Head of Engineering and AI

About the role

Join a leading buy-side investment firm as Head of Engineering and AI , taking ownership of proprietary investment and operations platforms while driving the transformation to AI-augmented development. This is a hands-on leadership role for an engineering leader who treats software as a craft, has strong opinions on modern application architecture, and is energized by building AI-native delivery capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Proprietary Applications
• Lifecycle ownership of core investment and operations systems
• Application portfolio including architecture, technical roadmap, framework modernization
• Decommissioning legacy components and driving technical evolution
• AI-Augmented Delivery
• Drive adoption of Claude Code , agentic pipelines, and AI-generated testing across the development lifecycle
• Productionize existing PoCs (unit test generation, codebase documentation, ADO-to-GitHub automation)
• Build AI-native delivery model reducing external supplier dependency
• MCP & Integration Architecture
• Build MCP connector layer exposing proprietary systems to firm's AI estate
• Implement governance, audit trails, and access controls
• Enable secure, governed AI integration with core platforms
• Team & Supply Model
• Lead small senior in-house engineering squad augmented by selected contractors
• Set engineering standards, code review culture, and delivery cadence
• Reduce dependency on external development suppliers through AI-augmented in-house capability
• Governance & Audit Readiness
• Ensure institutional investor scrutiny standards met
• AI code provenance, container hardening, change control, full audit trails
• FCA regulated environment compliance without slowing delivery
• We're Looking For
• An engineering leader who has done the work, not just managed it.
• Essential:
• Strong track record building and running proprietary applications in financial services
• Deep .NET background with modernization programme experience
• Multi-language fluency - .NET, Python, TypeScript, SQL
• Hands-on AI tooling experience - Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent AI-native development tools with clear POV on effective use
• MCP, agent frameworks, or LLM integration - practical production experience
• Cloud & data platforms - Azure and Databricks fluency
• Team leadership - experience leading small senior teams and managing supplier relationships
• In-house ownership bias - proven track record reducing external dependency for critical IP
• FCA regulated environment - judgement to maintain compliance without blocking velocity

Additional Information

Head of Engineering and AI Leading Buy-Side Investment Firm | London | 12 Months contract position

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