Senior AI Engineer

A&O Shearman; North Stifford; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

A&O Shearman is seeking a Senior AI Engineer (Manager) to lead strategy, design and delivery of advanced AI/ML initiatives across the firm. You will manage a skilled IT team and external service providers, shaping the AI platform and its integration with business systems.

You will collaborate with senior stakeholders to map AI use cases to business outcomes, drive architectural decisions, and promote best practices while staying aligned with firm strategy.

Qualifications

• Experience in machine learning, deep learning, and AI model development.
• Proficiency in Python, R, or C#.
• Experience with AI frameworks: TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn.
• Experience with cloud platforms AWS, GCP, Azure; Azure experience a plus.
• Experience leveraging AI code-writing assistants with engineering controls in professional environments.
• Knowledge of IT strategic planning, design, and operations processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy, design, and implementation of advanced AI/ML use cases across the firm.
• Manage and motivate a team of IT professionals and direct external providers.
• Oversee lifecycle of AI solutions from development to deployment and integration.
• Provide feedback to evolve the AI platform and architecture.
• Design and implement AI solutions to solve complex problems and enhance offerings.
• Maintain strong relationships with fee earners and business teams to ensure delivery.
• Drive technical strategy for scalable AI architectures and best practices.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders to map AI use cases to business outcomes.

Skills

AI leadership

Machine Learning

Python

AWS

Azure

GCP

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Stakeholder engagement

Team management

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

GitHub Copilot

Claude Code

Job description

Salary: £45,000 - 73,000 per year

Requirements:

• Experience in machine learning, deep learning, and AI model development
• 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), with Azure experience 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 global teams
• Experience within the legal or professional services sector is desirable but not essential
• 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 our values at all times and fosters collaborative working relationships with a wide range of people and departments

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a senior technical leader responsible for the strategy, design, and implementation of advanced AI and ML use cases across the firm
• Manage and motivate a team of skilled IT professionals and direct external third-party service providers
• Oversee the full lifecycle of AI solutions, including model development, validation, deployment, and integration into other systems
• Provide feedback to continue evolving our AI platform
• Design, develop, and implement AI solutions to solve complex problems and enhance our products and services
• Improve experiences for our fee earners and business teams
• Maintain strong customer relationships with fee earners and business teams to manage delivery of AI solutions
• Drive 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 define, implement, and operate our technical strategy for AI solutions
• Work with senior stakeholders from business teams to understand AI use cases and map them to business outcomes
• Act as the focal point for matters related to AI technical strategy and provide expert guidance to other teams when requiredManage performance of AI Engineering, including mentorship and alignment with HR standards and policies
• Facilitate regular service provider reviews to assess performance against service targets, drive innovation, and ensure remediation activities are delivered
• Own the technical strategy for AI solutions, including scalable architecture, best practices, budget, and benefits delivery
• Work with IT Business Operations to ensure alignment
• Identify and pursue opportunities for continuous improvement while assessing viability and business value for the firm

Technologies:

• AI
• AWS
• Azure
• Claude Code
• Cloud
• Copilot
• GCP
• GitHub
• Machine Learning
• PyTorch
• Python
• Security
• TensorFlow

More:

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior AI Engineer (Manager) to join our IT (EA & Technology Platforms) team, based in our Belfast or London office. Reporting to the AI Platform Owner, this role is part of our AI leadership team and offers the chance to help shape and deliver our AI strategy across the firm. We are committed to direct sourcing and do not accept unsolicited CVs from agencies.