Principal AI Engineer

AXA UK; Bolton; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

AXA UK seeks a Principal AI Engineer to spearhead AI initiatives, driving the design of scalable cloud-native applications in Azure and advancing Generative AI, RAG architectures, and Agentic AI capabilities.

You will mentor senior engineers, set technical standards, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure AI strategy aligns with business goals while balancing performance and cost.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience defining and executing architectural visions and long-term strategies for full-stack engineering, including DevOps and MLOps.
• Proven ability to design and deliver cloud-native applications at scale, with emphasis on Azure environments and AI/LLM integration.
• Experience establishing technical standards and best practices for Generative AI, RAG architectures, prompt handling, and model integration.
• Proven leadership in mentoring senior/lead engineers and shaping a high-performing tech organization.

Responsibilities

• Drive the vision and long-term strategy for AI and AIOps across full-stack engineering.
• Lead design and delivery of scalable cloud-native apps, acting as the primary escalation point in Azure.
• Define standards for Generative AI, RAG architectures, prompts, and LLM integration.
• Architect Agentic AI systems with orchestration, memory management, and evaluation frameworks.
• Shape the AI platform roadmap for scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency.
• Provide technical mentorship to senior and lead engineers across teams.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align AI/engineering strategies with business goals.
• Stay updated on emerging AI tech and industry best practices.

Skills

Architectural vision

Full-stack engineering

Technical leadership

MLOps

LLM integration

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Node.js

React

Azure

Job description

About AXA AXA is a global leader in insurance and financial services, dedicated to helping customers protect what matters most to them. As the sixth-largest insurance company in the world, we provide a wide range of services, including health, car, home, and business insurance. We support millions of customers worldwide, helping them navigate life's uncertainties with confidence.

About AXA

AXA is a global leader in insurance and financial services, dedicated to helping customers protect what matters most to them. As the sixth-largest insurance company in the world, we provide a wide range of services, including health, car, home, and business insurance. We support millions of customers worldwide, helping them navigate life's uncertainties with confidence.

AXA UK Support Functions look after our three customer-facing business units, providing the infrastructure and expertise to make sure we can be there for our customers.

Job Overview

We’re on the lookout for a Principal AI Engineer to spearhead our AI initiatives. If you have a wealth of experience in software engineering, combined with expertise in Agentic AI and Machine Learning, we’d love to hear from you! Join us to lead the development of innovative solutions around Large Language Models (LLMs) and help drive our pioneering efforts in Agentic AI, shaping the next chapter in AI innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive the vision and long-term strategy for our full-stack engineering practices across AI and AIOps.
• Lead the design and delivery of complex, highly scalable cloud-native applications, acting as the primary technical escalation point within the Azure environment.
• Define technical standards and best practices for developing advanced Generative AI applications, encompassing complex Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures, prompt and context engineering, and Large Language Model (LLM) integration strategies.
• Architect innovative Agentic AI systems, establishing frameworks for orchestration, memory management, and robust evaluation.
• Shape the technical roadmap of our AI platform, making critical decisions to ensure scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency in the long term.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to senior and lead engineers, fostering the department’s technical excellence.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment of AI and engineering strategies with business objectives.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry best practices to continually enhance our AI and engineering capabilities.

Work Arrangements

At AXA we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team and our customers. You'll work at least two days a week (40%) away from home, moving to three days a week (60%) from December 2026. Away from home means attending the office, visiting clients or attending industry events. We’re also happy to consider flexible working arrangements, which you can discuss with Talent Acquisition.

Your Skills & Experience

• Extensive experience in defining and executing architectural visions and long-term strategies for full-stack engineering, including DevOps, containerisation such as Docker, Kubernetes, and MLOps.
• Proven track record in designing and delivering complex, highly scalable cloud-native applications within Azure environments, with a focus on technical escalation and resolution.
• Expertise in establishing technical standards and best practices for advanced Generative AI applications, encompassing RAG architectures, prompt engineering, and LLM integration strategies.
• Experience in architecting and developing Agentic AI systems, including frameworks for orchestration, memory management, and performance evaluation.
• Advanced knowledge in Python and SQL, demonstrated through solving complex technical challenges and maintaining high code quality standards.
• Ability to drive the technical roadmap of AI platforms, making critical design decisions to ensure scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency.
• Proven leadership in providing technical mentorship to senior and lead engineers, fostering the growth of technical capabilities within the team.
• Professional experience with Node.js and React is highly desirable, with the ability to incorporate these technologies into scalable AI solutions.

As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorised to work in the United Kingdom.