Overview
Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features. SmartSearch’s AML verification software protects our clients with advanced features. We foster an incredibly collaborative and supportive culture as we continue ambitious growth.
How will you make a difference?
We’re looking for a Junior AI Engineer to help us use modern AI tooling (LLMs, APIs, and automation platforms) to build new solutions and upgrade our existing applications. You’ll work closely with developers and product stakeholders to prototype, implement, and iterate on AI-powered features that deliver real value to our users. This is a hands-on role, ideal for someone early in their career who’s excited about applying AI in practical, production environments rather than doing pure research.
Responsibilities
* Build AI-powered features: Integrate large language models (e.g. OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) into web and backend applications; design and implement prompt flows, agents, and tools to solve specific business problems.
* Upgrade existing applications: Add AI-assisted functionality (e.g. smart search, summarisation, recommendations, copilots, chatbots) to current products; refactor and improve existing code to work well with new AI components.
* Prototype & experiment: Quickly prototype AI solutions to validate ideas with stakeholders; compare different models, tools, and approaches and summarise trade-offs.
* Data & evaluation: Work with structured and unstructured data (text, documents, logs) to support AI features; help define simple evaluation methods (test cases, spot checks, feedback loops) to ensure AI outputs are useful and safe.
* Collaboration & documentation: Collaborate with software engineers, product managers, and non-technical teams to understand requirements; document prompts, workflows, and integration patterns so others can reuse and extend your work.
What are we looking for in a candidate?
Must Have
* Around 2 years of experience in software development or a recent graduate with strong projects.
* Solid programming skills in at least one language commonly used for AI or backend work (e.g. Python, JavaScript/TypeScript).
* Basic understanding of how large language models work at a high level (tokens, prompts, context window); REST APIs and integrating third-party services.
* Experience (professional or personal projects) using AI tooling, such as LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.).
* Frameworks like LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar (nice but not mandatory); or building small tools, bots, or scripts that use AI.
* Familiarity with version control (Git) and modern development workflows.
* Strong problem-solving skills and willingness to learn new tools quickly.
* Clear written and verbal communication skills.
Nice-to-Have
* Experience with frontend frameworks (React, Vue, etc.) or backend frameworks (FastAPI, Django, Node.js, etc.).
* Vector databases / semantic search (e.g. Pinecone, Weaviate, pgvector).
* Basic knowledge of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).
* Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) or serverless functions.
* CI/CD pipelines and basic DevOps concepts.
* Prior work with chatbots, internal copilots, or workflow automation; data processing / ETL for text-heavy data (logs, documents, emails).
What is life like at SmartSearch?
* We are a multi-award winning tech company with an aspirational mentality.
* Recognitions include RegTech100 (2024) and Top 100 Fastest Growing Tech Companies by Northern Tech Awards 2024, Technology Provider of the Year by Corporate Finance Awards 2024.
* Great Place To Work Certified since 2022.
* Excellent progression opportunities with personal development goals, regular feedback, and support.
* Diverse and inclusive team committed to Diversity & Inclusion and Social Responsibility; active DE&I initiatives and community impact.
Company Benefits
* 25 days holiday rising to 30 with each year of service
* Private Medical Insurance covering dental and optical
* Company pension scheme
* Life Assurance – 4x your annual salary
* 1 day paid volunteering per year
* Enhanced maternity / paternity offerings
* Employee Assistance Programme
* Cycle to work scheme
* On site gym
Seniority level
* Entry level
Employment type
* Full-time
Job function
* Engineering and Information Technology
Industries
* Software Development
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