Principle Applied AI Engineer

Zebra People Ltd; London; Hybrid; NOK 1,403,000 - 1,914,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid in-office 50%

29 days holiday + bank holidays

Strong pension and private medical

Job summary

Zebra People Ltd is expanding its Applied AI function in the UK, recruiting a Principal Applied AI Engineer to own complex AI systems from architecture through to production. You will lead the design of multi-agent systems, shape evaluation standards, and build reusable AI capabilities while mentoring others and setting technical direction across engineering teams.

You’ll work hands-on in production environments with strong Python foundations, collaborating with product, architecture and

Qualifications

• Strong Python software engineering foundations and production-ready delivery experience.
• Experience taking agentic/LLM-powered systems into production beyond PoCs/prototypes.
• Hands-on MCP experience building or integrating servers/tools.
• Deep understanding of agent architectures and orchestration, including LangGraph/LangChain.
• Experience with context engineering, memory architectures and reusable AI tooling.
• Experience with modern AI coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex or Copilot.
• Ability to own architecture, direction, mentoring and engineering standards.

Responsibilities

• Own complex AI systems from architecture to production.
• Lead design of multi-agent systems and evaluation/quality standards.
• Build reusable AI capabilities and shape Applied AI engineering practices.
• Mentor others and set technical direction across teams.
• Operate hands-on in production environments with senior stakeholders.

Skills

Python

Production systems

LLM-powered systems

Evaluation frameworks

MCP servers/integration

Agent architectures

Context engineering

Memory architectures

AI tooling

Communication with stakeholders

Tools

LangGraph

LangChain

Claude Code

Codex

GitHub Copilot

Job description

A large, established UK organisation investing heavily in AI and digital transformation. With a significant customer base, complex data and large-scale technology infrastructure, the business is expanding its Applied AI capability to deliver production-grade AI solutions across multiple areas.

The client

Working for a large, established UK organisation investing heavily in AI and digital transformation.

You’ll join a growing Applied AI function focused on building production-grade AI solutions at scale, with the opportunity to shape technical standards, reusable capabilities and how AI is deployed across the wider business.

It’s a hands-on role with plenty of ownership, combining complex technical delivery with the chance to influence a fast-growing engineering capability.

The role

You’ll join as a hands-on Principal Applied AI Engineer, taking ownership of complex AI systems from architecture through to production.

Expect a mix of deep technical delivery and wider influence — leading the design of multi-agent systems, shaping evaluation and quality standards, building reusable AI capabilities and helping define how Applied AI engineering is done across the organisation.

You’ll work closely with engineering, product, architecture and business teams, while mentoring others and setting technical direction. It’s a role with real ownership, plenty of ambiguity to turn into structure, and the chance to help shape a fast-growing AI capability rather than simply inherit one.

The candidate

They are seeking a Principal Applied AI Engineer who brings:

• Strong software engineering foundations, with expert-level Python experience
• Proven experience taking agentic / LLM-powered systems into production — not just PoCs or prototypes
• Strong experience designing evaluation frameworks, including quality metrics, test cases, golden datasets and regression testing
• Hands-on MCP experience, ideally building or integrating MCP servers, tools or enterprise systems
• A strong understanding of agent architectures and orchestration, including what sits beneath frameworks such as LangGraph, LangChain or similar
• Experience across context engineering, retrieval, memory architectures and reusable AI tooling
• Experience using modern AI coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot or similar
• Principal-level technical ownership, including architecture, technical direction, mentoring and influencing engineering standards
• Someone who is still genuinely hands-on and comfortable operating in complex, production environments
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical decisions to senior business, product and technology stakeholders
• Experience within financial services, insurance or another regulated environment would be beneficial, but isn’t essential. AWS experience is also preferred, although strong experience with another cloud platform will be considered.

What’s in it for you:

• Hybrid working – minimum 50% in office
• 29 days holiday + bank holidays
• Strong pension and private medical cover
• The opportunity to help shape a growing Applied AI function

2-round interview process:

-60-minute technical interview, including technical questions and likely whiteboarding / problem-solving
-30-minute second-stage interview