Lead AI Consultant, UK - Eficode

Eficode A/S; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading software development firm in Southampton is looking for a Lead AI Consultant to drive AI projects from discovery to delivery. You will leverage your strong AI and ML expertise to craft innovative solutions, mentor teams, and engage with clients. This hybrid role offers a competitive salary of £80k - £100k per annum, among other benefits.

Benefits

Learning culture

Impactful work

Supportive community

Qualifications

• Strong experience with ML model development and running cloud-native AI systems in production.
• Experience with large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4/5.
• Designing safeguards for production AI systems is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead AI consulting projects ensuring robust and compliant solutions.
• Prototype and apply the latest AI/ML technologies effectively.
• Guide teams through technical vision and share best practices.

Skills

Hands-on AI/ML expertise

Generative AI skills

MLOps and integration

AI guardrails & quality

Cloud proficiency

Strong communication skills

Consulting mindset

Tools

Kafka

Airflow

Terraform

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

· Southampton - UK Lead AI Consultant, UK
Help Shape the Future of Software Development with AI. Join us.
Welcome to Eficode!
We’re building the future of software development, specializing in DevOps and AI. We work with everyone from innovative startups to highly regulated enterprises, delivering real-world, scalable AI solutions — not just proofs of concept.

We’re investing heavily in AI, combining our deep DevOps expertise with cutting-edge AI infrastructure, guardrails, and deployment practices. Our goal? Becoming the best AI integrator in Europe — and then the world.

If you’re an AI visionary who thrives on experimentation, can spot emerging trends, and knows how to turn ideas into production-ready solutions, we’d love to talk.

What You’ll Do

• Lead AI consulting projects – from discovery to delivery – ensuring solutions are robust, compliant, and deliver real value.
• Prototype, test, and iterate quickly, applying the latest AI/ML and cloud technologies in practical ways.
• Empower a shift-left approach – apply data engineering as part of the AI/ML process to get the data you need faster.
• Mentor and influence – guide teams through your technical vision, share best practices, and inspire learning.
• Engage with clients – understand business needs, translate them into technical solutions, and act as a trusted advisor.
• Champion knowledge sharing – give internal workshops, write blog posts, or speak at conferences to spread insights.
• Drive internal innovation – lead in-house AI and process improvement initiatives, streamlining workflows, automating repetitive tasks, and enhancing team efficiency through practical technology adoption.

Who We’re Looking For
Here are the key competences we are after:

• Hands-on AI/ML expertise – strong experience with ML model development, deployment, and running cloud-native AI systems in production.
• Generative AI skills – experience with large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4/5, fine-tuning, RAG pipelines, or AI-powered chatbots.
• MLOps and integration – experience with frameworks like Kubeflow, MLflow, or Vertex AI, and deploying models behind APIs with monitoring and feedback loops.
• AI guardrails & quality – designing safeguards, judge models, automated evaluation, or compliance mechanisms for production AI systems.
• Cloud proficiency – designing and deploying AI workloads on platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Strong communication skills – able to explain complex concepts clearly to technical and business audiences.
• Consulting mindset – comfortable collaborating with diverse stakeholders and adapting to different industries.

Nice-to-Haves

• Data pipelines (Kafka, Airflow, Celery) or real-time processing.
• Data modeling and warehousing. Transforming data ready for analytics/ML and storing it.
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation) and CI/CD experience (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Jenkins).
• Containerization & orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, serverless architectures).
• Automation & scripting (Python, Bash) and DevSecOps practices.
• Software development fundamentals and agile practices.
• Relevant certifications (cloud, Kubernetes, AI/ML).

Why You’ll Love Working Here

• Impactful work – partner with leading businesses in finance, telecom, industry, and beyond.
• Learning culture – weekly dedicated knowledge-sharing time, access to conferences and training, and support if you’re accepted to speak at an event.
• Supportive community – collaborate with experts across AI, DevOps, cloud, and software engineering.
• Values-driven –
  • We want to change the world through software.
  • We take pride in delivering results.
  • We learn every day.
  • We complete each other.

To find out more about life at Eficode, and hear what our people think about us, click here.

Compensation & Benefits
£80k - £100k depending on your experience, paid gross per annum.

You’ll also get a broad mix of benefits for well-being, work-life balance, and professional growth - please check here.

Ready to join us?
If you’re ready to innovate at the intersection of AI and DevOps, apply now with your CV and a cover letter telling us why you’d be a great fit.

At Eficode we are committed to offering an inclusive recruitment process and equal opportunities for all applicants. We are dedicated to creating a work environment that embraces diversity, inclusion, and respect for all employees. We believe that our differences make us better. We recognise that by having diverse perspectives, skills, ages, genders, backgrounds, and cultures, we will better drive our customers forward and innovate in our field.

To ensure a fair recruitment process, please refrain from sharing unnecessary personal information or an image of yourself in your job application.

Eficode, better made possible.

#LI-SB1

Department Consulting Locations Southampton - UK Remote status Hybrid

Contact Sophie Bourguignon Talent Acquisition Partner – HR