Job Description
Head of Engineering and AI
Leading Buy-Side Investment Firm | London | 12 Months contract position
The Opportunity
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.
What You'll Own
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