Principal AI Engineer

A&O Shearman; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A&O Shearman in London is seeking a Principal AI Engineer to lead the AI program, shape the strategy, and drive advanced ML initiatives. You will guide a skilled IT team and coordinate with external providers to deliver scalable AI solutions aligned with business goals.

The role requires strong ML/deep learning background, cloud experience, and the ability to manage complex, globally distributed teams while ensuring governance and best practices across the AI platform.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in machine learning, deep learning, and AI model development.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, or C#.
• Experience with AI frameworks/libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), Azure preferred.
• Experience leveraging AI code-writing assistants with engineering controls in professional environments.
• Knowledge of IT strategic planning, design, and operations processes.

Responsibilities

• Maintain strong relationships with fee earners and business teams to drive the technical AI strategy.
• Work with Enterprise Architecture & Technology Platforms leadership to define and operate AI strategy.
• Understand AI use cases and map them to business outcomes.
• Provide expert guidance across teams and mentor AI Engineering staff.
• Oversee performance management of AI staff and ensure HR policy alignment.
• Facilitate regular service provider reviews and drive innovation and remediation activities.
• Own the technical AI strategy, balancing priorities and delivering value to the firm.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement in AI strategy and value realization.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Team management

Strategy development

Communication

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Python

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

We are currently recruiting for a Principal AI Engineer to join our IT team in London. Reporting to the AI Platform Owner, this Manager level role will be a senior technical leader responsible for the strategy, design, and implementation of advanced AI and ML use cases across the firm. The role is a member of AI leadership and is responsible for managing and motivating a team of skilled IT professionals and directing external third-party service providers.

The role is accountable for the implementation of the full lifecycle of AI solutions including model development, validation, deployment, and integration into other systems while providing feedback to continue to evolve the AI platform.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in machine learning, data analysis, and software development. The role will be responsible for designing, developing, and implementing AI solutions to solve complex problems and enhance our products and services resulting in improved experiences for our fee earners and business teams.

Role & responsibilities

• Maintain strong customer relationships with fee earners and business teams to manage the delivery of driving the technical strategy for AI solutions, ensuring scalable architecture and alignment with best practices.
• Work as part of the Enterprise Architecture & Technology Platforms leadership team to collectively define, implement and operate the firm's technical strategy for AI solutions, ensuring scalable architecture and alignment with best practices.
• Work with senior stakeholders from business teams to understand AI use cases mapping to business outcomes.
• Act as the focal point for matters related to driving the technical strategy for AI solutions, ensuring scalable architecture and alignment with best practices, providing expert guidance to other teams when required.
• Performance management of AI Engineering, providing mentorship and ensuring alignment with HR standards and policies.
• Facilitate regular service provider reviews to assess performance against service targets, drive innovation and ensure any remediation activities are being delivered.
• Own the technical strategy for AI solutions, ensuring scalable architecture and alignment with best practices budget and benefits delivery, balancing priorities and clearly demonstrating the value that the firm's AI solutions deliver whilst working with IT Business Operations to ensure alignment.
• Actively identify and pursue opportunities for continuous improvement in driving the technical strategy for AI solutions, ensuring scalable architecture and alignment with best practices, whilst assessing the viability and business value for the firm.

Key requirements

Experience

• Extensive experience in machine learning, deep learning, and AI model development, preferably within the legal or professional services sector.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, or C-Sharp.
• Experience with AI frameworks and libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), experience with Azure a plus.
• Experience leveraging AI code-writing assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Codex) with appropriate engineering controls (code review, testing, security) in professional environments.
• Knowledge of IT strategic planning, design, and operations processes.
• Proven project and program management capabilities.
• Strong knowledge of current IT and data market trends and technology innovations.
• Proven track record of managing large globally dispersed teams.
• Extensive background in the IT industry. With significant experience leading ML/data science teams.

Personal

• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Excellent business acumen and understanding of how the firm is positioned in the market.
• Ability to lead and develop teams.
• Promotes the firm's values at all times and fosters collaborative working relationships with a wide range of people and departments.

Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.

We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

Our approach to hybrid working seeks to combine and maximise the benefits of effective remote working with the benefits of being in the office. Our current hybrid working arrangements require office based working for a minimum of 30% of your time (i.e. three days per two weeks for a full time role) in accordance with our hybrid working policy.