Senior AI Engineer

A&O Shearman; Royal Hillsborough; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A&O Shearman is seeking a Senior AI Engineer (Manager) to lead the AI Platform team across Belfast or London. You will drive strategy, design, and delivery of advanced AI and ML use cases in a global professional services context.

Reporting to the AI Platform Owner, you will mentor engineers, manage third-party providers, and shape the full AI lifecycle from model development to deployment. Strong collaboration with stakeholders and a focus on scalable architecture are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience leading AI/ML initiatives and teams.
• Strong background in ML model development and deployment.
• Proven ability to design scalable AI architectures.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and leadership skills.
• Experience with cloud platforms and AI frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the strategy for enterprise AI solutions.
• Mentor and manage a team of AI engineers and external providers.
• Oversee end-to-end lifecycle of AI models from development to deployment.
• Collaborate with IT and business units to align AI outcomes with goals.
• Ensure scalable, secure, and compliant AI architectures.
• Drive continuous improvement and performance reviews.

Skills

AI Leadership

Machine Learning

Data analysis

Software development

Team Management

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

Azure

AWS

GCP

GitHub Copilot

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior AI Engineer (Manager) to join our IT (EA & Technology Platforms) team, based in A&O Shearman's Belfast or London office.

What you will do

Reporting to the AI Platform Owner, this 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.

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.

What you will have

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), 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 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 the firm's values at all times and foster collaborative working relationships with a wide range of people and departments.

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