AI Forward Deployed Software Engineer

XPS Group; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual discretionary bonus

25 days' holiday

Pension matching

Healthcare plans

Life assurance

Volunteer days

Referral bonuses

Job summary

XPS Group is seeking a software engineer to work remotely with regular meetups at the Reading Office. You will join small teams, write production code, and help translate pensions workflows into shipped software.

The role blends client workshops with hands-on development, using AI tools and data pipelines to deliver value across UK sites. This is a dynamic, non-traditional SWE role in a consulting setting.

Qualifications

• Engineering background in CS/Math/SE/Physics/Data Science.
• 3+ years professional software engineering experience.
• Demonstrated ability to combine skills with AI toolchains to build production systems.
• Comfortable working solo with non-technical stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel to XPS sites across the UK.
• Right to work in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Embed with business teams to understand workflows end-to-end across all business areas.
• Own end to end delivery: scope, build, test, and live run of the solution.
• Use AI tools to deliver rapid solutions into the business.
• Build bespoke integrations, data pipelines, and user-facing tools.
• Feed learnings back into the core product and shape the roadmap.

Skills

Python

C++

Java

TypeScript/JavaScript

Education

Engineering background (CS/Math/Software Engineering/Physics/Data Science)

Tools

Claude Code

OpenAI Codex

AI-enabled IDEs

Job description

Location: Reading (Remote)

Employment Type: Permanent, Full Time

Grade: Consultant

REQ003788

Please note that, due to Non-Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV) requirements, all applicants must have maintained continuous residence in the United Kingdom for a minimum of three years. We welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates; however, this residency requirement is essential for progression through the vetting process.

About XPS Group

XPS Group is a prominent and growing UK consultancy and administration firm within the pensions and insurance sectors. As a FTSE 250 company with over 2000 employees, we leverage expertise alongside advanced technology to serve over 1,400 pension schemes and their sponsors. Our goal is to foster a workplace where diverse talents thrive.

About The Role

XPS Group IT provides IT services to all XPS offices located across the UK and Ireland. XPS currently employs 2,150 employees across multiple business areas.

This role will be remote with regular meetups at the Reading Office where our IT Hub is located. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to work at your nearest XPS office if you prefer to be fully office based.

This is not a traditional SWE role. You'll work in small teams with minimal supervision. You'll write production code, but you'll also be in client workshops, documenting and describing processes, workflows and translating what an actuary/pensions administrator/core function team needs into a shipped product.

Key Responsibilities

• Embed with business teams to understand workflows end-to-end across all business areas
• Own end to end delivery: scope the work with team stakeholders, build it, test it against their data, and see it through to live running
• Use AI tools such as Claude Code, Open AI Codex, AI enabled IDEs to deliver solutions rapidly into the business
• Build bespoke integrations, data pipelines, and user-facing tools
• Feed learnings from the field back into our core product, shaping the roadmap with first-hand evidence

Essential

Your Profile:

• Engineering background, preferably in the Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, and Data Science fields.
• 3+ years of professional software engineering experience, with proficiency with one or more programming languages such as Python, C++, Java, Typescript/JavaScript
• Demonstrable ability and a track record of combining your skills with AI toolchains to build complete production systems
• Comfortable working solo, directly with non-technical stakeholders and translating ambiguous business problems into concrete technical work
• An eagerness to solve technical problems with data structures, storage systems, cloud infrastructure, UX frameworks and tools
• A comprehensive understanding of the current AI landscape, both open source and proprietary
• Willingness to travel to XPS sites across the UK
• Must have the right to work in the UK

Desirable

• Prior exposure to UK pensions, or to another heavily regulated industry (insurance, banking, healthcare, utilities)
• Exposure to Azure in a regulated-industry context, including familiarity with data residency and security controls
• Demonstrable AI related self-built projects / GitHub use and commit history

What We Offer

• Enjoy a competitive salary, annual discretionary bonus, and 25 days' holiday with buy/sell flexibility.
• Benefits include pension matching, healthcare plans, life assurance, and retailer discounts.
• We support our team with a flexible benefits scheme, employee assistance, and digital GP service.
• Participating in volunteering events is encouraged with paid volunteer days available.
• Referral bonuses are offered for introducing suitable candidates to XPS.

Equal Opportunities Statement

XPS Group is committed to diversity and equal opportunities. We welcome applications from all candidates, irrespective of sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or belief. As a Disability Confident employer, we ensure accessible and supportive work settings for all employees.

Eligibility

Any employment offer made will be conditional upon you satisfying DBS Disclosure checks, Employment or educational references, Satisfactory credit checks and eligibility to work in the UK before an offer can be made. XPS Group is not able to provide sponsorship to employees.

Who Are We

To find out more please visit: www.xpsgroup.com