Summer Internship 2027 - Software Engineering & Innovation

Baillie Gifford; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 13,000 - 20,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LinkedIn Learning

Pluralsight access

Peer-to-peer learning

On-site in Edinburgh

Job summary

Baillie Gifford offers a paid Software Engineering & Innovation Summer Internship in Edinburgh for 2027, spanning June to August. Interns join cohorts in either Application Development or Innovation, working on live technical projects with exposure to AI, LLMs, and modern tech stacks.

The programme emphasizes hands-on learning, mentorship, and cross-team collaboration. Participants gain training through LinkedIn Learning and Pluralsight, with a culture that values openness and practical impact.

Qualifications

• Penultimate year student pursuing a technology-related degree with an interest in software engineering and cloud native development.
• Interest in GenAI/ML and experimentation and willingness to learn.
• Strong relationship-building and collaboration skills across teams.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving; comfortable in ambiguous, fast-changing environments.
• Willingness to learn and adapt, with a proactive attitude.

Responsibilities

• Work on live technical projects aligned to Application Development or Innovation departments.
• Gain exposure to AI, LLMs, and agentic workflows in a team setting.
• Collaborate with engineers and leads, delivering real outcomes.
• Attend inductions and participate in cohort projects with mentorship.
• Build relationships across teams and contribute to development goals.

Skills

Digital AI awareness

Team Working

Systems Thinking

Improvement Mindset

Nurturing Relationships

Education

Penultimate year student in technology degree

Tools

.NET

Angular

Azure Service Bus

Docker

Microservices

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Hugging Face

Job description

Software Engineering & Innovation Summer Internship 2027 (June - August)

A summer at Baillie Gifford could transform your career before it even starts. As an independent global investment management business, we rely on technology to underpin everything we do. That’s why we constantly invest in our technology and the team of professionals who bring it to life. Join us as a summer intern and show us what you can do!

What can you expect

You’ll be immersed in our technology environment from the word go on our paid summer internship. Expect to do real work and take responsibility as you gain hands‑on experience with our technologies in an AI‑native environment. You can look forward to being part of a refreshingly open, cooperative, and supportive team culture. Plus, you will get the training and support to broaden your skills and discover your future potential, from LinkedIn Learning, to Pluralsight and peer‑to‑peer working, a summer with us will transform your skillset and CV!

Interns will be placed into cohorts, working on different live technical projects aligned to either our Application Development and Enablement Department or our Innovation Department. While the projects and technologies used will vary, all cohorts will gain exposure to emerging technologies, including AI and large language models (LLMs), and will have opportunities to explore how these tools are applied across our technology teams. Which team and project our interns will land in will depend on business needs.

Our Software Engineers create scalable applications and solutions that drive our business and make it smarter for the future. We’ll introduce you to our modern programming languages, cloud platforms and DevOps practices and show you how software engineering shapes the future of investment management. You’ll have the opportunity to touch a wide range of tech, possibly including .NET, Angular, Azure Service Bus, Docker and Microservices Architecture, to name a few, as well as getting to grips with Agile methodologies in a business setting.

Within our R&D team, our Engineers push the boundaries of what is possible with disruptive tech and grapple with deeply interesting problems. They work with a broad range of technologies, including Python and platforms such as PyTorch, TensorFlow and Hugging Face, as well as Gen AI, LLMs, CI/CD, containerisation and cloud.

You’ll discover how technology drives the business forward in the fast-evolving investment management industry. Irrespective of which department you land in, you’ll be exposed to emerging tech and new ideas.

Your internship will start with structured overviews that introduce you to our business. Following induction, you and your fellow interns will work together within your cohort on a live technical project for the firm. We’ll ensure you spend quality time with our experienced technical and business leads, who will share their knowledge and support you throughout the process. You can expect to get hands‑on with the latest tools and approaches in AI – from working with large language models to building agentic workflows and intelligent systems.

Running alongside your project, you will have various development opportunities with other teams in our technical departments to ensure broad exposure to the range of careers possible in tech. During your first weeks, you will build relationships and learn about the tech we use, which will feel very different to the learning opportunities that university life provides.

This won’t be a passive learning experience; you’ll be contributing to real outcomes, collaborating closely with experienced engineers and subject matter experts, and learning by doing. There will be plenty of opportunities to grow your skills and make a tangible impact.

If your cohort completes its core project ahead of schedule, you’ll be encouraged to proactively seek out further opportunities to contribute across your team or department. With support from colleagues, you’ll be able to explore work that aligns with your interests and development goals while responding to the priorities and needs of the business.

The type of Candidate that we’re looking for

• A penultimate (second last) year student studying for a technology‑related degree, with a proven interest in software engineering, cloud native development & automation and/or GenAI/ML and experimentation.
• A passion for technology, we’re looking for people who have a genuine interest in how we can harness the benefits of technology to impact everything we do positively.
• A desire to learn requires a thirst for learning and a willingness to embrace challenges.
• Great relationship and networking skills – the internship involves building strong relationships and working collaboratively across teams, so you’ll need to be able to work with a range of people at all levels and operate effectively whilst outside of your technical comfort zone.
• Critical thinking, you will enjoy problem‑solving, we’re looking for people who enjoy working with complex scenarios and can collaborate with others to deliver a project successfully, always asking ‘why?’
• Resilient by nature and comfortable working in a fluid environment, where ambiguity and emerging tech collide, where technical creativity and ‘what if’ go together.

Critical Skills

• Digital Effectiveness (incl.AI)
• Team Working
• Systems Thinking
• Improvement Mindset
• Nurturing Relationships

You can apply for only one of our two internship programmes, so please carefully consider which programme most closely aligns with your career aspirations.

Should you choose to use AI tools to support your application, we ask that you do this thoughtfully. We encourage you to ensure your application reflects your own voice, experience, and motivations. We value authenticity and want to understand your individual strengths and perspectives. In turn, Baillie Gifford does not use any AI in our recruitment processes.

Please note that, due to the programme's short-term nature, Baillie Gifford cannot sponsor visas. All applicants must have the right to work in the UK to be considered for the programmes. Our internship is based in Edinburgh and, due to its short duration, is an on‑site opportunity. You must be comfortable being based in Edinburgh for the entire duration, between mid‑June and late August, and sourcing your own accommodation in the Edinburgh area, if you are not based locally or within a commutable distance.

The project(s) and team our interns join are determined by business demands at the time of onboarding. No guarantee is provided regarding the specific technical team interns join.