AI Engineer Python

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Bracknell; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Syngenta Crop Protection is seeking a hands-on senior Software Engineer with deep Python expertise to build reliable internal platforms and developer-enablement capabilities.

You will apply AI practically, including RAG-based search and conversational experiences over internal documentation, while maintaining a high bar for engineering quality, security, scalability and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Significant hands-on experience as a Software Engineer with production-level Python expertise; Java experience also considered.
• Strong ability to write clean, maintainable, well-tested code and solve complex engineering problems independently.
• Proficiency in modern Python practices: packaging, dependency management, typing, async programming and API development.
• Experience designing and maintaining reusable libraries, service templates or internal developer platforms.
• Strong knowledge of software quality practices including automated testing, code reviews, CI/CD and release engineering.
• Practical experience with Docker, Kubernetes and Infrastructure as Code, ideally Terraform.
• Experience with observability, monitoring, alerting, performance profiling and benchmarking.
• Understanding of secure coding practices and threat/vulnerability management.
• Applied knowledge of Generative AI and LLM patterns, especially RAG, for document search or conversational interfaces over enterprise content.
• Strong written and spoken English for cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and maintain production-grade Python services, libraries and developer tools.
• Apply modern Python practices including packaging, typing, async programming and maintainable API design.
• Create shared libraries, service templates and engineering standards for multiple internal teams.
• Build and evolve AI-enabled capabilities, including RAG-based search and conversational solutions over internal documentation.
• Define robust evaluation approaches for AI-assisted features balancing usefulness, reliability, security and cost.
• Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines and cloud-native delivery practices using Docker, Kubernetes and Terraform.
• Establish testing, code quality, documentation-as-code and secure SDLC practices.
• Improve performance, scalability and reliability via profiling and architectural improvements.
• Implement monitoring, alerting and operational standards for platform services.
• Conduct code reviews, mentor engineers and raise engineering standards across the team.
• Partner with engineering, product and scientific stakeholders to translate complex needs into scalable technical solutions.

Skills

Python

Java

CI/CD

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

Observability

Security best practices

Generative AI / RAG

English communication

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

Job description

Syngenta Crop Protection is a leader in agricultural innovation, bringing breakthrough technologies and solutions that enable farmers to grow productively and sustainably. We offer a leading portfolio of crop protection solutions for plant and soil health, as well as digital solutions that transform the decision-making capabilities of farmers. Our 17,900 employees serve to advance agriculture in more than 90 countries around the world. Syngenta Crop Protection is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, and is part of the Syngenta Group.

Our employees reflect the diversity of our customers, the markets where we operate and the communities which we serve. No matter what your position, you will have a vital role in safely feeding the world and taking care of our planet. Join us and help shape the future of agriculture.

Job Description

We are looking for a hands-on, senior-level Software Engineer with deep Python expertise to build reliable internal platforms and developer-enablement capabilities. This is an engineering-first role: strong software design, coding fluency and practical problem-solving are essential.

You will apply AI in pragmatic ways-such as designing document search and conversational experiences using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)-while maintaining a high bar for engineering quality, security, scalability and operational excellence.

What You’ll Do

• Design, build and maintain production-grade Python services, libraries and developer tools.
• Apply modern Python practices, including packaging, type hints, asynchronous programming and maintainable API design.
• Create shared libraries, service templates and engineering standards that enable multiple internal teams to build consistently and efficiently.
• Build and evolve AI-enabled capabilities, including RAG-based search and conversational solutions over internal documentation and knowledge sources.
• Define robust evaluation approaches for AI-assisted features, balancing usefulness, reliability, security and cost.
• Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines and cloud-native delivery practices using Docker, Kubernetes and Terraform.
• Establish strong testing, code quality, documentation-as-code and secure software development practices.
• Improve application performance, scalability and reliability through profiling, benchmarking, observability and architectural improvements.
• Implement monitoring, alerting and operational standards for platform services.
• Conduct thorough code reviews, mentor engineers and raise engineering standards across the team.
• Partner with engineering, product and scientific stakeholders to translate complex needs into practical, scalable technical solutions.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Significant hands-on experience as a Software Engineer, with strong, production-level proficiency in Python. Equivalent depth in Java may also be considered.
• Demonstrated ability to write clean, maintainable and well-tested code, and to solve complex engineering problems independently.
• Strong experience with modern Python practices: packaging, dependency management, typing, async programming and service/API development.
• Experience designing and maintaining reusable libraries, service templates or internal developer platforms used by multiple teams.
• Strong knowledge of software quality practices, including automated testing, code reviews, CI/CD and release engineering.
• Practical experience with Docker, Kubernetes and Infrastructure as Code, ideally Terraform.
• Experience with observability, monitoring, alerting, performance profiling and benchmarking.
• Solid understanding of secure coding practices, vulnerability management and security considerations in software delivery.
• Applied understanding of Generative AI and LLM patterns, particularly RAG. You should be able to explain and design an approach for document search or conversational interfaces over enterprise content.
• Strong written and spoken English, with the ability to communicate effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building internal platforms, developer tools or products adopted by several engineering teams.
• Experience in agriculture, life sciences, scientific computing or another regulated enterprise environment.
• Experience working in distributed, international engineering organisations.
• Track record of technical leadership, mentoring or leading cross-team engineering initiatives.
• Familiarity with AI/ML frameworks and tools used in software development environments.

What Success Looks Like

You are an engineer first: someone who can go deep in code, make sound technical decisions and deliver durable software in production. You use AI thoughtfully and practically-not as a substitute for engineering fundamentals, but as a capability embedded in reliable, secure and scalable platforms.

Additional Information

Why Syngenta?

• Meaningful impact: help build technology that supports scientific innovation and sustainable agriculture.
• Complex, modern challenges: work on high-scale platforms and systems with room for technical judgement.
• Collaborative environment: partner with global engineering, R&D and product communities.
• Growth: broaden your influence through challenging work, visible outcomes and a global network