Lead AI Engineer

Kainos; United States; Remote; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Kainos is seeking a Lead AI Engineer to architect, design and deliver advanced AI solutions, leveraging state-of-the-art machine learning, generative and agentic AI technologies.

You will drive the adoption of modern AI frameworks, implement scalable cloud-native architectures on Azure and AWS, and provide hands-on technical leadership while mentoring junior engineers and collaborating with clients to translate business challenges into trustworthy AI outcomes.

Qualifications

• A 2.1 degree in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, Statistics or related field.
• Proven deployment of modern AI/ML solutions into production with prompt engineering, RAG, evaluation, and drift monitoring.
• Strong Python skills with software engineering best practices (CI/CD, testing, code reviews).
• Experience scaling AI solutions on cloud platforms (Azure & AWS) with Kubernetes and Docker.
• Expertise in AI data engineering handling large-scale, unstructured and multimodal data.
• Understanding of responsible AI, model interpretability and ethics.
• Strong client-facing skills and ability to gather requirements in non-technical language; mentoring juniors.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design and deliver advanced AI solutions leveraging state-of-the-art ML and generative AI.
• Lead technical delivery, drive adoption of modern AI frameworks, and mentor engineers.

Skills

Python

CI/CD

Software engineering practices

Technical leadership

Model evaluation & monitoring

Prompt engineering & RAG

Client collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/AI/Data Science/Statistics

Tools

Kubernetes

Docker

Azure

AWS

Job description

Join Kainos and Shape the Future

At Kainos, we’re problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators - driven by a shared mission to create real impact. Whether we’re transforming digital services for millions, delivering cutting-edge Workday solutions, or pushing the boundaries of technology, we do it together.

We believe in a people-first culture , where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your contributions truly make a difference. Here, you’ll be part of a diverse, ambitious team that celebrates creativity and collaboration.

Ready to make your mark? Join us and be part of something bigger.

J** OB P ROFILE DESCRIPTION**

Kainos is recognised as one of the UK’s leading AI and data businesses, with a decade-longtrack recordof delivering impactful, production-grade AI solutions for clients across government, healthcare,defence,and commercial sectors. Kainos is at the forefront of AI innovation,trusted by Microsoft,AWS,andothersto deliveradvanced AIand datasolutions atcitizenscale.

Our150-strong AI and DataPracticebringstogether deepexpertisein machine learning, generative AI,agenticAIand data.We are pioneers in responsible AI, having authored the UK government’s AI Cyber Security Code of Practice implementation guideand we partner with leading organisations to ensure AI is deployed ethically, securely and with measurable business value. Our teams are at thecutting edgeof AI research,and delivery, it istruly an exciting team to join Kainos aswe further grow our AI capability.

M** AIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE BUSINESS **:

As a Lead AI Engineer at Kainos, you will architect,design,and deliver advanced AI solutionsleveragingstate-of-the-artmachine learning,generativeand agenticAI technologies. You will drive the adoption of modern AI frameworks,AIOps best practicesand scalable cloud-native architectures. Your role will involve hands-on technical leadership, collaborating with customers to translate business challenges into trustworthy AI solutionsandensuring responsible AI practices throughout.As a technical mentor, you will foster a culture of innovation, continuouslearning,and engineering excellence.

It isa fast-pacedenvironment,so it is important foryou to make sound, reasoned decisions.You willdo this whilst learning aboutnewtechnologiesand approaches, with talented colleagues that will help you todevelop and grow.You will manage,coach,and develop a small number of staff, with a focus on managingemployee performance andassistingin their career development.You willalso providedirection and leadership for your team as you solve challenging problems together.

M** INIMUM(ESSENTIAL)REQUIREMENTS**:

• A minimum of a 2.1 degree in Computer Science,AI,DataScience, Statistics or in a similar quantitative field.

• Demonstrable experience of deploying modern AI/MLsolutions into production,including prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG),modelevaluation,andmonitoringusing metrics (e.g.precision, recall, NDCG and drift detection).

• Strong Python skills with a grounding in software engineering best practices(CI/CD, testing, code reviews etc).

• Experience developing solutionsat scaleoncloud platforms (Azure & AWS), containerisation and orchestration tools such as Kubernetes and Docker.

• Expertisein data engineering for AI: handling large-scale, unstructured, and multimodal data.

• Understanding of responsible AI principles, modelinterpretability,and ethical considerations.

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to lead client projects andestablishrequirements in non-technical language.

• We are passionate about developing people, you will bring experienceinmanaging,coaching,and developing junior membersofateam and widercommunity.

D** ESIRABLE **:

• Demonstrable experience with modern deep learning frameworks (e.g.PyTorch, TensorFlow),fine-tuningor distillation ofLLMs (e.g, GPT, Llama, Claude, Gemini), machine learning libraries (e.g. scikit-learn,XGBoost).

• Experience with data storage for AI, vector databases, semanticsearch,and knowledge graphs.

• Contributions to open-source AI projects or research publications.

• Familiarity with AI security, privacy, and compliance standardse.g. ISO42001.

**Embracing our differences**

At Kainos, we believe in the power of diversity, equity and inclusion. We are committed to building a team that is as diverse as the world we live in, where everyone is valued, respected, and given an equal chance to thrive. We actively seek out talented people from all backgrounds, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other characteristic that makes them who they are. We also believe every candidate deserves a level playing field.

Our friendly talent acquisition team is here to support you every step of the way, so if you require any accommodations or adjustments, we encourage you to reach out.

We understand that everyone’s journey is different, and by having a private conversation we can ensure that our recruitment process is tailored to your needs.