Lead AI Engineer

TP ICAP; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

TP ICAP is inviting applications for an AI Engineer role within its Global Broking division, aimed at embedding AI solutions into the broking workflow. This position is pivotal for delivering production-grade AI solutions that enhance efficiency in financial operations.

The ideal candidate will work closely with brokers to understand their needs, developing intuitive tools to support their workflows, all while adhering to strict governance and operational standards. Candidates with a strong production engineering background and experience in financial markets are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

• Strong production engineering background with a track record in production environments.
• Hands-on experience in AI tooling and frameworks.
• Expertise in Python for AI/ML frameworks and libraries.
• Demonstrated ability to engage with business professionals.
• Experience managing technical priorities in Agile environments.

Responsibilities

• Embed on pilot desks in London, understanding workflows and identifying opportunities for AI.
• Architect and design production-grade AI solutions.
• Deliver solutions through the firm’s governance route.
• Contribute to a shared AI capability library.
• Maintain data stewardship, model risk, and compliance standards.

Skills

Production engineering background

Experience with Large Language Models

Expertise in Python

Communication with non-technical professionals

Experience in financial markets

Tools

React

AWS

OAuth (Okta)

Job description

The TP ICAP Group is a world leading provider of market infrastructure. Our purpose is to provide clients with access to global financial and commodities markets, improving price discovery, liquidity, and distribution of data, through responsible and innovative solutions. Through our people and technology, we connect clients to superior liquidity and data solutions. The Group is home to a stable of premium brands. Collectively, TP ICAP is the largest interdealer broker in the world by revenue, the number one Energy & Commodities broker in the world, the world's leading provider of OTC data, and an award winning all-to-all trading platform. Founded in London in 1866, the Group operates from more than 60 offices in 27 countries. We are 5,200 people strong. We work as one to achieve our vision of being the world's most trusted, innovative, liquidity and data solutions specialist.

Role Overview

This is a newly created Phase 1 opportunity in our Global Broking division for an AI Engineer, joining the firm's new AI Solutions Group. Two engineers are being hired in this phase — one in London and one in New York — to establish the operating model for embedded AI delivery on the broking desks. The AI Solutions Group is a small, business-literate engineering team that sits alongside the brokers and embeds AI capability directly into the broking workflow — from the first client conversation through research, execution and booking. The team reports organisationally into Technology but spends its working day on the desks. Work is prioritised by Product Management against firm-wide value and reuse, and delivered on a Kanban model rather than a fixed quarterly cycle.

As one of the two Phase 1 engineers, you will be embedded on a small number of pilot desks in your region. The objective of Phase 1 is to prove the operating model: that the team can ship AI solutions safely into production via the agreed governance route, and that brokers will adopt and use what is built. Every capability you build is placed into a shared library — designed to be queryable by an AI agent — so it can be reused across desks and regions as the team scales to its Phase 2 footprint.

This role suits a strong engineer who is current on AI tooling and willing to sit on a desk with brokers, understand what they do all day, and translate that understanding into production‑grade tools. You will work within the same Risk, Architecture, Technology and Operations standards as the rest of the firm, contributing to the safe route to production that the team consumes repeatably as it grows.

Responsibilities

• Embed on assigned pilot desks in London or New York — sit with brokers, understand their workflow, and identify areas that are slow, repetitive or error‑prone, as well as opportunities where AI changes what is possible.
• Architect, design and build production‑grade AI solutions — including Generative AI and agentic capabilities — that remove friction from the broking workflow and unlock new ways of working across idea generation, research, pricing, execution, booking and post‑trade.
• Deliver every solution through the firm's agreed safe route to production — covering security, compliance, model risk, change management, audit and operational ownership in production — with zero ad-hoc exceptions.
• Contribute to and reuse from the shared AI capability library — check existing capabilities before building new ones, and place everything you build into the library so other desks and regions can adopt it without rebuilding.
• Co‑develop the team's shared platforms, frameworks and components with peers in the AI Solutions Group and the wider Technology organisation, customising for domain‑specific desk requirements while preserving reuse.
• Operate on a Kanban delivery model — work flows continuously, prioritised by Product Management against firm‑wide value, with no individual desk independently commissioning its own tools.
• Maintain strict data stewardship, model risk and compliance standards as AI agent and decision‑support solutions scale across the broking lifecycle.
• Provide ongoing support for deployed AI solutions, ensuring smooth operation and rapid resolution of issues affecting the desk.
• Translate stakeholder requirements into technical solutions, ensuring alignment with both business objectives and the firm's enterprise technical standards.
• Present project updates and key developments to broking leadership, Technology and governance stakeholders — demonstrating value, adoption and progression through the team's tiered scope (productivity, advisory, decision‑making).

Experience / Competences

Essential

• Strong production engineering background — track record of architecting, building and operating scalable, robust services in production environments, not just prototypes.
• Hands‑on experience working with Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative AI and modern AI/ML frameworks; current on the AI tooling landscape and able to keep up as it evolves.
• Expertise in Python in AI/ML frameworks and libraries.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and engage with a complex business domain — capable of sitting with non‑technical professionals, learning how they work, and translating that understanding into production tools. Prior exposure to financial markets, broking, trading or other front‑office environments is a strong plus.
• Experience managing technical priorities on a Kanban or Agile backlog, resolving dependencies, and aligning delivery with both business value and centrally‑set technical standards.
• Evidence of presenting complex technical concepts to internal professionals and business stakeholders with varying technical backgrounds, tailoring style to the audience.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver within a regulated environment — comfortable working through controls covering security, compliance, model risk, change management and audit, rather than treating governance as an obstacle.

Desired

• AWS experience, including AI services such as Bedrock and the Serverless ecosystem, with the ability to work within established cloud frameworks.
• Proficiency in front‑end technologies, particularly React, with evidence of building intuitive, responsive user interfaces that integrate seamlessly with AI‑driven back‑end services.
• Expertise in back‑end development, including building and deploying scalable APIs and microservices to support AI solutions.
• Knowledge of OAuth (Okta) for implementing secure, scalable authentication and authorisation in full‑stack applications, ensuring data protection and privacy across AI solutions.
• Experience contributing to or consuming a shared component / capability library across multiple teams or regions.
• Prior experience embedding directly with business users — front‑office desks, trading floors, advisory teams — rather than working purely from a central engineering function.

Personal qualities

• Proactive, adaptable and detail‑oriented; thrives in fast‑paced environments and embraces challenges.
• Open to innovative ideas, with a strong analytical mindset and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent communication, tailoring style to suit different audiences from brokers on the desk to Technology, Risk and senior leadership, while respecting professional and company values.
• Stays organised, remains calm under pressure, and consistently seeks opportunities for improvement.
• Strong collaborator — comfortable working as part of a small, distributed team across regions, and contributing to a shared capability set rather than building in isolation.

Band & level: Manager, 7

Not The Perfect Fit?

Concerned that you may not meet the criteria precisely? At TP ICAP, we wholeheartedly believe in fostering inclusivity and cultivating a work environment where everyone can flourish, regardless of your personal or professional background. If you are enthusiastic about this role but find that your experience doesn't align perfectly with every aspect of the job description, we strongly encourage you to apply. You may be the ideal candidate for this position or another opportunity within our organisation. Our dedicated Talent Acquisition team is here to assist you in recognising how your unique skills and abilities can be a valuable contribution. Don't hesitate to take the leap and explore the possibilities. Your potential is what truly matters to us.

Company Statement

We know that the best innovation happens when diverse people with different perspectives and skills work together in an inclusive atmosphere. That's why we're building a culture where everyone plays a part in making people feel welcome, ready and willing to contribute. TP ICAP Accord - our Employee Network - is a central to this. As well as representing specific groups, TP ICAP Accord helps increase awareness, collaboration, shares best practice, and holds our firm to account for driving continuous cultural improvement.

Location

UK - 135 Bishopsgate - London