Director of AI Engineering

Director of AI Engineering

UK | Hybrid

Director Level | Technology Strategy

Overview

We are seeking a Director of AI Engineering to lead the strategy, design, and enterprise-wide adoption of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Intelligent Automation capabilities within a leading global professional services environment.

This is a senior leadership role at the intersection of technology, strategy, and commercial impact, responsible for scaling AI across a complex, matrixed, and highly regulated organisation. You will define the AI vision, build high-performing teams, and deliver transformative solutions that unlock measurable business value across multiple service lines and client engagements.

Working closely with senior leadership, global technology teams, and business stakeholders, you will embed AI-led transformation, accelerate innovation, and shape the future of intelligent enterprise systems—including emerging paradigms such as the agentic web.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Governance

• Define and execute the enterprise-wide AI & Intelligent Automation strategy aligned to broader digital and business transformation objectives
• Establish frameworks for Responsible AI, ethics, and model governance (e.g. EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF) within a highly regulated environment
• Act as executive sponsor for AI architecture, operating model, and adoption roadmap across multiple business units

AI & GenAI Ecosystem

• Lead the design and deployment of scalable AI solutions across Python, .NET, and cloud-native platforms
• Drive adoption of advanced frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, LangChain)
• Oversee integration of LLMs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Mistral) via enterprise platforms (Azure OpenAI, Vertex AI)
• Implement RAG architectures and manage vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, FAISS, Milvus) to enable enterprise knowledge solutions

Data & Engineering Excellence

• Lead the evolution of modern, enterprise-scale data platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, Synapse, BigQuery)
• Ensure robust data engineering and governance practices across a distributed global data estate
• Drive scalable lakehouse architectures (Delta Lake, Iceberg, Hudi) to support AI and analytics workloads

Cloud, Infrastructure & MLOps

• Champion multi-cloud engineering across Azure, AWS, and GCP within an enterprise-grade environment
• Lead MLOps strategy (MLflow, Kubeflow, SageMaker, Vertex AI) and industrialised CI/CD pipelines
• Ensure scalable, secure deployments using Kubernetes, Docker, and Infrastructure-as-Code

Enterprise Integration (.NET Focus)

• Integrate AI capabilities into enterprise-grade .NET ecosystems supporting critical business operations
• Modernise legacy platforms using microservices, APIs, and event-driven architectures
• Embed DevSecOps practices aligned to strict enterprise security and compliance standards

Intelligent Automation

• Drive enterprise automation at scale across core business processes
• Integrate cognitive services (NLP, speech, vision) to enhance productivity and service delivery
• Lead process mining and optimisation initiatives to improve operational efficiency

Analytics & Decision Intelligence

• Deliver data-driven insights and decision intelligence across business functions and client-facing services
• Advance enterprise analytics capabilities using modern BI platforms
• Enable predictive modelling and optimisation to support strategic decision-making

Security, Compliance & Responsible AI

• Ensure alignment with enterprise security and risk frameworks (SOC2, ISO27001, NIST)
• Champion ethical AI, explainability, and bias mitigation across all AI initiatives
• Work closely with risk, legal, and compliance teams in a highly governed environment

Leadership & Talent

• Build and lead high-performing, globally distributed teams across AI, data, and automation
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and responsible experimentation
• Engage with the external ecosystem—hyperscalers, academia, and startups—to drive innovation and partnerships

Your Background

• Proven experience leading enterprise-scale AI transformation programmes, ideally within complex, regulated or professional services environments
• Deep technical expertise across Python, .NET, cloud platforms, and MLOps
• Strong understanding of data governance, architecture, and DevSecOps at scale
• Demonstrated ability to deliver measurable business outcomes and ROI across multiple stakeholders
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence senior leadership and operate in a client-centric environment

Additional Information

• Travel: Up to 60%

Why This Role?

This is a unique opportunity to take a strategic leadership position within a globally recognised professional services organisation, shaping how AI is leveraged internally and across client engagements.

You will play a critical role in defining how emerging technologies are responsibly scaled to drive innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage—at both enterprise and industry level.

You won’t just implement AI—you’ll shape how it is delivered at scale in one of the world’s most influential business environments.