Lead AI Scientist (Fintech)

TL;DR

Lead AI Scientist (Fintech): Developing and deploying end-to-end machine learning and Agentic AI models for financial wealth management with an accent on prompt engineering, model benchmarking, and ethical governance. Focus on building scalable LLM-based solutions, mentoring AI scientists, and collaborating with business stakeholders to drive innovation in a regulated environment.

Location: Hybrid, must be based in London or Southampton

Company

hirify.global is a leading UK-based wealth manager and financial advice provider overseeing £141.2 billion in customer investments.

What you will do

• Deliver end-to-end AI/ML solutions including discovery, experimental design, development, and deployment.
• Design experiments to evaluate model performance using classical metrics and GenAI techniques like LLM-as-a-Judge.
• Refine prompt engineering strategies to optimize reasoning and accuracy of LLMs and agentic AI systems.
• Ensure Responsible AI principles and governance are applied throughout the model lifecycle.
• Translate complex business requirements into high-impact AI initiatives in partnership with technical and business teams.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to the AI Science team to ensure high-quality delivery.

Requirements

• PhD or MSc in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, or a related STEM field.
• Proven track record in building, fine-tuning, and evaluating traditional ML, NLP, and LLM-based models.
• Advanced Python programming skills and proficiency in ML frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Deep understanding of LLM libraries such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, and Hugging Face.
• Experience with cloud platforms like Azure or AWS for scaling AI development.
• Strong grasp of data structures and knowledge bases including vector stores and graph databases.

Nice to have

• Background in financial services or other regulated industries.
• Experience with Databricks or AI Foundry.
• Familiarity with R or Java for specialized data engineering tasks.

Culture & Benefits

• Company pension scheme with non-contributory options.
• Private Medical Insurance with family coverage options.
• Life Assurance at 4x salary and Income Protection benefits.
• Annual leave of 26 days.
• Participation in the company-wide incentive scheme linked to performance.
• Range of flexible benefits available via salary deduction.