Lead AI Engineer

Harnham; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 95,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Harnham is seeking a Lead AI Engineer in London (King's Cross) to drive design, architecture, and delivery of production-grade AI systems that tightly integrate with core business processes.

You will own the technical direction, build LLM-powered and agent-based solutions, set reusable standards, and guide engineers in a collaborative, technology-driven environment. Hybrid role with 1–2 days in the office.

Qualifications

• Strong commercial experience delivering production-grade AI systems from design through deployment.
• Deep expertise in Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), orchestration, prompting, and evaluation.
• Experience building agentic or multi-step AI systems.
• Excellent software engineering fundamentals across APIs, system design, and cloud-based architecture.
• Ability to define technical direction and operate effectively in complex or evolving environments.
• Experience influencing engineering standards and best practices across multiple projects.
• Exposure to AI platforms, reusable frameworks, LLMOps/MLOps, or enterprise AI environments would be beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction, architecture, and implementation of AI systems end-to-end.
• Design and build LLM-powered and agent-based solutions from concept through to production.
• Establish engineering standards, reusable patterns, and scalable frameworks across AI initiatives.
• Make key decisions on models, tooling, infrastructure, and system design.
• Ensure AI systems are robust, observable, secure, and production-ready through effective evaluation, monitoring, and guardrails.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to engineers working on AI projects.

Skills

Production-grade AI systems

Generative AI

LLMs

Orchestration

APIs & system design

Cloud-based architecture

Leadership for engineers

AI platforms / MLOps exposure

Tools

LLMOps/MLOps

Job description

King's Cross, London (1-2 days a week in office)

This is an opportunity to lead the design, architecture, and delivery of production-grade AI systems that create measurable business impact. You will work on high-value initiatives, building scalable AI solutions that are embedded directly into core business processes rather than standalone prototypes.

THE COMPANY

They are a well-established organisation investing heavily in AI innovation to transform business operations and deliver long-term value. Their focus is on deploying practical, scalable AI solutions that support real workflows and business outcomes. You will join a technology-driven environment where engineering excellence, collaboration, and innovation are highly valued.

THE ROLE

As a Lead AI Engineer, you will

Specifically, you can expect to be involved in the following:

• Own the technical direction, architecture, and implementation of AI systems end-to-end.
• Design and build LLM-powered and agent-based solutions from concept through to production.
• Establish engineering standards, reusable patterns, and scalable frameworks across AI initiatives.
• Make key decisions on models, tooling, infrastructure, and system design.
• Ensure AI systems are robust, observable, secure, and production-ready through effective evaluation, monitoring, and guardrails.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to engineers working on AI projects.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

The successful Lead AI Engineer will have the following skills and experience:

• Strong commercial experience delivering production-grade AI systems from design through deployment.
• Deep expertise in Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), orchestration, prompting, and evaluation.
• Experience building agentic or multi-step AI systems.
• Excellent software engineering fundamentals across APIs, system design, and cloud-based architecture.
• Ability to define technical direction and operate effectively in complex or evolving environments.
• Experience influencing engineering standards and best practices across multiple projects.
• Exposure to AI platforms, reusable frameworks, LLMOps/MLOps, or enterprise AI environments would be beneficial.

BENEFITS

The successful Lead AI Engineer will receive the following benefits:

• Salary between £95,000 - £115,000 - depending on experience