As an Platform Engineer within the AI Center of Excellence (CoE) team in Data functions and technology delivery, you will be at the cutting edge of merging advanced AI techniques with the company's distinctive data assets to optimize business decisions and automate processes. This role offers the chance to expand the frontiers of AI applications in financial services by leveraging the latest innovations in Natural Language Processing and statistical machine learning.

You will be instrumental in creating products that enhance efficiency, aid experts in prioritising tasks, and improve decision-making. Our growing suite of AI-powered products and services presents substantial opportunities for the reuse of foundational components through thoughtfully designed libraries and services that can be applied team-wide. This position uniquely blends scientific research with software engineering, requiring a comprehensive understanding of both domains.

At Nationwide we offer hybrid working wherever possible. More rewarding relationships are supported through our hybrid approach, bringing colleagues together across our UK wide estate, whilst also supporting generous access to home working. We value our time in the office to solve problems, to learn, and to feel connected.

For this job you'll spend at least two days per week, or if part time you'll spend 40% of your working time, at either our Swindon, London, Northampton, or Birmingham officeIf your application is successful, your hiring manager will provide further details on how this works. You can also find out more about our approach to hybrid working here .

If we receive a high volume of relevant applications, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so please apply as soon as you can.
What you'll be doing

• Design, develop, and manage robust and scalable Azure-based solutions for AI and machine learning workloads.
• Implement Azure services such as Azure Machine Learning, Azure OpenAI, Azure Cognitive Services, Azure App Services and Databricks to enhance our AI capabilities.
• Collaborate with AI researchers and data scientists to understand their needs and translate these into platform features and improvements.
• Adopt and promote best practices in machine learning operations (MLOps), including automation, monitoring, and deployment of AI models using Azure DevOps.
• Optimize Azure resources for performance, cost, and compliance.
• Monitor AI platform health, diagnose and resolve issues, and provide technical support for AI deployments.
• Stay updated with the latest Azure features and AI technologies and recommend ways to integrate them into our solutions.
• Develop and maintain documentation, including architecture diagrams, operational procedures, and best practices for users of the AI platform.
• Ensure high availability, deployment strategies and test coverage are in place for critical AI systems and data.
• Work with cross-functional teams to design and implement AI solutions in a regulated environment.

About you

• Proven experience in platform engineering, cloud architecture, or a similar role with a focus on Microsoft Azure.
• Strong knowledge of Azure platform and its AI services such as Azure Machine Learning, Azure Functions, Azure OpenAI, Azure Cognitive Services, and Azure DevOps.
• Strong hands-on experience with infrastructure as code (IaC) using Terraform or similar tools.
• Proficiency in CI/CD (Azure DevOps) methodologies and tools for efficient and automated deployment and testing of AI services.
• Experience using programming languages such as Python and familiarity with the Azure SDK and CLI.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Effective communication skills and the ability to convey complex technical information to non-technical stakeholders.
• Comfortable working in an Agile environment.
• Understanding of networking, security, and database concepts in the Azure ecosystem is a plus.
• Experience with Monitoring and observability tools is a plus.

The extras you'll get

There are all sorts of employee benefits available at Nationwide, including:

• A personal pension - if you put in 7% of your salary, we'll top up by a further 16%
• Up to 2 days of paid volunteering a year
• Life assurance worth 8x your salary
• A great selection of additional benefits through our salary sacrifice scheme
• Wellhub - Access to a range of free and paid options for health and wellness.
• Access to an annual performance related bonus
• Access to training to help you develop and progress your career
• 25 days holiday, pro rata

What makes us different

Nationwide is the world's largest building society. With over 15 million customers, we have a relationship with almost a quarter of the UK's population. We've got the scale to compete with the big banks, but we're not a bank.

As a building society, we're owned by our members - that's our customers who have their current account, mortgage or savings with us. It means we can do things differently to deliver our Purpose - Banking - but fairer, more rewarding, and for the good of society.

When you work at Nationwide, you can experience that difference for yourself. You'll be part of a high-performing, purpose-driven organisation that offers rewarding career experiences and a highly competitive range of benefits to match. You'll also be joining us at an important time as we seek to reach more and more people in the UK. We want everyone in the UK to know that they don't have to bank with a bank. They can choose a modern mutual instead.
What to do next

If this role is for you, please click the 'Apply Now' button. You'll need to attach your up-to-date CV and answer a few quick questions for us

We respond to everyone, so we will be in contact shortly after the closing date to let you know the outcome of your application.

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