Do you want to be a leading engineer who scopes and delivers major GenAI projects at a major brandHave you built GenAI systems in production where quality, cost and reliability actually matter?Are you ready to join a new AI function early and set the standard for how AI is shipped in a global consumer business?A global fitness and wellness brand is building a new Group AI function with strong senior backing and a clear mandate: deliver GenAI solutions that move the needle across both customer experience and operational performance.This Lead AI Engineer will operate as an independent, initiative-driven IC - spotting opportunities, shaping the roadmap with stakeholders, and shipping production-grade AI systems that prove value quickly. You’ll work across GenAI and applied ML. Typical initiatives include LLM-powered personalisation/agent workflows, and optimisation/forecasting solutions across physical sites (maintenance processes, utilities spend, and member experience at scale).Role summaryThis is a Lead IC role for someone who thrives on autonomy. You’ll take loosely-defined problems, structure them into deliverable projects, align stakeholders, and build robust systems that run reliably in production. There’s no requirement to manage people — but you’ll lead through ownership, standards, and execution.Key responsibilitiesIndependently identify high-value AI opportunities and propose delivery plansScope projects: define objectives, success metrics, risks, and dependenciesBuild and deploy end-to-end AI solutions (from brief to monitored production services)Own GenAI delivery: RAG, orchestration/agent workflows, evaluation, guardrailsBuild APIs/services integrating data sources, models, and downstream consumersDrive engineering quality: observability, latency, reliability, security, cost controlPartner with senior stakeholders to prioritise and deliver measurable outcomesWhat they’re looking for6+ years’ experience delivering production AI/ML systemsStrong Python and SQLProven hands-on GenAI experience (LLMs/RAG; LangChain/LlamaIndex/LangGraph-style tooling preferred)A track record of autonomous ownership - running projects with minimal supervisionStrong stakeholder engagement: can influence and communicate with non-technical leadersComfortable working in an entrepreneurial, “build first” environmentMLOps/CI/CD exposure (monitoring, deployment patterns, model lifecycle)Key detailsCentral LondonHybrid: 2–3 days/week in officeSalary: £120,000–£140,000 baseStack: Python, SQL, Databricks, AzureSponsorship: Not availableInterested? Please apply below.