AI Software Engineer KTP Associate

Birmingham City University; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Personal development budget

Job summary

Birmingham City University is seeking a high-calibre AI Software Engineer (KTP Associate) to deliver a 24-month Knowledge Transfer Partnership with PBL Care Limited, based mainly on-site in Birmingham. You will develop and embed an AI-enabled platform that transforms social-care planning, coordination and monitoring.

The project features a geospatial carer-matching engine, a retention/predictive model, and an NLP/LLM pipeline for care notes, with an emphasis on security, regulatory compliance

Qualifications

• At least a strong software development background with data-driven systems.
• Experience applying ML/data analytics incl. predictive modelling or optimisation.
• Familiarity with NLP/LLMs and unstructured-text processing.
• Experience with databases, APIs and systems integration.
• Exposure to cloud-hosted platforms or modern app architectures.
• Understanding cybersecurity, access control and data protection concepts.
• Experience in web and/or mobile application development.
• Excellent communication and project-delivery skills.
• Ability to work independently in a regulated environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead requirements elicitation, feasibility analysis and technical planning for SMARTPBL.
• Design secure, modular platform architecture, data layer, APIs, dashboards and UI.
• Develop geospatial matching and dynamic replanning capabilities.
• Build ML models for workforce retention and attrition-risk prediction.
• Develop domain-adapted NLP/LLM pipeline for care notes and intelligence.
• Implement GDPR-aligned data-protection measures and secure communications.
• Integrate web/mobile solution with existing systems and cloud services.
• Plan and conduct testing and support production deployment.
• Train PBL staff and produce technical/user documentation.

Skills

Software development

ML / data analytics

NLP / LLM

Databases & APIs

Cloud platforms

Cybersecurity basics

Web / mobile dev

Stakeholder communication

Independent working

Education

Degree in CS/AI

Tools

Azure

AWS

Google Cloud

GIS / geospatial tools

Job description

AI Software Engineer KTP Associate Overview

Company Name Birmingham City University

Job Role AI Software Engineer KTP Associate

Qualifications Not specified

Category I

Job Type Full Time

Location Birmingham, West Midlands

Requirements

What we're looking for

• Strong software-development skills and experience building data-driven systems
• Applied machine-learning and data-analytics capability, including predictive modelling and/or optimisation
• Knowledge or experience of NLP/LLMs and unstructured-text processing
• Experience with databases, APIs and systems integration
• Experience of cloud-hosted platforms or application architectures
• Understanding of cybersecurity, access control, secure communications and data-protection principles
• Web and/or mobile application development experience
• Excellent communication, stakeholder-engagement, problem-solving and project-delivery skills
• Ability to work independently, manage change, take ownership of deliverables and operate effectively in a regulated environment

Nice to have

• Approximately two years’ relevant software-development/applied-AI experience
• Experience integrating or adapting open-source LLMs and practical NLP solutions
• Experience of GIS/routing/scheduling optimisation or workforce analytics
• Experience of Azure, AWS or Google Cloud
• Experience in social care, healthcare, digital health or another regulated/sensitive-data sector
• Knowledge of explainable AI, human-in-the-loop approaches, fairness/bias monitoring and responsible AI
• Academic acumen to contribute to technical reports, publications, conference outputs and training materials

The role

Birmingham City University is looking to appoint a high calibre graduate as an AI Software Engineer (KTP Associate) to deliver an exciting 24-month Knowledge Transfer Partnership with BCU’s Department of Computer Science within the School of Architecture, Built Environment, Computing and Engineering (ABCE) and PBL Care Limited.

Based primarily at PBL Care in Birmingham, you will work with leading BCU academics and PBL’s operational team to develop and embed an AI-enabled platform and can transform how social-care services are planned, coordinated and monitored.

This Knowledge Transfer Project (KTP) is co-funded by a grant from Innovate UK and PBL Care Limited. It is therefore essential you understand the fundamentals of the KTP collaboration between a UK business and a University works to deliver benefits for each (the company, the university, and the graduate) For more information please go to Home – Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

The project will develop SMARTPBL, an operational-intelligence platform that integrates with PBL’s existing systems to improve workforce planning, care continuity, regulatory compliance and staff satisfaction. Its three core innovations are an intelligent geospatial carer-matching engine, a workforce retention and attrition-risk predictive model, and a domain-adapted NLP/LLM pipeline for converting care notes into structured and auditable intelligence.

This is an excellent opportunity for a software/AI professional who wants to take ownership of a substantial real-world innovation project, combining applied AI, data engineering, software development, cybersecurity, user-centred design and organisational change in a regulated care environment.

What you'll do

• Lead requirements elicitation, feasibility analysis and technical planning for SMARTPBL
• Design the secure, modular platform architecture, data layer, APIs, dashboards and user interfaces
• Develop the geospatial intelligent matching and dynamic replanning capability
• Develop ML models for workforce retention and attrition-risk prediction
• Develop and validate a domain-adapted NLP/LLM pipeline for care notes and risk/quality intelligence
• Implement cybersecurity, access control, secure communications and GDPR-aligned data-protection measures
• Build and integrate the web and mobile solution with PBL’s existing systems and cloud/data services
• Plan and conduct unit, integration, security and user-acceptance testing and support production deployment
• Train and mentor PBL staff, produce technical/user/helpdesk documentation, and embed sustainable internal capability
• Support project reporting, impact evaluation, publications, dissemination and commercial exploitation planning

Personal Training & Development Budget

The AI Software Engineer KTP Associate will have access to a wider range of benefits including a personal development budget of £4,000 to upskill during the project, alongside the wider KTP Associate training programme.

Location and Reporting

The successful candidate will be employed by Birmingham City University and seconded to work full-time onsite at PBL Care Limited, at Benson House, 98-104 Lombard Street, Birmingham, B12 0QR. The Associate will deliver the 24-month KTP project in partnership with Birmingham City University and PBL Care Limited.

The Associate will be supervised and mentored by BCU’s Knowledge Base Lead and Academic Supervisors and by PBL’s Company Supervisor.

PBL Care Limited

PBL Care Limited is a CQC-regulated social-care provider delivering adult domiciliary care, children’s homecare, NHS/ICB-commissioned services and supported-living provision across the West Midlands. PBL Care is seeking to strengthen its digital and analytical capability so it can scale safely, improve workforce stability, strengthen regulatory performance and deliver consistently high-quality care. For more information, please .

The successful candidate will have full access to Birmingham City University’s resources such as offices, labs, and library to complete the KTP project (a project workplan written with KPIs and outcome deliverables has been written)

The role requires close collaboration with senior management, care coordinators, carers, technical staff and BCU academics, with a strong emphasis on knowledge transfer and embedding sustainable in-house capability.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

You should hold at least a 2:1 degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Software Engineering or a closely related discipline. A relevant Master’s degree is advantageous.

Personal Skills

• Enthusiastic, self-motivated and able to take a proactive role in delivering the proposal’s work plan successfully
• Practical interpersonal skills to establish good working relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, and industrial partners
• Excellent communication skills to express ideas adequately and articulate complicated matters between the academics and the company project team members either orally or in writing
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and computational skills, along with being adept at applying knowledge to commercial projects, driving value and making an impact where possible
• Strong project management skills

The successful candidate will be required to undergo an Enhanced DBS check with barred list checks for both children and adults in accordance with the safeguarding requirements of PBL Care.

For further information, please contact Dr Faisal Saeed [e-mail] or Prof Abdel-Rahman Tawil [e-mail]

Interviews will take place on Wednesday 9th December 2026

Visa sponsorship: check with employer