Founding Principal AI Engineer, Innovation Architect

Pearson; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Pearson is seeking a Principal Software Engineer, AI Innovation, to lead the design and delivery of advanced AI solutions within an innovation-focused team. You will collaborate with partners and product leaders to assess feasibility, shape architecture, and drive delivery for high-impact, early-stage projects.

You will prototype and shape ideas, work across full stack, and guide squads in co-innovation efforts, ensuring measurable business impact and strong cross-functional collaboration with

Qualifications

• Extensive software engineering and AI innovation experience.
• Proven track record shaping early-stage products and driving direction, not just executing requirements.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguity and collaborate with UX, Product, and external partners.
• Proven partner co-development and technical delivery experience.
• Deep expertise in software architecture, cloud, and emerging AI technologies.

Responsibilities

• Identify and co-develop AI-driven innovation opportunities with stakeholders.
• Prototype early-stage ideas and define what gets built.
• Lead architectural design for enterprise-scale AI initiatives.
• Decide execution paths: internal build, partner handoffs, or dedicated delivery teams.
• Build and prototype end-to-end across frontend, backend, and infrastructure.
• Guide multiple engineering squads to execute co-innovation strategy and deliver business impact.
• Collaborate with UX and Product to deliver differentiated, cross-functional solutions.

Skills

AI/ML architecture

Full-stack engineering

Cloud computing

Security/compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Ambiguity tolerance

Learning agility

Tools

Cloud platforms

DevOps

Job description

Pearson is seeking a Principal Software Engineer, AI Innovation, to lead the design and delivery of advanced AI solutions within an innovation-focused team. You will collaborate with partners and product leaders to assess feasibility, shape architecture, and drive delivery for high-impact, early-stage projects.

You will prototype and shape ideas, work across full stack, and guide squads in co-innovation efforts, ensuring measurable business impact and strong cross-functional collaboration with