Lead AI Engineer

Proactive.IT Appointments Ltd.; Reigate; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology recruitment firm in Reigate seeks a Lead AI Engineer to drive AI-powered solutions. You will lead a team, set technical direction, and deliver AI initiatives while mentoring team members. Ideal candidates need experience in deploying AI and a strong focus on advanced NLP techniques. This hybrid position promises an engaging role in defining AI strategies that yield measurable business impact.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering AI into production with measurable commercial impact.
• Strong understanding of advanced NLP and model fine-tuning.
• Proven track record in mentoring and leading engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of AI Engineers and set technical direction.
• Drive scalable AI delivery as part of the Data Science & AI team.
• Shape the AI roadmap by collaborating with stakeholders.
• Identify high‑value GenAI opportunities by analyzing processes and data.
• Drive scalable AI delivery as part of the Data Science & AI function.

Skills

Technical leadership

Mentoring

Advanced NLP

Problem-solving

Collaboration

NLP

Prompt engineering

Fine-tuning LLMs

Job description

We are working with one of our largest customers who are looking for Lead AI Engineer to join them on a Hybrid working basis.

Role Profile

As a Lead AI Engineer, you’ll take a central role in driving and delivering the next generation of AI‑powered solutions across the business. You’ll lead a team of AI Engineers of all levels, setting technical direction, owning end‑to‑end project delivery and ensuring our solutions generate real, measurable impact. Alongside your hands‑on technical work, you’ll mentor and develop the team, guide requirement‑gathering with stakeholders, and play a key part in defining the future AI strategy of the client.

Main Responsibilities as a Lead AI Engineer:

• Support and develop a small team, helping them grow and progress.
• Work with leaders to set and improve engineering and R&D standards.
• Shape the AI roadmap across both use cases and technology.
• Partner with senior stakeholders to understand processes and data, identifying high‑value GenAI opportunities.
• Drive scalable AI delivery as part of the Data Science & AI team, contributing to innovation across the enterprise.

Skills and experience you need as a Lead AI Engineer:

• Provide technical leadership and mentoring, supporting the growth of a high‑performing team.
• Proven experience delivering AI into production, solving real commercial problems and measuring impact.
• A self‑starter with a track record of taking research and models through to production to drive tangible business and customer value.
• Comfortable working both autonomously and collaboratively in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional environment
• Strong experience with advanced NLP, including developing models, prompt engineering and fine‑tuning LLMs in a commercial setting.