Programme Technical Lead - High Assurance AI

CommonAI C.I.C.; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary & Benefits

Networking opportunities

Cambridge office near train station

Job summary

CommonAI CIC in Cambridge is launching a High Assurance AI Programme and seeks a Programme Technical Lead to drive engineering delivery from research direction to production infrastructure.

You will build and lead an engineering team, translate regulated-industry needs into concrete technical requirements, and work with researchers, members and partners to deliver a shared roadmap with strong governance and safety considerations.

Qualifications

• Experience with financial services processes/workflows and their constraints.
• Understanding of AI governance in regulated industries (e.g., model risk, controls).
• Experience with PyTorch or similar frameworks.
• Ability to translate research directions into deliverable engineering.
• Experience leading an engineering team.
• Experience with formal methods, verification, AI safety, or AI control.
• Experience with domain-specific language models.

Responsibilities

• Own delivery of the programme's technical roadmap from research direction to working infrastructure.
• Build, hire and lead an engineering team based in Cambridge.
• Translate the needs of regulated industries into clear technical requirements for the programme.
• Bring members, researchers and partners together around a shared roadmap.
• Work with the architectural lead to evaluate approaches like formal methods, AI control and small language models and decide what to build.
• Represent the programme technically with members and partners.

Skills

PyTorch

AI governance

Regulated industry

Stakeholder mgmt

Team leadership

Formal methods

AI safety

Domain LMs

Bank/regulator ties

Job description

About CommonAI CIC

CommonAI CIC is redefining deep-tech AI solutions through collaborative engineering and shared infrastructure. Working at the intersection of AI, cloud and large-scale infrastructure, we partner with commercial, government and research entities to accelerate AI adoption across the UK and Europe. Backed by UK Government and private funding, our team of experienced founders and engineers is building the future of AI systems. Its members include ARIA, Barclays and a fast-growing group of deeptech startups.

The Opportunity

Highly regulated industries like financial services need guaranteed, predictable outcomes that today's large language models cannot provide on their own. Our High Assurance programme will develop AI systems which can be used safely in environments where accuracy and explainability are critical building blocks in creating a required level of trust.

• Formal methods and verification: proofs that an AI system must satisfy before it can act.
• Domain-specific small language models for regulated use cases.
• AI control platforms that govern how AI systems behave in production.

The programme launched recently, with Barclays as its lead member and held its first workshop, "Towards Trustworthy Harnesses", with members, academics and domain experts.

The Role

We are looking for a Programme Technical Lead to drive execution of the High Assurance AI Programme. The programme already has an academic architectural lead; this role turns the programme's research direction into delivered engineering, working closely with the architectural lead, our Chief Science Officer and our members. You will report to the CTO and build and lead the programme's engineering team.

What you will do

• Own delivery of the programme's technical roadmap, from research direction to working infrastructure.
• Build, hire and lead an engineering team based in Cambridge.
• Translate the needs of regulated industries into clear technical requirements, making sure the programme solves the problems which matter to members.
• Bring members, researchers and partners together around a shared roadmap.
• Work with the architectural lead to evaluate approaches such as formal methods, AI control and small language models and decide what to build.
• Represent the programme technically with members and partners.

We do not expect anyone to have all of the experience below. Deep expertise in one area, combined with the ability to work across the others, matters more than ticking every box.

Essential

• Understanding/experience of processes/workflows (and their associated constraints) in the financial services industry, particularly banks.
• Understanding of how AI is or might be used, governed or assured in a regulated industry, ideally financial services (for example model risk, AI governance or controls).
• Experience with PyTorch or other similar frameworks.
• Enough technical depth to engage credibly with ML researchers and understand the problems the programme needs to solve, without needing to be the person who writes the proofs or algorithms.
• Ability to bring together organisations with different priorities and build a shared plan.

Desirable

• Experience leading an engineering team and driving delivery in a technical, research-driven environment.
• Experience with formal methods, verification, AI safety, AI assurance or AI control.
• Experience with small or domain-specific language models.
• Relationships with banks, insurers or regulators.
• Experience in a startup, or building a new product, or independent project / research that has resulted in software used by others.

Lead a new programme at the boundary of research and industry, helping to solve tough challenges such as how AI can be used safely in critical industries. High-impact role in a rapidly growing, well-funded organisation. Mission-led work for the public good, released over time as managed open source.

• Competitive salary, pension, healthcare and benefits, including company share scheme.
• Networking opportunities with leaders across tech and academia.
• Vibrant office situated near to Cambridge train station.

CommonAI CIC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace.