Job Description
This role is ideal for a Technical Leader with management experience, or a Manager of a small AI/ML team ready to step up into a Head of AI position. This is a hybrid role requiring a minimum of one day per week in Brighton.
Head of AI – AI-Driven Product Company
An AI-native business has built a product powered by cutting‑edge genAI and emerging agentic architectures. With a strong customer pipeline and rapid advancements expanding what’s possible, they are now hiring a Head of AI to lead their Data Science and ML Engineering function and shape the future of their AI products.
Reporting directly into the CTO, you’ll guide a high-performing technical team while staying hands‑on enough to maintain credibility and influence key decisions. You’ll combine leadership, strategic thinking and deep technical expertise to create commercial AI products, introduce best practices, and accelerate delivery across the organisation. This role plays a central part in driving AI strategy, validating opportunities, and ensuring they ship high‑quality solutions quickly and iteratively.
Responsibilities
* Lead a team of 4 Data Scientists and ML Engineers while remaining technically hands‑on.
* Bring expertise in genAI, agentic systems, and modern ML to influence architecture, design, and product direction.
* Own and evolve the company’s AI strategy, ensuring alignment with commercial goals.
* Improve delivery velocity by guiding teams through ambiguity and promoting rapid iteration.
* Mentor and develop an already strong team, fostering a product‑ and customer‑focused mindset.
* Introduce and evangelise best practices in AI, ML, and agentic development.
* Collaborate closely across the business to ensure AI initiatives create meaningful customer and business impact.
The Ideal Candidate
Essential
* Proven leader of AI/ML teams, building commercial AI‑powered products.
* Deep experience in genAI, classic ML, and agentic AI patterns/tooling.
* Strong strategic influence, having shaped technical direction and company‑level decisions.
* Actively codes, with strong Python and modern ML framework experience.
* Experienced in best‑practice AI development: agent loops, eval frameworks, RAG optimisation, prompt engineering, etc.
* Experience in leadership roles with refined coaching and mentoring skills.
* Excellent communication skills with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
Desirable
* Strong knowledge of AWS, containerisation, model lifecycles and MLOps.
* Comfortable engaging with customers and enterprise stakeholders.
* Natural problem‑solver who helps teams unblock and elevate solutions.
Apply below!