Department: Department of Architecture and the Built Environment; Location: Doncaster; Salary: £38,000 to £42,000 per annum; Fixed Term; Post Type: Full Time; Release Date: 30 March 2026; Closing Date: 27 April 2026.
Birmingham City University are looking to appoint a high calibre graduate as an AI and Digital Systems Engineer (KTP Associate). This role presents an exciting opportunity to work in collaboration with leading academics at Birmingham City University, to apply knowledge and technical innovation, delivered on site at the company.
Personal Training & Development Budget
The AI and Digital Systems Engineer (KTP Associate) will have access to a personal development budget of £4,667 to upskill during the project.
Location and Reporting
The successful candidate will be employed by Birmingham City University and seconded to work full‑time onsite at HB Tunnelling Limited, Unit 1 High Premier Industrial Estate, Belton Road, Sandtoft, Doncaster, DN8 5SX. The role will deliver the 28‑month KTP project in partnership with Birmingham City University and HB Tunnelling Limited.
About HB Tunnelling Limited
HB Tunnelling Limited (HBT) is a specialist contractor in the UK trenchless tunnelling and stormwater infrastructure sectors. HBT delivers micro‑tunnelling, pipe jacking, and below‑ground stormwater management projects across the UK, with a turnover of £37.68 million. HBT is now investing in digital innovation to strengthen its competitive position.
Main Duties And Responsibilities
* Develop AI‑driven tender intelligence capabilities, including automated document ingestion, project screening, and opportunity scoring using large language model (LLM) tools.
* Build automated Bills of Quantities (BoQ) generation workflows that integrate tender specifications with historical project cost data and engineering calculations.
* Design and implement IoT data pipelines to ingest, process, and visualise real‑time sensor data from wireless monitoring nodes deployed at tunnel sites.
* Create a unified Digital Twin for Tunnelling (DT4T) platform that consolidates tender intelligence, estimating, and site monitoring functions into a single operational environment.
* Integrate the platform with HB Tunnelling’s existing data sources, commercial workflows, and project management systems.
* Conduct user testing and iterative refinement with engineering and commercial teams to ensure practical adoption across the business.
* Produce technical documentation, training materials, and knowledge transfer outputs to embed the platform sustainably within HB Tunnelling Limited.
Key Responsibilities and Development Goals
* Develop a deep understanding of HB Tunnelling’s operational workflows, including tendering, estimating and construction monitoring processes.
* Apply commercial AI and LLM tools to domain‑specific construction and tunnelling document workflows.
* Demonstrate competence in cloud‑based platform architecture, data engineering, and IoT data management relevant to the built environment.
* Contribute to academic outputs, including research contributions, reports, and presentations to support knowledge dissemination across both the University and Industry.
The AI and Digital Systems Engineer (KTP Associate) will interact with senior management, suppliers and clients of the company as well as BCU academics. It must also be adept at applying knowledge to commercial projects, driving value and making an impact where possible, with the ability to solve problems and create innovative solutions.
Essential Skills and Experience
* A minimum 2:1 undergraduate qualification in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline.
* Proficiency in Python for data processing, automation, and API integration.
* Demonstrable experience working with AI tools and large language models (LLM) for document analysis or natural language processing.
* Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or equivalent) for application hosting and data management.
* Strong understanding of database design and structured/unstructured data management.
* Excellent communication skills to express ideas effectively, orally, graphically and in writing.
* A capacity to work to tight deadlines with diligence, attention to detail, and maintain high standards of work.
* Ability and aptitude to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team, with self‑management and planning skills to optimise use of time.
* Strong leadership skills in successfully implementing and embedding new innovations within a company or organisation.
Desirable Skills
* Master’s degree or PhD in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Construction Informatics, Digital Built Environment, or a related subject.
* Familiarity with IoT data protocols and time‑series data handling (e.g. MQTT, LoRaWAN).
* Exposure to digital twin concepts, Building Information Modelling (BIM), or asset lifecycle management.
* Experience with data visualisation and dashboard development tools (e.g. Power BI, Grafana).
* Knowledge of or interest in the construction, civil engineering, or tunnelling sector.
* Understanding of construction industry workflows including Bills of Quantities, tendering processes, or ground monitoring.
* Academic acumen to enable successful reporting through research publications and marketing/training materials.
* A driving licence and willingness to travel to utility contracts throughout the UK.
* Practical experience of working in the construction or infrastructure industry.
For further information please contact Dr Saeed Talebi at saeed.talebi@bcu.ac.uk or Dr Waldo Cervantes at waldo.cervantes@bcu.ac.uk.
Employment Details
The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to enter the LGPS scheme will be able to do so and will be employed by Birmingham City University directly.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to an environment that supports lawful free speech and academic freedom. We will continuously review and improve our policies, practices and procedures to ensure that we are promoting these in all aspects of our operations. We believe that by working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential.
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