Principal Engineer – Advanced AI Engineering

Job description

End Date Tuesday 29 September 2026 Salary Range £84,624 - £126,936 We support flexible working – click here for more information on flexible working options Flexible Working Options Hybrid Working, Job Share Job Description Summary . Job Description Senior Lead Engineer - Advanced Engineering SALARY: £84,624 - £105,780 LOCATION(S): Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds HOURS: Full time WORKING PATTERN: Our work style is hybrid, which involves spending at least two days per week, or 40% of your time, at one of our office sites. About this opportunity The new Advanced AI Engineering team is seeking Principal Engineers to join. The purpose of the team is to evaluate emerging AI technologies and methods, build MVPs, and hand over proven solutions for engineering at scale. A key priority is enabling the Group to create industry-leading AI-powered products and services that drive customer engagement and service excellence! You'll join the Data & AI Unit within the Chief Technology Office (CTO), helping shape and support the Group's Data and AI technology strategy. This role sits at the forefront of Agentic AI, combining technical leadership, hands-on engineering expertise and applied GenAI knowledge to deliver innovative solutions within a regulated environment! Day-to-day, you'll: Partner with business and platform teams to identify priority problems and adoption bottlenecks, focusing on customer-facing AI solutions that can operate effectively within a regulated environment. Evaluate emerging AI technologies, techniques and approaches through applied research, experimentation and rapid prototyping. Lead the engineering and delivery of operational MVPs that address critical business challenges and create a pathway to scalable adoption. Act as a trusted technical advisor, guiding engineering teams, technology leaders, and business collaborators in GenAI and Agentic AI. Coach and mentor engineers, helping teams develop engineering capability and adopt proven AI patterns and practices. Influence business and technology strategy by demonstrating the art of the possible and finding opportunities to bring value through AI innovation. About us / Why Lloyds Banking Group We're creating a future where technology and innovation help us serve customers better every day. Through our Data & AI capabilities, we're exploring new ways to solve complex problems, improve customer experiences and support colleagues across the organisation. Join us and you'll have the opportunity to work on meaningful challenges, collaborate with talented colleagues and help shape the future of AI-powered products and services at scale. What you'll need Proven experience leading engineering teams and delivering production-grade technology solutions in complex environments, with accountability for outcomes. Strong software engineering expertise with proficiency in at least two programming languages and a track record of solving complex technical problems. Deep applied AI/ML and Generative AI experience, including the use of patterns such as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), tool use, guardrails, evaluation frameworks and AI agents. Experience designing, building and operating AI solutions within regulated environments, managing considerations such as reliability, security, safety and explainability. Strong analytical thinking and judgement, with the ability to translate ambiguous challenges into clear technical direction, MVPs and scalable engineering solutions. Proven ability to influence, coach and mentor engineers while engaging senior stakeholders on technical direction, architecture and technology decisions. And any experience of this would be really useful Experience delivering technology solutions within regulated industries, particularly financial services. Experience conducting or applying research within industry, academia or equivalent environments. Experience developing large-scale customer-facing technology solutions and influencing engineering standards, reference architectures or reusable patterns across large organisations. This is a place for you... Our ambition is to be the leading UK business for diversity, equity and inclusion, supporting our customers, colleagues and communities. We are committed to creating an environment in which everyone can thrive, learn and develop. We were one of the first major organisations to set goals on diversity in senior roles, create a menopause health package, and launch a dedicated Working with Cancer initiative. We offer reasonable workplace adjustments for colleagues with disabilities, including flexibility in office attendance, location and working patterns. As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee interviews for a fair and proportionate number of applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role and have a disability, long-term health or neurodivergent condition, through the Disability Confident Scheme. We provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to reduce or remove barriers - just let us know what you need. Benefits A generous pension contribution of up to 15% An annual performance-related bonus Share schemes including free shares Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping 30 days’ holiday, with bank holidays on top A range of wellbeing initiatives and generous parental leave policies Ready to make an impact? Apply today. At Lloyds Banking Group, we're driven by a clear purpose; to help Britain prosper. Across the Group, our colleagues are focused on making a difference to customers, businesses and communities. With us you'll have a key role to play in shaping the financial services of the future, whilst the scale and reach of our Group means you'll have many opportunities to learn, grow and develop. We keep your data safe. So, we'll only ever ask you to provide confidential or sensitive information once you have formally been invited along to an interview or accepted a verbal offer to join us which is when we run our background checks. We'll always explain what we need and why, with any request coming from a trusted Lloyds Banking Group person. We're focused on creating a values-led culture and are committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the customers and communities we serve. Together we’re building a truly inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference.