Lead AI Research Engineer

EMBS Engineering; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A global leader in education technology is seeking a Lead AI Research Engineer to transform AI capabilities in their products. This hybrid role involves working with senior engineering leaders to build and scale AI solutions. The ideal candidate has strong AI and ML expertise, experience in prototyping, and a collaborative approach. You'll be at the forefront of innovation, integrating cutting-edge technologies to impact education worldwide. Competitive salary and benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in AI and ML for SaaS applications.
• Proven ability to prototype and deploy AI solutions.
• Strong collaboration skills, especially with tech partners.

Responsibilities

• Identify high-impact opportunities to embed AI across the platform.
• Build prototypes and proofs-of-concept using real production data.
• Experiment with LLMs and emerging AI tooling.

Skills

AI and ML implementation

Prototyping and MVP development

Advanced ML models

Collaboration with tech partners

Tools

LLMs

Automation frameworks

OpenAI APIs

Job description

Lead AI Research Engineer

Location: Hybrid / London

Salary: £100,000–£150,000 + benefits

Be the driving force behind the next generation of AI in education. A rare opportunity to shape the future.

We’re working with a global SaaS leader in education and workforce analytics, backed by major private equity investment and trusted by thousands of schools worldwide. They’re now building a dedicated AI R&D function, and this is your chance to join as the founding Lead AI Research Engineer.

If you’re looking for a role where you can explore, experiment, and deliver real impact at global scale, this is it.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll sit within a small, focused R&D team with a clear brief: build it, prove it, scale it. Working directly with the Global CTO and senior .NET engineering leaders, you’ll research, prototype, and deploy AI capability that will shape the company’s product ecosystem for years to come.

You will :

• Identify high-impact opportunities to embed AI, ML, and agentic systems across a global SaaS platform
• Build prototypes, MVPs, and proofs-of-concept using real production data
• Experiment with LLMs, automation frameworks, advanced ML models, and emerging AI tooling
• Evaluate and integrate third-party APIs and open-source frameworks
• Develop reusable components and reference architectures
• Collaborate with partners including Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic ...