AI Engineer

AI Engineer | Fareham, Hampshire

Permanent

We're working with our client, a growing technology business, to recruit an AI Engineer who will run, secure and build AI across the organisation.

Our client already uses AI day to day: Microsoft Copilot business-wide, Azure AI Foundry, Claude Code for building internal software tools, and locally hosted models running through a self-hosted n8n workflow platform. They now need an engineer to run it all properly, keep it secure, and build what comes next. AI is expected to touch almost every business system over time, so this role will grow with the company.

What you'll do

Run and support the AI platform

• Deploy and manage AI services and supporting applications on Linux, containers and virtual machines, including monitoring, patching, backup and recovery
• Maintain and improve the local inference environment and self-hosted automation platform
• Manage code and deployments through GitLab
• Support incident investigation, troubleshooting and vulnerability remediation

Secure and govern

• Build in safeguards: authentication, least-privilege access, input validation, audit logging and human approval for sensitive actions
• Protect against AI risks such as data leakage, prompt injection, unsafe tool use and over-permissioned agents
• Apply secure-by-design controls: data classification, encryption, secrets management and separated development, test and production environments
• Help define AI governance, risk assessments and technical standards, and evaluate models, platforms and suppliers

Build

• Design, prototype and support AI applications, assistants, agents and workflow automations
• Develop retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), semantic search and knowledge solutions connected safely to company documents, databases and APIs
• Design, deploy and govern Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, clients and tools
• Review and validate AI-generated code, data and outputs

Connect to the business

• Work with the wider business systems used across Engineering, Manufacturing and corporate functions, learning how the processes work so AI can integrate with them properly
• Troubleshoot integration and authentication issues and coordinate changes with colleagues and suppliers

What you'll bring

Essential

• Experience deploying and operating applications on Linux, containers and virtual machines, including monitoring, patching, backup and recovery
• Understanding of secure development, access control, data protection, auditability and responsible AI
• Practical experience building or supporting AI-enabled applications, integrations or automations (minimum 1 year, or less if you're strong in the areas above)
• Experience with APIs, structured data, authentication and role-based access control
• Source control and scripting or automation skills
• Strong troubleshooting skills, and clear communication and documentation

Desirable

• A software development background
• Familiarity with LLMs, RAG, AI agents and MCP
• Experience with n8n or similar workflow tools, GitLab, Azure AI Foundry, Copilot or locally hosted models
• Exposure to business systems such as PLM, ERP or MES

Why this opportunity

• A real mix of infrastructure, security and AI build work, not a narrow single-platform role
• A live environment where AI is already in use, with scope to shape standards and safeguards
• Direct influence on how AI is adopted across the whole business

Package and working pattern

• Office-based in Fareham, with up to 2 days a week remote after probation (subject to project and on-site needs)
• 25 days' holiday plus bank holidays, rising with service, plus holiday buy/sell
• Flexi working (core hours 10:00-15:00)
• Private medical insurance, health cash plan, life assurance (3x salary) and group income protection
• Pension with 5% employer contribution
• Cycle to Work and Electric Car schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme and professional membership reimbursement

Guidant, Carbon60, Lorien & SRG - The Vertage Group Portfolio are acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.