Principal AI Architect

Job title: Principal AI Architect

Location: Edinburgh / Remote

Aveni is redefining how financial institutions use AI. We build real, production-ready agentic systems that reshape how banks, advisers and financial services firms operate, replacing fragmented processes with intelligent, end-to-end workflows.

We have been recognised as Fintech of the Year for two consecutive years and awarded Best Specialist Technology Service at the Professional Adviser Awards 2025. Backed by leading investors including Puma Private Equity, and commercially supported by Lloyds Banking Group and Nationwide Building Society, we previously completed one of Scotland’s largest Series A rounds. Since then, we’ve continued to grow rapidly as adoption of AI in financial services accelerates, and we’re now scaling our engineering organisation to meet that demand.

Our engineering team includes experienced software engineers and PhD-level AI specialists, with strong ties to the University of Edinburgh, giving you access to exceptional expertise and opportunities for continuous learning as part of the day-to-day work.

Summary

We are looking for a Principal AI Architect to drive the design and implementation of cutting-edge AI architectures. This role is ideal for a technical leader with deep expertise in AI, LLMs, and autonomous systems, who thrives on solving complex challenges in a fast-paced, innovative environment. You will shape the strategic direction of AI systems, mentor engineering teams, and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure alignment between AI capabilities and business objectives. If you have a passion for building scalable, intelligent solutions that push the boundaries of AI, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable AI architecture, including LLM integration, APIs, and agentic modules.
• Define the technical roadmap for AI systems, ensuring high availability, security, and performance.
• Collaborate with data scientists, ML engineers, and software engineers to optimise model deployment and infrastructure.
• Establish best practices for AI/ML pipelines, including data ingestion, model training, and inference.
• Research and integrate emerging AI technologies, frameworks, and methodologies.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory and ethical AI standards.

What We’re Looking For

• Extensive experience in software architecture, with a focus on AI/ML systems.
• Strong knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, and GCP) for AI/ML workloads.
• Hands-on experience with LLMs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, etc.) and fine-tuning techniques.
• Proficiency in designing and implementing API-driven architectures.
• Experience with vector databases, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and multimodal AI systems.
• Familiarity with AI orchestration tools (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex, Ray, Dask).
• Strong programming skills in Python, Go, or JavaScript.
• Understanding of MLOps and CI/CD pipelines for AI/ML models.
• Knowledge of security best practices for AI applications.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication and technical documentation skills.
• Ability to mentor and guide engineering teams on AI best practices.
• Ability to work with academics and translate key technical progress to senior business stakeholders

What We Offer

• A collaborative and innovative work environment with awesome career growth opportunities
• 34 days holiday plus your birthday off (inclusive of bank holidays)
• Share options – we believe in shared success
• Skills development – continuous learning is at our core, expect the development to be front and centre of everything you do
• Remote and flexible working – remote, co-working spaces, or a mix of both
• Life insurance, income protection and private health care
• Freebies and discounts at a range of retailers
• Emotional wellbeing (Employee assistance programme provides access to 24/7 employee counselling and emotional support)
• Cycle to work scheme
• Pension scheme (employer contribution matched up to 5%)

Join Us in Making a Difference

At Aveni, we believe that diversity drives innovation. We're committed to building a team that reflects the diverse communities we serve and creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their best work. If you're passionate about leveraging technology to drive positive change and want to be part of a team that's shaping the future of financial services, we'd love to hear from you. We know that some people are likely to only apply where they meet 100% of requirements, but we’d like to hear from you anyway. Apply now to join us on our mission to transform the financial services industry through AI!