Principal AI Engineer

Salary: £68,000 - 108,000 per year

Requirements:

• Extensive experience in defining and executing architectural visions and long-term strategies for full-stack engineering, including DevOps, containerisation such as Docker, Kubernetes, and MLOps.
• Proven track record in designing and delivering complex, highly scalable cloud-native applications within Azure environments, with a focus on technical escalation and resolution.
• Expertise in establishing technical standards and best practices for advanced Generative AI applications, encompassing RAG architectures, prompt engineering, and LLM integration strategies.
• Experience in architecting and developing Agentic AI systems, including frameworks for orchestration, memory management, and performance evaluation.
• Advanced knowledge in Python and SQL, demonstrated through solving complex technical challenges and maintaining high code quality standards.
• Ability to drive the technical roadmap of AI platforms, making critical design decisions to ensure scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency.
• Proven leadership in providing technical mentorship to senior and lead engineers, fostering the growth of technical capabilities within the team.
• Professional experience with Node.js and React is highly desirable, with the ability to incorporate these technologies into scalable AI solutions.
• Must be eligible and authorised to work in the United Kingdom.

Responsibilities:

• Spearhead our AI initiatives and lead the development of innovative solutions around Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Drive the vision and long-term strategy for our full-stack engineering practices across AI and AIOps.
• Lead the design and delivery of complex, highly scalable cloud-native applications, acting as the primary technical escalation point within the Azure environment.
• Define technical standards and best practices for developing advanced Generative AI applications, including complex Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures, prompt and context engineering, and LLM integration strategies.
• Architect innovative Agentic AI systems, establishing frameworks for orchestration, memory management, and robust evaluation.
• Shape the technical roadmap of our AI platform, making critical decisions to ensure scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency in the long term.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to senior and lead engineers, fostering the departments technical excellence.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment of AI and engineering strategies with business objectives.
• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry best practices to continually enhance our AI and engineering capabilities.

Technologies:

• Agentic AI
• AI
• Architect
• Azure
• Cloud
• DevOps
• Docker
• Support
• Kubernetes
• LLM
• MLOps
• Python
• RAG
• React
• SQL
• NodeJS
• Machine Learning

More:

We are AXA, a global leader in insurance and financial services, helping customers protect what matters most across health, car, home, and business insurance. Our AXA UK Support Functions team supports our three customer-facing business units by providing the infrastructure and expertise needed to be there for our customers. We offer a smart working approach that supports balance between home and office, with at least two days a week away from home and moving to three days from December 2026, plus flexible working arrangements where possible.

last updated 37 week of 2026