Senior AI Engineer (Defence)

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

Job summary

Kainos is seeking a Senior AI Engineer to deliver advanced AI solutions and drive adoption of modern AI frameworks. You will collaborate with customers to translate business challenges into trustworthy AI products, while mentoring teammates and championing responsible AI practices.

The role emphasizes hands-on delivery, cloud scalability, and a strong culture of innovation in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2.1 degree in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, Statistics or similar.
• Experience deploying modern AI/ML solutions into production including prompt engineering, RAG, model evaluation, and monitoring.
• Strong Python skills with software engineering best practices (CI/CD, testing, code reviews).
• Experience developing solutions at scale on cloud platforms (Azure & AWS), containerisation with Kubernetes and Docker.
• Expertise in data engineering for AI: handling large-scale, unstructured, multimodal data.
• Understanding of responsible AI, model interpretability, and ethical considerations.
• Strong interpersonal skills and teamwork.
• Active SC Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Deliver advanced AI solutions leveraging state-of-the-art ML and AI technologies.
• Drive adoption of modern AI frameworks, AIOps, and scalable cloud-native architectures.
• Mentor engineers and foster a culture of innovation and engineering excellence.
• Collaborate with customers to translate business challenges into trustworthy AI solutions.

Skills

Python

AI/ML deployment

Data engineering for AI

Interpersonal skills

Security clearance

Education

2.1 degree in CS/AI/Data Science

Tools

Azure

AWS

Kubernetes

Docker

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.

JOBPROFILE 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 deliver advanced AIand datasolutions atcitizenscale.

Our 150-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 is truly an exciting team to join Kainos as we further grow our AI capability.

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE&RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE BUSINESS:

As aSeniorAI Engineer at Kainos, you will 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 technicaldelivery, collaborating with customers to translate business challenges into trustworthy AI solutions and ensuring 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 for you to make sound, reasoned decisions.You willdo this whilst learning aboutnew technologiesand approaches, with talented colleagues that will help you to develop and grow. You willsupport your colleagues and more junior developers, providingdirectionsupportas you solve challenging problems together.

MINIMUM(ESSENTIAL)REQUIREMENTS:

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

• Demonstrable experience of deploying modern AI/ML solutions 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 solutions at scale on cloud 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 skillsand team working.

• Active SC Clearance.

DESIRABLE:

• Demonstrable experience with modern deep learning frameworks (e.g.PyTorch, TensorFlow), fine-tuning or distillation of LLMs (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.

• Defence Sector Experience.

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.