Lead Applied AI Engineer - Banking Technology, Senior Vice President

Citigroup Inc.; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Citi is seeking a Lead AI Engineer in London to drive architectural ownership and hands-on delivery of agentic AI platforms. You will partner with technology and business teams to accelerate AI-first engineering and deliver scalable, production-grade AI services in a regulated banking environment.

The role requires expert Python/Java, experience with LLMs from multiple providers, and mastery of Docker/Kubernetes.

Qualifications

• Progressive software engineering experience with hands-on contributions.
• Advanced Python and Java development experience.
• Dedicated experience in AI, LLM-based systems, and agentic architectures.
• Proven track record delivering enterprise-scale AI solutions in complex environments.
• Strong understanding of banking domain and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, hands-on implementation, and deployment of scalable agentic AI solutions for high-impact use cases.
• Architect advanced agent-based systems integrating multiple LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google).
• Build and deliver production-grade AI applications using modern ML/LLM platforms and AI coding tools.
• Champion MVP-driven delivery with rapid iteration and A/B testing to achieve fast value.
• Define evaluation frameworks and metrics for AI and agent performance aligned with business goals.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and coach teams toward an AI-first engineering culture.
• Provide front-line technical leadership and mentor engineers across AI, data, and applications.

Skills

Python

Java (Spring Boot)

JavaScript/TypeScript

AI/ML fundamentals

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, AI, Robotics or related field

Tools

Devin

GitHub Copilot

Claude Code

Antigravity

Google ADK

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

This role combines deep hands-on technical leadership with architectural ownership, driving the adoption of LLMs, agentic workflows, and generative AI platforms to improve efficiency, automation, simplification, and risk reduction. The Lead AI Engineer will shape both technical delivery and AI-first engineering culture, partnering closely with multiple technology and business teams.,

Responsibilities

• End-to-End AI Leadership: Lead the design, hands-on implementation, and deployment of scalable agentic AI and generative AI solutions for high-impact business use cases.
• Agentic Architecture: Architect advanced agent-based systems (perception, reasoning, planning, execution), integrating multiple LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google).
• Full-Stack AI Engineering: Build and deliver production-grade, full-stack AI applications using modern ML/LLM platforms and AI coding tools (e.g., Devin, GitHub Copilot).
• Rapid Value Delivery: Champion MVP-driven delivery, rapid iteration, hypothesis testing, and experimentation (A/B testing) to achieve fast time-to-value.
• Evaluation & Optimization: Define rigorous evaluation frameworks and metrics for AI and agent performance, ensuring continuous optimization and alignment with business goals.
• Technology Foresight: Proactively evaluate and integrate emerging AI technologies, particularly in agent-based and autonomous AI systems, while acting as a thought leader and coach.
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Provide front-line technical leadership, guide architectural decisions, and mentor engineers across AI, data, and application teams to build an AI-first engineering culture.
• Strategic Domain Alignment: Ensure all AI solutions are grounded in deep banking domain understanding and clearly articulate business and risk impact beyond pure technical implementation.
• Programming: Expert-level proficiency in Python and/or Java (Spring Boot); solid experience with JavaScript/TypeScript (Angular, Node.js). Deep knowledge of AI fundamentals (knowledge representation, automated planning, decision-making under uncertainty, multi-agent systems).
• Extensive hands-on experience with LLM platforms (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google), RAG pipelines, MCPs, and agent frameworks (Google ADK).
• Demonstrated effectiveness with AI coding tools (Devin, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Antigravity).
• Strong experience with ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and data science libraries.
• Proven ability to design and expose robust, scalable APIs for AI services.
• Engineering Excellence: Deep expertise in software engineering best practices, including system design, CI/CD, testing strategies, resiliency, security, and operational stability for AI-driven platforms.
• Architecture & Data: Strong experience designing API-first, microservices-based, and event-driven systems, including AI-focused data pipelines and lifecycle management.
• Platforms: Hands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
• Leadership & Communication: Exceptional ability to articulate complex technical concepts, influence senior stakeholders, and lead high-impact technical discussions.
• Domain Expertise: Strong understanding of banking and regulated financial environments, with the ability to connect AI capabilities to measurable business outcomes.

Nice to Have

• Advanced data science expertise (statistical modeling, experimentation).
• Demonstrated experience mentoring and scaling AI-first engineering talent in rapidly evolving toolchains.

Experience

• Progressive software engineering experience with sustained hands-on contributions.
• Advanced level of expertise in Python language.
• Dedicated experience in AI, LLM-based systems, and agentic architectures.
• Proven success architecting and delivering multiple enterprise-scale AI solutions into production.

Education

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, AI, Robotics, or a related quantitative discipline.

Working at Citi is far more than just a job. A career with us means joining a team of approximately 219,000 dedicated people from around the globe. At Citi, you'll have the opportunity to grow your career, give back to your community and make a real impact.