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AI Engineer Jobs

Developers who build and deploy AI systems, from research to production. A role that bridges the gap between theory and application, with a focus on creating intelligent software solutions.

Open roles
138
Salary range
£30k – £108k
Hiring companies
61
View 138 live roles → Get an alert

AI Engineers are at the forefront of technological innovation, designing and implementing AI systems that solve complex problems. They work across a range of industries, from tech giants to research-heavy startups, and their role involves both theoretical research and practical application. AI Engineers are responsible for developing algorithms, models, and systems that can learn from data, make predictions, and automate tasks. This role requires a strong foundation in computer science, mathematics, and statistics, as well as proficiency in programming languages like Python and frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch.

What the role does

Inside the role of an AI Engineer

A typical week for an AI Engineer is a mix of research, development, and collaboration. They spend time coding, testing, and refining models, while also engaging with cross-functional teams to integrate AI solutions into existing systems.

  1. 01
    Design and implement machine learning models
  2. 02
    Optimise algorithms for performance and efficiency
  3. 03
    Collaborate with data scientists and software engineers
  4. 04
    Conduct experiments and analyse results
  5. 05
    Document processes and findings
  6. 06
    Stay updated with the latest AI research and tools
Salary on the board

£30k – £108k

Based on advertised midpoints across the 400 priced listings posted in the last 12 months. Base salary only.

Salary visibility
32% of listings advertise a salary — up from 0% the year before.
By seniority
£k base
Junior
30
77
5 jobs
Mid
45
100
68 jobs
Senior
60
130
67 jobs
Lead
60
149
24 jobs
Skills & tools

What hiring managers ask for

% of 155 listings posted in the last 12 months that mention each skill, extracted from job descriptions.

Python
74%
RAG
35%
Machine Learning
30%
AWS
30%
Azure
30%
LangChain
27%
CI/CD
26%
Prompt Engineering
25%
Generative AI
21%
LLMs
21%
SQL
20%
LLM
19%
Career ladder

From Junior to Principal

A typical UK progression for ai engineers. Years are guidance — strong people move faster, and many senior folks sidestep into research, product or management.

  1. Level 1

    Junior AI Engineer

    0–2 yrs

    Assist in the development and testing of AI models, with a focus on learning and gaining hands-on experience.

  2. Level 2

    AI Engineer

    2–5 yrs

    Take ownership of specific projects, from initial design to deployment, and contribute to the overall architecture of AI systems.

  3. Level 3

    Senior AI Engineer

    5–8 yrs

    Lead the development of complex AI solutions, mentor junior team members, and ensure the quality and reliability of AI systems.

  4. Level 4

    Principal AI Engineer

    8+ yrs

    Drive strategic initiatives, innovate in AI research, and guide the technical direction of the organisation.

Pathway

How to become a AI Engineer

There's no single route, but most people follow some version of these steps.

  1. 1

    Learn the Fundamentals

    Gain a strong foundation in computer science, mathematics, and statistics. Familiarise yourself with programming languages like Python and AI frameworks.

  2. 2

    Build Practical Skills

    Work on personal or open-source projects to apply your knowledge. Participate in hackathons and coding challenges to gain real-world experience.

  3. 3

    Gain Industry Experience

    Start your career as a Junior AI Engineer, working on smaller projects and learning from more experienced colleagues.

  4. 4

    Specialise in a Domain

    Choose a specific area of AI, such as computer vision or natural language processing, and deepen your expertise in that domain.

  5. 5

    Lead Projects

    Take on more responsibility by leading AI projects, managing teams, and ensuring the successful delivery of AI solutions.

  6. 6

    Innovate and Influence

    Contribute to cutting-edge research, influence the direction of AI in your organisation, and mentor the next generation of AI Engineers.

Live jobs

138 live roles

See all 138 roles →
Luminance logo

AI Engineering Intern

This is a fantastic opportunity to join Luminance, the pioneer of Legal-Grade™ AI for enterprise. Backed by internationally renowned VCs and named in both the Forbes AI 50 list of ‘Most Promising Private AI Companies in the World’ and Inc....

Luminance Cambridge, United Kingdom
Hybrid

AI Implementation Engineer ( Data Science / ML Background)

Lead the end-to-end delivery of AI solutions, from strategy and proof of concept to production deployment, with a focus on LLMs, RAG pipelines, and AI agents. Collaborate across data, infrastructure, and business teams to integrate scalable AI tools into enterprise workflows and drive measurable operational impact.

Adria Solutions Manchester, United Kingdom £65,000 – £95,000 pa

AI Platform Engineer

Design and operate a scalable AI platform supporting RAG pipelines, LLM orchestration, and vector search on Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Foundry. Focus on productionising prototypes into resilient, observable, and secure services using infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD, and cloud-native practices. Collaborate with AI Engineering, DevOps, and Info-Sec to ensure reliability, performance, and compliance at scale.

The Portfolio Group M43Bg, United Kingdom £80,000 – £100,000 pa

Ai Integration Engineer

Design and deploy AI solutions using Microsoft Azure, integrating with business systems like Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and SQL databases. Develop production-grade LLM and machine learning applications, focusing on RAG, forecasting, and anomaly detection. Work closely with stakeholders to translate business needs into secure, scalable AI implementations within a construction and manufacturing context.

Streamline Search Lanarkshire, United Kingdom £55,000 – £65,000 pa
On-site Permanent
OpenAI logo

Applied AI Engineer, Digital Natives

An Applied AI Engineer will work directly with enterprise customers to design, build, and deploy AI systems that solve real-world business problems. The role involves hands-on coding, system integration, and technical leadership to guide AI solutions from prototype to production, with a focus on reliability, safety, and measurable impact. The position requires deep technical expertise and strong collaboration with both customer teams and internal OpenAI groups.

OpenAI London, United Kingdom
Hybrid Permanent
OpenAI logo

Applied AI Engineer

An Applied AI Engineer will work directly with enterprise customers to design, build, and deploy production-grade AI systems that solve high-impact business problems. The role involves hands-on coding, architecture design, integration, evaluation, and guiding technical decisions across safety, reliability, cost, and governance. Engineers will transition prototypes into scalable, reliable systems while contributing reusable tooling and influencing product development through real-world deployment insights.

OpenAI United Kingdom
Hybrid Permanent

Senior AI Engineer - Agentic & Generative AI

Design and implement production-grade Agentic AI, Generative AI, and RAG systems that power customer-facing SaaS products. Develop autonomous agents with reasoning, planning, and workflow execution capabilities, integrated with multi-agent orchestration and advanced retrieval. Collaborate with platform and engineering teams to deploy scalable AI solutions on Microsoft Azure.

The Portfolio Group Manchester, United Kingdom £80,000 – £100,000 pa
Hybrid Permanent

Senior AI Engineer - Perm - London

This role involves designing and building scalable AI data pipelines and cloud-native microservices, with a focus on productionising machine learning, NLP, and generative AI models. The engineer will collaborate closely with data scientists and software engineers to transform research into robust, cloud-based systems using modern MLOps practices. Emphasis is placed on technical leadership, mentoring, and shaping engineering standards within a global AI team.

Infused Solutions London, United Kingdom £65,000 – £75,000 pa
See all 138 roles →
Top hirers

Companies hiring ai engineers

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Hiring locations

Where this role is hiring

The locations with the most live listings for this role today.

London

Location
49 open

Manchester

Location
8 open

Cambridge

Location
3 open

Edinburgh

Location
2 open

Bristol

Location
2 open

Preston

Location
2 open
FAQs

Common questions

  • Python is the most widely used language in AI, but knowledge of C++, Java, and R can also be beneficial.

  • Strong programming skills, a solid understanding of algorithms and data structures, and proficiency in machine learning frameworks are crucial.

  • While a PhD can be beneficial, especially for research roles, many successful AI Engineers have backgrounds in computer science or related fields without a PhD.

  • Salaries for AI Engineers can vary widely based on experience, location, and industry. For more detailed salary information, please refer to the salary section on this page.

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