Data & AI Scientists

Job Title: Data & AI Engineer
Location: Manchester, Edinburgh, or Leeds (2 days per week onsite)
Remuneration: £800 per day (Inside IR35 via Umbrella)
Contract Details: Temporary contract until December 31, 2026, with a high likelihood of extension

Our client is seeking an experienced Data & AI Engineer to join a dynamic contractor-led team dedicated to revolutionising AI-powered applications within the organisation. This role presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of enterprise-grade AI solutions that enhance knowledge discovery, automation, and intelligent retrieval capabilities.

Responsibilities:

• Enhance and implement AI-powered applications across enterprise platforms.
• Integrate AI services into existing business systems and platforms using REST APIs and cloud-native architectures.
• Build and optimise Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) solutions, embeddings, and vector database implementations.
• Develop AI Agents and Multi-Agent Systems to automate complex business processes.
• Apply prompt engineering and context engineering techniques to enhance AI performance.
• Work with frameworks such as LangChain, LangGraph, and MCP.
• Deliver scalable solutions using Python, SQL, Git, and CI/CD best practises.
• Test, evaluate, and continuously improve AI and LLM performance.
• Collaborate with engineering, data, and business stakeholders to drive AI adoption and innovation.

Required Experience:

• Strong background in Generative AI, LLMs, NLP, and AI Engineering.
• Hands-on experience with RAG, embeddings, and vector databases.
• Proven experience developing AI Agents and agentic workflows.
• Proficient in Python, SQL, and API integration.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP.
• Demonstrated experience integrating AI services into enterprise platforms.
• Expertise in evaluating, testing, and optimising LLM and AI Agent performance.

Desirable Experience:

• Knowledge of Knowledge Graphs and Semantic Search.
• Understanding of Responsible AI principles.
• Experience with AI Evaluations (Evals) and re-ranking techniques.
• Familiarity with caching strategies, token optimisation, and cost management.

Ideal Background:

• Experience in Financial Services, FinTech, or Consulting is preferred.
• Track record of delivering AI solutions from proof of concept to production in enterprise environments.
• Previous experience in building enterprise knowledge management, search, or retrieval solutions is highly desirable.

Team Fit:
The team consists entirely of contractors, seeking a proactive, self-driven individual eager to make an immediate impact. The successful candidate will thrive in a fast-paced environment, collaborating effectively within a high-performing delivery team.

This is an excellent opportunity to engage in a major AI transformation programme within the organisation and contribute to delivering cutting-edge AI solutions at an enterprise scale. Candidates who are excited about leveraging their expertise in AI and data engineering to drive innovation are encouraged to apply!

Pontoon is an employment consultancy. We put expertise, energy, and enthusiasm into improving everyone's chance of being part of the workplace. We respect and appreciate people of all ethnicities, generations, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities and more. We do this by showcasing their talents, skills, and unique experience in an inclusive environment that helps them thrive.

We use generative AI tools to support our candidate screening process. This helps us ensure a fair, consistent, and efficient experience for all applicants. Rest assured, all final decisions are made by our hiring team, and your application will be reviewed with care and attention.