect, the process of solving a problem that colleagues may find it difficult to articulate, and will be someone who is happy working with stakeholders who may not share your technical expertise. This is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of emerging AI trends to make a real‑world difference.

To do this we are looking for an individual with a passion for innovative AI technology and who wants to work with teams of talented data scientists, engineers and consultants to design and develop the next generation of our data & AI solutions. You will join a passionate and supportive company who are developing multiple high‑impact AI solutions, and will work with colleagues who share your enjoyment of all things AI. Many of our employees work flexibly in a variety of different ways, including part‑time, flexible hours, job share, an element of working from home or compressed hours. This is because we want the best people for our roles, and we recognise that sometimes those people aren’t available full‑time. Please talk to us at the interview about the flexibility you may need.

What will you be doing? You will take a key role in our digital transformation redefining the way we work, our solutions and enterprise platforms. As AI development lead, your main responsibilities will involve:

• Support colleagues across Zurich Life, Health, and Bank Distribution in becoming confident and self‑sufficient with AI to develop value‑driving use‑cases.
• Lead in prototyping ML/AI solutions while working with colleagues to make these ready for production, leveraging cloud tools and MLOps workflows using CI/CD and automated testing.
• Stay on top of current developments in AI/ML and assess their relevance to Zurich, including the potential ethical impacts, and help the team to stay informed.
• Understand company challenges and how integrating AI capabilities can help create solutions.
• Work to solve business problems using ML/AI, in situations where the requirements may be ambiguous.
• Collaborate with colleagues to identify and prioritise key areas of our business where AI solutions can drive significant business benefit.
• Ensure high ethical standards are set and maintained when using ML/AI at Zurich.
• Provide technical guidance and inject advanced AI capabilities into projects in close collaboration with colleagues.
• Be a mentor to colleagues working on their own problems, proactively suggesting solutions.
• Translate technology to business users, to motivate and excite them to use and apply AI technology.
• Act as an advocate for AI/ML in the business, communicating our work to stakeholders and emphasizing its business value.
• Act as a thought‑leader on AI for Zurich and a point‑of‑contact for designing advanced AI/ML solutions, who colleagues will look to for support.

What are we looking for? Your skills and experience will ideally include:

• Experience in applying leading AI methods to practical and comprehensive technology solutions.
• Will have worked on end‑to‑end AI solutions in a commercial environment which have gone into production, with a focus on leading the development part of the process and supporting colleagues.
• Proven expert and thought leader in the area of machine learning and AI.
• Comfortable working with various data types including big data, text data and documents (e.g. XML, JSON).
• Experience working with LLMs to deliver value in a commercial organisation, including how to manage and monitor LLM‑based applications to maximise performance.
• Experience working with Microsoft Power Platform and CoPilot Studio.
• Experience using Microsoft Azure cloud services and Python to prototype and deliver machine learning and AI solutions in a commercial environment, as part of an end‑to‑end solution, working within CI/CD and MLOps practices.
• Proficient in Python and modern software development practices within a team of developers e.g. use of Git.
• Passion for mentoring and supporting colleagues in AI/ML best‑practice.
• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to articulate complex data & AI issues and to gain the support from internal and external and executive stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, structured and interdisciplinary way of thinking and working, including the ability to think creatively with data and being comfortable with complex and ambiguous problem‑solving.
• Comfortable working in a business environment where stakeholders will not have all of the answers, understanding the need to be practical and to deliver for the business.
• Ability to think proactively and ‘join the dots’ across a complex landscape to see the bigger picture.
• An understanding of the importance of team culture, and a demonstrable ability to act as a role‑model to maintain a culture of curiosity, support and honesty.

Nice to have:

• Knowledge of SQL and R.
• Experience using Databricks and Spark with Python.
• Experience with AWS cloud services to deliver machine learning solutions.
• Experience in mentoring or teaching.
• Master’s degree or PhD in Physics, Mathematics, Data Science or Computer Science or related equivalent.

As an inclusive employer we want to ensure that all candidates feel comfortable and are able to perform at their best during the interview. You’ll have the opportunity to let us know of any reasonable adjustment or practical support needed when you apply.

What will you get in return? Everyone’s different. That’s why at Zurich, we offer a wide range of employee benefits so our people can choose what fits them and their life. Our benefits provide real flexibility so our people can make considered choices and tailor their benefits throughout the year. Our benefits include 12% defined non‑contributory pension scheme, annual company bonus, private medical insurance and the option to buy up to an additional 20 days or sell some of your holiday.

Who we are: At Zurich we aspire to be one of the most responsible and impactful businesses in the world and the best global insurer. Together we’re creating a brighter future for our customers, our people and our planet. With over 55,000 employees in more than 170 countries, you’ll feel the support of being part of a strong and stable company who are a long‑standing player in the insurance industry. We’ve made a promise to each other and every employee; to focus on sustainable impact, to care about each other’s wellbeing, to use our diverse expertise to be curious and optimistic and to develop the skills needed for our future.

If you’re interested in working in a dynamic and challenging environment for a company that recognises and rewards your creativity, initiatives and contributions - then Zurich could be just the place for you. Be part of something great.

Our Culture: At Zurich, our sense of community is strong and we’re particularly passionate about diversity and inclusion, which we’ve won numerous awards for. We want our people to bring the whole of themselves to work and ensure everybody is made to feel welcome, regardless of their background, beliefs or culture. We want our employees to reflect the diversity of our customers, and so are committed to treating all of our applicants fairly and with respect, irrespective of their actual or assumed background, disability or any other protected characteristic. We’ve an environment that places a real importance on our people’s wellbeing from a physical, mental, social and financial perspective. We work with our wellbeing partners and industry experts to provide the best advice and access to a wealth of lifestyle support. We’re also committed to continuous improvement, and we offer access to a comprehensive range of training and development opportunities. We’re passionate about supporting employees to help others by getting involved in volunteering, charitable and community activity. Our charitable arm, Zurich Community Trust, is one of the longest‑established corporate trusts in the UK. In that time, we’ve awarded grants and volunteered time to deserving causes in the UK valued at over £90 million.

We’d love it if you could submit your application online. If you require an alternative method of applying, please send an email to recruitment@uk.zurich.com.

So make a difference. Be challenged. Be inspired. Be supported, Love what you do. Work for us.