AI Engineering Leader — MLOps & Platform

Hastings Direct; Bexhill-on-Sea; Hybrid; GBP 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

£6k car allowance

Hybrid working

Annual performance bonus (4Cs)

Private medical insurance ( PMI )

4x salary life assurance

Pension contributions up to 10%

27 days annual leave + bank holidays

Cycle to work & tech schemes

Job summary

Hastings Direct is seeking a Head of AI Engineering to lead enterprise AI/ML platforms, MLOps and guardrails. You will shape AI roadmaps, drive scalable and compliant solutions, and lead cross-functional teams to deliver measurable business value.

The role emphasizes governance, continuous improvement, and strong stakeholder collaboration, with a hybrid working model in the UK and an emphasis on responsible AI practices.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in AI Engineering within a fast-paced tech environment.
• Strong expertise in machine learning, MLOps, generative AI, LLMs and cloud technologies (Azure).
• Proven experience implementing AI engineering standards, deployment automation and model monitoring.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong written, verbal and presentation skills; proficient in Microsoft Office.
• Passion for innovation, data-driven decision-making and continuous learning.

Responsibilities

• Lead AI engineering, MLOps and platform teams to drive high-quality delivery and operational excellence.
• Define and maintain engineering standards, AI guardrails and Responsible AI practices.
• Oversee model development, deployment, monitoring, evaluation and continuous improvement processes.
• Drive preventative controls, automation, observability and root cause analysis to minimise technical debt and issues.
• Partner with Architecture, Risk, Compliance and business stakeholders to shape AI roadmaps.
• Provide clear reporting on progress, model performance and value realisation.
• Build, mentor and develop high-performing teams through coaching and recruitment.

Skills

Leadership

AI Engineering

MLOps

Generative AI

LLMs

Azure

Model Monitoring

Guardrails

Stakeholder Mgmt

Cloud Technologies

Job description

Hastings Direct is seeking a Head of AI Engineering to lead enterprise AI/ML platforms, MLOps and guardrails. You will shape AI roadmaps, drive scalable and compliant solutions, and lead cross-functional teams to deliver measurable business value.

The role emphasizes governance, continuous improvement, and strong stakeholder collaboration, with a hybrid working model in the UK and an emphasis on responsible AI practices.