Principal AI Platform Engineer

Leonardo S.p.A.; City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

12 flexi-days per year

Pension up to 15%

Flexible working

Access to 4,000+ courses

Job summary

Leonardo S.p.A. in Edinburgh is seeking a Senior or Principal AI Platform Engineer to build and operate the infrastructure that underpins our AI platform, giving engineers secure, reliable access to AI models and inference services.

You will own the platform layer above GPU infrastructure, deploy scalable inference services with containers and Kubernetes, improve observability, and help define secure, resilient operating standards for enterprise environments.

Qualifications

• Experience operating shared or business-critical platforms.
• Familiarity with large language models and running them in production.
• Experience troubleshooting distributed systems and performance issues.
• Familiarity with infrastructure as code and CI/CD.

Responsibilities

• Own and operate the platform layer above managed GPU infrastructure, including model serving and inference runtimes.
• Deploy and operate scalable inference services, improve observability and performance.
• Establish engineering standards for operating AI services in secure enterprise environments.

Skills

Linux

Containers

Kubernetes

AI inference

Model serving

Python

Go

Bash

CI/CD

Monitoring

SRE practices

Security & access control

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

vLLM

SGLang

LiteLLM

Bifrost

Job description

## Principal AI Platform EngineerApply: GB - Edinburgh: Full time: Posted Today: R0033501**Job Description:**# **Your Impact** We are recruiting for a Senior or Principal AI Platform Engineer to help shape, build and operate the infrastructure and services that underpin our AI platform, providing engineers with secure, reliable access to AI models and inference services. **What you’ll do*** Take ownership of the platform layer above our managed GPU infrastructure, including model serving, inference runtimes, AI gateways and supporting services. You will help make these capabilities easy for engineering teams to consume while maintaining appropriate controls around security, performance and availability.* Using technologies such as containers, Kubernetes, vLLM and AI gateway platforms, you will deploy and operate scalable inference services, improve observability and performance, and investigate complex technical issues across the platform. You will also help establish engineering standards for operating AI services within a secure enterprise environment, including cases where the target system has no route to the internet.We are a multidisciplinary team looking for candidates with a broad mix of skills and experience. You do not need to meet every requirement. What matters most is sound engineering judgement, adaptability and the ability to make a meaningful contribution. **What you’ll bring*** Experience operating shared or business-critical platforms* Familiarity with large language models and the practical considerations of running them* Experience troubleshooting distributed systems and performance issues* Familiarity with infrastructure as code and CI/CD* Effective communication and stakeholder engagement* Curiosity and a drive for continuous improvement Key areas we value experience in:* Linux, application and server administration* Containers and container orchestration, such as Docker and Kubernetes* AI inference and model serving platforms, such as vLLM, SGLang or similar* AI gateways and API management, such as LiteLLM, Bifrost or similar* GPU workloads, including performance, utilisation and resource management* Programming and scripting, such as Python, Bash or Go* Monitoring, observability and SRE practices* Secure, resilient and scalable service design* Authentication, access control, rate limiting and service integration* Technical documentation and operational guidance **Security Clearance** You must be eligible for full security clearance. For more information and guidance please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vettingclearance-levels **Why join us** At Leonardo, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We offer a comprehensive, company-funded benefits package that supports your wellbeing, career development, and work–life balance. Whether you're looking to grow professionally, care for your health, or plan for the future, we’re here to help you thrive. * Time to Recharge: Enjoy generous leave with the opportunity to accrue up to 12 additional flexi-days each year.* Secure your Future: Benefit from our award-winning pension scheme with up to 15% employer contribution.* Your Wellbeing Matters: Free access to mental health support, financial advice, and employee-led networks championing inclusion and diversity (Enable, Pride, Equalise, Armed Forces, Carers, Wellbeing and Ethnicity).* Rewarding Performance: All employees at management level and below are eligible for our bonus scheme.* Never Stop Learning: Free access to 4,000+ online courses via Coursera and LinkedIn Learning.* Refer a friend: Receive a financial reward through our referral programme.* Tailored Perks: Spend up to £500 annually on flexible benefits including private healthcare, dental, family cover, tech & lifestyle discounts, gym memberships and more.* Flexible working: Flexible hours with hybrid working options. For part time opportunities, please talk to us about what might be possible for this role. For a full list of our company benefits please visit our website. Leonardo is a global leader in Aerospace, Defence, and Security. Headquartered in Italy, we employ over 53,000 people worldwide including 8,500 across 9 sites in the UK. Our employees are not just part of a team—they are key contributors to shaping innovation, advancing technology, and enhancing global safety. At Leonardo we are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, and welcoming workplace. We believe that a diverse workforce sparks creativity, drives innovation, and leads to better outcomes for our people and our customers. If you have any accessibility requirements to support you during the recruitment process, just let us know. Be part of something bigger - apply now!