Dev Ops Lead - Virtual Assistant and Automation

Appcast Enterprise; Sunbury-on-Thames; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

bp is seeking an AI/Engineering Leader to design, build and scale production-grade AI solutions for People & Culture. You will own governance, partner with vendors, and drive automation across the AI lifecycle while leading a high-performing engineering and data science team.

You will collaborate with global stakeholders to ensure solutions meet security, compliance and operational robustness. The role requires strong programming, cloud, and MLOps skills, and a track record of delivering

Qualifications

• Actively developing capabilities in line with the P&C capability framework with EQ, IQ and drive.
• Shown experience delivering enterprise-scale systems and AI-enabled solutions in production.
• Strong programming skills (Python preferred; Java or similar acceptable)
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure or GCP) and modern DevOps practices
• Experience integrating ML/GenAI models into real-world systems
• Experience with LLMs, RAG, vector search, conversational AI, or unstructured data pipelines
• Familiarity with AI tooling/frameworks (e.g. LangChain, LlamaIndex, Haystack, Hugging Face, CrewAI)
• Experience leading SaaS / cloud-based HR or enterprise platforms
• Skilled at using data and analytics to identify outcomes and improve decision making; e.g. process improvements and candidate experience improvements

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical design, development and deployment of enterprise AI-enabled solutions aligned to People & Culture priorities
• Own service integrity, governance across AI and digital people platforms
• Partner with external vendors / configuration centres to deliver scalable, compliant solutions globally
• Act as a link between engineering, product, data science ensuring solutions move beyond prototypes into production
• Design, develop and maintain production-grade AI applications and services using cloud-native design, CI/CD, testing and observability
• Define reusable AI platforms and capabilities (e.g. conversational assistants, AI search, unstructured data processing)
• Lead architectural decisions with responsible AI, explainability, security and operational robustness
• Champion automation across the AI lifecycle from data ingestion to deployment and run
• Be the point of accountability for system and solution integrity, incidents and governance
• Define and maintain service catalogues; ensure bp standards and compliance (incl. SoX)
• Chair governance and risk sessions with partners and vendors
• Ensure smooth transition of new solutions into run-state operations
• Lead external vendors ensuring capacity, capability and delivery quality
• Build partnerships with Global Solution Owners, P&C leadership and tech teams
• Embed agile ways of working and continuous improvement across delivery teams
• Translate complex AI concepts into clear business outcomes
• Develop a short & medium-term roadmap of technical change to support strategies
• Lead a portfolio of change projects across the roadmap
• Be a thought-leader in bp AI, VA and automation solutions
• Build strategic relationships with internal leaders and external partners
• Assist I&E in vendor oversight
• Provide technical leadership, coaching and mentorship across engineering and data science
• Inspire a high-performance, inclusive team and manage budgets

Skills

Python

Java

Cloud platforms

ML/GenAI

LLMs/RAG

AI tooling

SaaS/enterprise platforms

Data analytics

Tools

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Haystack

Hugging Face

CrewAI

Job description

Entity:

Technology

Job Family Group:

IT&S Group

Job Description:

Our purpose is to deliver energy to the world, today and tomorrow. For over 100 years, bp has focused on discovering, developing, and producing oil and gas in the nations where we operate. We are one of the few companies globally that can provide governments and customers with an integrated energy offering. Delivering our strategy sustainably is fundamental to achieving our ambition to be a net zero company by 2050 or sooner.

Role Purpose

• Lead the technical design, development and deployment of enterprise AI-enabled solutions aligned to People & Culture priorities
• Own service integrity, operational excellence, and governance across AI and digital people platforms
• Handle and partner with external vendors / configuration centres to deliver scalable, compliant solutions globally
• Act as a link between engineering, product, data science ensuring solutions move beyond prototypes into sustainable production

AI & Engineering Leadership

• Design, develop and maintainproduction-grade AI applications and services using modern engineering practices (cloud-native design, CI/CD, testing, observability).
• Define and implementreusable AI platforms and capabilities (e.g. conversational assistants, AI search, unstructured data processing, GenAI solutions).
• Leadarchitectural decisions, ensuring responsible AI, explain ability, security, and operational robustness are embedded by design.
• Evaluate and integrateLLMs, vector databases, RAG patterns, agent-based frameworks, and AI APIs into enterprise-ready solutions.
• Championautomation across the AI lifecycle from data ingestion to deployment and run.

Service, Delivery & Governance Ownership

• Be thepoint of accountability for system and solution integrity, ensuring incidents, risks and issues are led clearly and effectively.
• Define and maintainservice catalogues, clarifying scope, ownership, and delivery expectations.
• Ensure solutions meetbp standards, compliance requirements (incl. SoX), and global consistency needs.
• Chair regulargovernance, operational risk, and retrospective sessions with partners and vendors.
• Ensure smoothtransition of new solutions, enhancements, and AI capabilities into run-state operations.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Lead external vendors / configuration centres, ensuring capacity, capability, and delivery quality align with demand.
• Act as a key partner to Global Solution Owners, P&C leadership, technology teams, and business customers.
• Embed agile ways of working and continuous improvement practices across delivery teams.
• Translate complex technical and AI concepts into clear business insights and outcomes

Inspiring change from incremental improvements through to transformations

• Support leadership in building a short & medium-term roadmap of technical change that supports the business and P&C strategies
• Leading a portfolio of change projects, ranging in size and complexity, in support of an agreed the roadmap
• Agree and handle annual budgets accordingly

Thought leadership in AI, VA and automation solutions

• Be a thought-leader in bp in the AI, VA and automation solutions through extensive external networking and continuous landscape analysis

Building partnerships

• Being a great partner with numerous internal senior leaders – primarily the respective members of the Core leadership team
• Securing alignment on priorities and leading their requirements / expectations on projects
• Building strategic relationships / partnerships with external partners where appropriate
• Assisting I&E in the operational oversight of our vendors / partners

Building a high-performing team

• Providetechnical leadership, coaching and mentorship across engineering, data science, and solution teams.
• Inspiring and motivating a permanent team, and third‑party project resources, to deliver great results
• Develop a safe, inclusive, high-performance environment where teams can innovate and deliver at pace.
• Establishing a team that find the optimal balance of WHAT they deliver and HOW they deliver
• Presents the highest level of professional individual contribution and imparts technical expertise to lower level team members;
• Advises and directs subordinates and project resources to help accomplish assignments using established guidelines, procedures and policies;
• Reviews and evaluates team members’ performance.

Essential Experience and Job Requirements:

Actively working to develop capability in line with the P&C Capability Framework, with an equal blend of EQ, IQ and drive.

Technical Capability

• Confirmed experience in multiple organisational change management roles, including demonstrated skills in leadership alignment, partner identification and analysis
• Shown experience deliveringenterprise-scale systems and AI-enabled solutions in production
• Strong programming skills (Python preferred; Java or similar acceptable)
• Solid experience withcloud platforms (AWS, Azure or GCP) and modern DevOps practices
• Experience integratingmachine learning / GenAI models into real-world systems
• Experience withLLMs, RAG, vector search, conversational AI, or unstructured data pipelines
• Familiarity with AI tooling/frameworks (e.g. LangChain, LlamaIndex, Haystack, Hugging Face, CrewAI)
• Experience leadingSaaS / cloud-based HR or enterprise platforms
• Skilled at using data and analytics to identify outcomes and improve decision making; e.g. process improvements and candidate experience improvements

Business Capability

Strong partner management skill