Junior AI Specialist

BCN Group Ltd; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

BCN Academy

Competitive salary

23 days holiday

Pension scheme

Volunteer days

Health cash plan

Life assurance

Cycle to work

On-site gym

Social events

Job summary

BCN Group Ltd is hiring an Junior AI Specialist to join the Growth Team in our AI and Data Innovation function. This early-career role blends AI development, interim product management for Public View, and NHS data verification work.

You will learn AI-assisted development in Visual Studio with Copilot and Claude, while supporting backlog management, release notes, and data validation across NHS metrics. Hybrid work supported at Manchester or Reading locations.

Qualifications

• Degree or apprenticeship in technical/data/analytical discipline or equivalent experience.
• Some exposure to programming or scripting (Python, C#, JavaScript or SQL).
• Strong attention to detail and ability to check data against specifications.
• Good numerical and analytical skills with spreadsheets and data.
• Clear written and verbal communication for updates and release notes.
• Well organised, able to manage a backlog and multiple stakeholders.
• A team player in a small, collaborative team.

Responsibilities

• AI Development: learn and deliver AI-assisted tasks in Visual Studio with Copilot and Claude.
• Progress to independent AI development tasks as skills grow.
• Work toward BCN Academy and Azure AI certification milestones.
• Own AI-assisted validation checks as automation lands and verification evolves.
• Product Management: keep Public View backlog groomed and prioritised.
• Write release notes and coordinate customer communications on data loads.
• NOF Verification: verify NOF/ICB metrics against latest specs each cycle.
• Collaborate with NHS customers and share knowledge across the Growth Team.

Skills

Degree in technical/data discipline

Programming exposure

Attention to detail

Numerical & analytical skills

Clear communication

Backlog & stakeholder management

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree, apprenticeship or equivalent

Tools

Visual Studio

GitHub Copilot

Claude

Git

Job description

Job title: Junior AI Specialist

Location: Role can be based from our Manchester or Reading locations (Hybrid working available)

Hours: Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

About BCN:

At BCN we unite people and technology to enable organisations to fly.

We believe people and organisations can achieve anything using technology to it’s full potential. Our role is to help them understand what is possible, implement in the right way and utilise their technology to achieve their ambitions.Which is why we put people front and centre – building client relationships for life and fostering a culture where our people thrive.

We are a leading managed IT services provider and technology consultant, specialising in delivering transformative technology solutions with industry-leading client experience across business, public sector and not for profit organisations. From cloud computing, cybersecurity, and data management to power app development, we are dedicated to being a Microsoft powerhouse.

Guided by our 3 values of building relationships, customer success and passion and dedication, we are on a mission to make BCN the most trusted tech partner in the UK today. The kind of company clients want to work with, and people want to work for.

We are delighted you are on this journey with us!

Focus of the role:

This role sits within BCN's Growth Team, in our AI and Data Innovation function, and is an early-career, hands‑on role built around Public View, our NHS performance and oversight product used by NHS organisations across England. It is designed as a development role with a defined progression path into AI development.

Your time will be split three ways. One third is learning AI‑assisted development in Visual Studio with tools such as GitHub Copilot and Claude, pairing with our senior developers on real Public View and client work. One third is interim junior product management for Public View, keeping the backlog, releases and customer communications moving. One third is verifying and validating the NHS Oversight Framework (NOF) metrics in Public View against the latest national specifications each publication cycle, so that our customers see accurate data first time.

Working closely with the Head of AI and Data Innovation and the Public View developers, you will be productive from week one on the product and verification work while building towards independent AI development tasks. As automated validation lands, the verification share of the role is expected to shrink and the AI development share to grow, with the split reviewed at twelve months.

As our business and technology continue to evolve, this role will adapt to reflect new priorities and ways of working.

Responsibilities:

AI Development (learning and delivery)

• Follow a structured learning path in AI‑assisted development using Visual Studio, GitHub Copilot and Claude, pairing with our senior developers on real Public View and client tasks.
• Take on supervised development tasks, progressing to independent AI development work as your skills and confidence grow.
• Work towards BCN Academy and Microsoft Azure AI certification milestones (Azure AI Fundamentals and Azure AI Engineer).
• Become the owner of the AI‑assisted validation checks as they are automated, so that verification moves from manual sampling to reviewing exceptions.

Product Management (interim, Public View)

• Keep the Public View backlog groomed and prioritised, working with the Head of AI and Data Innovation and the development team.
• Write release notes and run customer communications on data loads and product updates.
• Track Public View trials towards conversion and coordinate follow‑up with prospective customers.
• Capture customer feedback and feed it into the product roadmap.

NOF Verification and Validation

• Verify and validate the NOF and ICB metrics in Public View against the latest national specifications each publication cycle, before customers see them.
• Build and maintain a documented verification checklist with the Public View team and NOF users, and run it on every cycle.
• Log and triage exceptions, work with the developers to resolve them, and confirm fixes before release.
• Keep up to date with changes to the NOF and ICB specifications as they are published.

Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing

• Work day‑to‑day with the Public View developers, the AI and Data Consultant and NHS customers.
• Contribute to internal demos, documentation and knowledge sharing across the Growth Team.

Person, Skills & Experience:

Required Skills and Experience

• A degree, apprenticeship or equivalent experience in a technical, data or analytical discipline, or demonstrable self‑taught ability.
• Some exposure to programming or scripting (for example Python, C#, JavaScript or SQL) and a genuine enthusiasm to learn AI‑assisted software development.
• Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach, with the confidence to check data carefully against a written specification and to flag anything that does not add up.
• Good numerical and analytical skills, including comfort working with spreadsheets and data.
• Clear written and verbal communication - able to write customer‑facing updates and release notes and to explain findings to technical and non‑technical colleagues.
• Well organised, able to manage a split workload and keep a backlog and multiple stakeholders moving.
• A team player who is comfortable asking questions, taking feedback and working in a small, collaborative team.

Advantageous

• Familiarity with the NHS, NHS performance data or the NHS Oversight Framework.
• Exposure to AI‑assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Claude or Cursor, or to Visual Studio and Git.
• Understanding of agile product management practice, such as backlog management, prioritisation or release notes.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Azure or an interest in working towards Azure AI certifications.
• Experience in a customer‑facing or support role.

Why BCN?

• The opportunity to shape your own future with industry leading training and development, with access to our BCN Academy.
• Competitive salary with the ability to progress.
• 23‑days holiday allowance, increasing with length of service, plus bank holidays, an extra day off on your birthday and the option to buy more!
• Company pension scheme.
• 2 paid leave days per year to volunteer and support your local community – if it matters to you it matters to us.
• Health cash plan with free access to a confidential EAP supporting bereavement, financial, health and wellbeing, and much more
• Life assurance
• Cycle to work scheme, electric vehicle scheme, home and tech scheme, and retail discounts.
• Balancing work, life, and fitness can be challenging, so we offer a free on‑site gym at our Manchester and Leeds locations to make it easier to stay active.
• Long service recognition to celebrate all the milestones
• Beer (or soft drinks), and Pizza at the end of the month, dress down every day, social events such as Summer BBQ, Christmas party and lots more!