Principal Agentic AI Engineer; Defence and Security

The Role

We have an opportunity for a Principal Engineer in our AI & Algorithms department, working with a particular focus on our defence and security clients. You'll join a team of talented engineers and scientists designing, building and testing intelligent systems that require cutting edge algorithms. As one of the senior technical voices in the team, you'll be architecting the AI approach on projects, setting the technical bar for others, and helping shape the work we deliver.

As well as hands-on engineering, you'll spend time with clients, using your expertise to win new projects as well as deliver them. You'll work in multidisciplinary teams that use our labs and computing resources to enable us to deliver ambitious projects.

We have an opportunity for a Principal Engineer in our AI & Algorithms department, working with a particular focus on our defence and security clients. You'll join a team of talented engineers and scientists designing, building and testing intelligent systems that require cutting edge algorithms. As one of the senior technical voices in the team, you'll be architecting the AI approach on projects, setting the technical bar for others, and helping shape the work we deliver.

As well as hands-on engineering, you'll spend time with clients, using your expertise to win new projects as well as deliver them. You'll work in multidisciplinary teams that use our labs and computing resources to enable us to deliver ambitious projects.

Much of our defence and security work requires security clearance, so we ask for it up front. You won't work exclusively in that sector, but a genuine interest in it matters to us.

• Designing and implementing cutting-edge AI solutions to our clients’ problems, such as agentic AI that can search for, interpret and analyse information as well as plan and act to achieve a goal.
• Acting as technical lead and architect on our larger, more complex projects, owning the technical solution and the value it delivers to the client.
• Setting technical direction and acting as technical reviewer across the department, with your opinion sought by colleagues.
• Leading the development of proposals and costed work programmes, turning client problems into work we can win and deliver.
• Driving internal capability and demonstrators that keep us at the leading edge and open up new conversations with clients.
• Mentoring engineers and conducting technical interviews to help us recruit and grow strong people.
• Contributing to how the department works, improving our processes and technical standards.

• 5+ years’ experience designing and delivering cutting edge AI solutions, including experience delivering agentic AI systems.
• Experience in assuring the quality of the output of AI systems and the technologies that help to achieve this.
• Experience collaborating with subject matter experts to create systems that are built on deep and specialist domain understanding.
• A strong undergraduate degree in a relevant technical subject, such as AI/machine learning, computer science, mathematics or physics.
• Strong Python and software engineering judgement.
• The ability to architect the technical approach on complex projects and to review the work of others, including working autonomously as the technical authority.
• Experience mentoring and developing engineers.
• Experience working with non-technical stakeholders for your work.
• Interest in working directly with clients and contributing to proposals and sales conversations.
• A genuine affinity for working in the defence and security sector.

Because of where this role sits, holding (or being able to obtain) UK security clearance is essential. You must be eligible to obtain Security Check (SC) level security…