Lead Software Engineer
SKILLS
FULL DESCRIPTION
Lead Software Engineer in Preston
Preston
Full-Time
72000 - 108000 £ / year (est.)
Home office (partial)
Apply now
At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the development of innovative AI solutions and automate workflows using cutting-edge technologies.
- Company: Dynamic alternative credit hedge fund with a focus on AI innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, generous pension, daily catered lunches, and hybrid work flexibility.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by shaping AI strategy in a growing investment firm.
- Qualifications: 8-12 years of experience in Python, SQL, and AI integration.
- Other info: Join a high-calibre team that values technical excellence and creativity.
What You'll Do
- Build end-to-end automation workflows using Python, SQL, Streamlit, and FastAPI
- Design and implement LLM-powered applications with foundation model APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Gemini)
- Develop complex prompt engineering and agentic workflows
- Build and optimise RAG pipelines using vector databases and embedding models
- Implement MLOps best practices across AWS and Azure cloud platforms
- Leverage agent frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, CrewAI) to orchestrate complex AI workflows
- Develop model fine-tuning, evaluation frameworks, and observability tools
Business & Leadership (20%)
- Partner with teams to scale AI capabilities and establish best practices
- Translate business problems into technical solutions with measurable ROI
- Lead hands-on training and workshops to drive AI adoption
- Build business cases that prioritise initiatives based on commercial impact
What they're Looking For
- Essential
- 8-12 years of production experience with advanced Python and SQL
- Hands-on experience with LLM integration, prompt engineering, and RAG architecture
- Proven use of AI coding assistants (GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor) to accelerate development
- Evidence of applying technology beyond your day job – side projects, open source contributions, or building tools that solve real problems
- Someone who naturally gravitates toward using technology to make things better
- Nice to Have
- MSc or PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or related field
- Experience in financial services, particularly credit markets or investment management
- Classical ML/AI capabilities (gradient boosting, time series forecasting, anomaly detection)
What They Offer
- Competitive Package - Base salary, discretionary bonus, generous pension, comprehensive benefits, and daily catered lunches
- True Flexibility - Hybrid working with four weeks "work from anywhere" annually
- Direct Impact - Shape AI strategy at a growing investment firm where your solutions drive real business decisions
- Innovation Freedom - Autonomy to experiment with emerging AI tools, with budget and support to explore what's next
- High-Calibre Team - Work alongside driven professionals who value both technical excellence and commercial pragmatism
Ready to roll up your sleeves and build AI solutions that matter? Apply now.