Oracle AI Consultant

Frontier Resourcing; Manchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency in the UK is seeking a talented engineer for a Defence digital transformation programme. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing and delivering AI/ML proof-of-concepts that meet mission objectives while ensuring compliance with security standards. Applicants should have a robust background in backend engineering, especially with AI components, and the ability to communicate technical concepts to diverse stakeholders. Security clearance is required for this role.

Qualifications

• Strong backend engineering background delivering high‑scale systems with AI components.
• Demonstrable experience fine-tuning and optimising LLM / ML models.
• Solid understanding of cloud security patterns and guardrails in regulated environments.
• Ability to communicate complex AI concepts to senior Defence stakeholders.
• UK Citizen with SC clearance or able to obtain clearance.

Responsibilities

• Design, prototype and deliver AI / ML PoCs aligned to Defence workflows.
• Build high-performance backend components to support AI workloads.
• Engineer, fine-tune and optimise ML / LLM models for efficiency in secure cloud environments.
• Ensure compliance with MOD security constraints and responsible-AI principles.
• Work closely with data engineering teams and security SMEs.

Skills

Backend engineering

Python

Java

RAG frameworks

Vector databases

API engineering

AI / ML models

Cloud security patterns

Tools

Oracle AI stack

OCI AI Services

Job description

This role sits within a major UK Defence digital transformation programme, driving the design, build and demonstration of AI / ML proof-of-concepts across sensitive mission data, legacy estates and modern cloud platforms.

The environment is heavily aligned to Oracle technologies, so experience with Oracle’s cloud-native AI stack is strongly desired (but not essential).

Key Responsibilities / Experience

• Design, prototype and deliver AI / ML PoCs (RAG pipelines, LLM-powered services, agent-based automation, generative use cases) aligned to Defence workflows and mission needs.
• Build high-performance backend components to support AI workloads, including retrieval layers, vector pipelines, inference services and integrations with platform-native AI capabilities.
• Engineer, fine‑tune and optimise ML / LLM models for training, inference, latency and cost efficiency in secure cloud environments.
• Oracle AI stack (OCI Language, Vision, Speech, Generative AI, AI Agents) to build demonstrators aligned to programme objectives and operational scenarios.
• Ensure all AI solutions comply with MOD security constraints, cloud governance, auditability requirements and responsible‑AI principles.
• Work closely with data engineering teams, application/integration specialists and security SMEs across a geographically dispersed programme delivery organisation.
• Contribute to SDLC processes (Agile / Iterative), including JIRA‑managed workflow tracking and stakeholder playback sessions.

Essential Skills

• Strong backend engineering background delivering high‑scale systems with AI components (Python / Java, RAG frameworks, vector databases, API engineering).
• Demonstrable experience fine‑tuning and optimising LLM / ML models and associated training / inference pipelines.
• Solid understanding of cloud security patterns and guardrails in regulated environments.
• Ability to communicate complex AI concepts to senior Defence stakeholders with varying technical backgrounds.
• UK Citizen with SC (minimum) or able to obtain clearance.

Desirable

• Knowledge of Oracle ADW, OAC, Fusion or Integration Cloud.
• Hands‑on experience with OCI AI Services and Oracle’s emerging AI ecosystem.
• Prior experience in Defence, Central Government or other highly regulated sectors.