AI Engineer

SCC; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 40,500 - 49,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Broad flexible benefits scheme

2 paid volunteering days a year

Job summary

SCC is looking for an AI Engineer in Birmingham to design and maintain AI-powered systems. You will collaborate with various teams to develop solutions that integrate advanced AI models into business applications.

The role offers a hybrid working model with a salary of £45,000, including an extensive benefits package aimed at promoting your career development in AI technology.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in AI system design and architecture.
• Strong coding skills in Python, with REST API experience.
• Experience building and integrating AI systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and build AI solutions tailored to initiatives.
• Integrate foundation models into business applications.
• Collaborate with Data Scientists and MLOps for project success.

Skills

AI System Design

Python

REST API Development

Retrieval-Augmented Generation

Document Processing

Job description

About The Role

We are actively building diverse teams and welcome applications from everyone.

Role

AI Engineer

Location

Birmingham (SCC operates hybrid working, which comprises a mix of office and home working)

Contract Type

Permanent

Salary

£45,000 plus large company benefits, a broad flexible benefits scheme, and 2 paid‑for volunteering days a year.

Hours

9.00 am – 5.30 pm Monday – Friday

Interview Process

3‑stage process.

Why SCC?

• An inclusive workplace
• Excellent package: solid basic and company benefits
• Hybrid working & core hours in line with role requirements
• Career development and life‑long learning opportunities
• Opportunity to join Europe's largest privately‑owned IT Company

Role Purpose

We are looking for an AI Engineer to design, build, and maintain AI‑powered systems across SCC. This is a broad and evolving role; the nature of the work will vary by initiative. One project may call for an AI agent that orchestrates data sources and tools; another may require a Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) system over internal knowledge; another may be an AI layer embedded into an existing business process or platform. What stays consistent across all of it is the approach: working with best‑in‑class foundation models via API, integrating cleanly with enterprise data and systems, and building things that work reliably in production – not just in a demo.

You will work closely with the Data Science team who supply clean, structured data, with MLOps who handle deployment and infrastructure, and directly with business stakeholders to understand problems before proposing AI solutions.

Security clearance or willingness to apply will be required for this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and build the appropriate AI solution for each initiative, whether that is an agent, a RAG pipeline, a document processing system, or something else.
• Integrate foundation models (via API) into business applications and workflows.
• Develop MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers and tool integrations where agent‑based approaches are appropriate.
• Build RAG pipelines that surface accurate, attributed answers from internal knowledge and data sources.
• Transform AI capabilities into APIs and microservices that connect with existing enterprise platforms.
• Build prompt engineering frameworks that produce structured, reliable, and auditable outputs.
• Implement context management, tool routing, and retrieval patterns that control what the model sees and when.
• Collaborate with Data Scientists to ensure clean, trusted data enters every AI system.
• Test and validate AI system behaviour across real use cases; iterate based on production feedback.
• Ensure all AI outputs are transparent, traceable, and compliant with governance requirements.
• Document system behaviour, data flows, tool calls, and decision logic thoroughly.
• Work with product and business teams to embed AI into existing workflows.
• Support AI adoption and share best practices across SCC.

Skills and Experience

AI System Design

• Selecting the right AI pattern for the problem — agent, RAG, pipeline, classifier, or hybrid.
• AI agent architecture and multi‑step workflow orchestration.
• Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) design and implementation.
• Document processing and knowledge extraction systems.
• Working with foundation models via API (e.g. Azure OpenAI, OpenAI).
• Prompt engineering for structured, grounded, and reliable outputs.
• Context management, chunking strategies, and retrieval optimisation.
• Hallucination mitigation and source attribution by design.
• Experience building and shipping more than one type of AI system.
• Strong proficiency in Python and REST API development.

Software Engineering & Integration

• MCP (Model Context Protocol) server development and tool routing.
• Building APIs and microservices to expose AI capabilities.
• Integrating AI systems with enterprise tools and data sources.
• Secure API integration (OAuth, API keys, credential management).
• Software engineering best practices, testing, versioning, documentation.
• Understanding of enterprise data flows and system architecture.

Analytical & Governance

• Statistical reasoning sufficient to validate and interpret AI outputs.
• Evaluating AI system performance and identifying failure modes.
• Understanding of AI risk, bias, and transparency obligations.
• Familiarity with AI governance frameworks (e.g. EU AI Act).
• Clear documentation of system behaviour, inputs, outputs, and limitations.

Interpersonal & Professional Skills

• Translating AI capabilities into clear business outcomes for non‑technical stakeholders.
• Cross‑functional collaboration with data scientists, MLOps, and product teams.
• Ability to push back on AI for its own sake and advocate for the right solution.
• Championing best practices and supporting AI adoption across the organisation.

About Us

SCC is Europe's largest privately‑owned IT business, based out of the new £7m HQ office in Birmingham. We help clients succeed through IT transformation and exceptional customer experiences. We are a global company that is passionate about IT and where we look to simplify the complex.

Equal Opportunity

SCC is an equal opportunities employer. SCC is committed to providing equal opportunities and a proactive and inclusive approach to equality and diversity in employment. No applicant or employee will be treated less favourably than another on the grounds of a protected characteristic which are defined as sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender reassignment, trade union membership or non‑membership, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race and religion or belief.