AI Engineer - (Grade "F")

Developing the upcoming era of autonomous AI for colleagues and customers is our focus - ensuring safety, security, and scalability. As a Lead Software Engineer, you'll set technical direction and lead multiple teams to design, build and run AI Agents on Google Cloud, blending open-source tools with GCP native services. You'll stay hands-on when needed and help grow engineering capability - all while delivering outcomes at pace in a regulated environment. Working closely with Engineering, Product and Architecture teams, you'll define the strategy and technical direction for agentic AI services, establishing standards, patterns and quality expectations. You'll lead and develop multiple engineering teams, fostering a high-performing, inclusive culture while delivering resilient and scalable solutions. You'll design, build and operate AI Agents on Google Cloud using services such as Vertex AI, Cloud Run, GKE, BigQuery and IAM, integrating securely with enterprise systems and following modern engineering practices including CI/CD, automated testing, SRE and observability. You'll have responsibility for the full solution lifecycle, ensuring platforms are secure, compliant, resilient and cost-effective through robust guardrails, model evaluation, FinOps and effective security controls. You'll also drive engineering excellence by developing reusable components and standards, leading vendor engagements, simplifying infrastructure and influencing senior stakeholders across the platform., Our ambition is to be the leading UK business for diversity, equity and inclusion, supporting our customers, colleagues and communities. We're committed to creating an environment in which everyone can thrive, learn and develop.

• Proficiency in Python and TypeScript, with experience delivering production services (APIs, event-driven systems, microservices), ideally on GCP.
• Proven technical leadership of large, multi-team deliveries - setting strategy, making sound architectural decisions and enabling teams to deliver at pace.
• Hands-on experience with agentic AI: building LLM-powered applications/agents, tool use, orchestration, retrieval (RAG), prompt and safety engineering, evaluation and telemetry.
• Proficient knowledge of cloud-native engineering: containers (GKE/Cloud Run), Terraform/IaC, continuous integration/continuous deployment, automated quality assurance, observability, optimizing performance, and managing incidents.
• Solid knowledge of security, privacy and compliance in regulated environments; confident working with Risk, Security and Legal teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to simplify complex concepts into clear, outcome-focused narratives.
And any experience of these would be great
• Experience with Vertex AI Agent Builder/Agentspace, LangGraph, multi-agent patterns or agent-to-agent protocols.
• Knowledge of data governance and model risk practices in financial services.
• Exposure to Azure/AWS or cross-cloud patterns.
• Experience building communities of practice and engineering guilds.
We know that great talent comes from many backgrounds. Whilst this job advert may reference specific years of experience, we recognise that skills are developed in many ways. So, if you have relevant, transferable experience, we encourage you to apply.

At Lloyds Banking Group, we're driven by a clear purpose; to help Britain prosper. Across the Group, our colleagues are focused on making a difference to customers, businesses and communities. With us you'll have a key role to play in shaping the financial services of the future, whilst the scale and reach of our Group means you'll have many opportunities to learn, grow and develop. We keep your data safe. So, we'll only ever ask you to provide confidential or sensitive information once you have formally been invited along to an interview or accepted a verbal offer to join us which is when we run our background checks. We'll always explain what we need and why, with any request coming from a trusted Lloyds Banking Group person. We're focused on creating a values-led culture and are committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the customers and communities we serve. Together we're building a truly inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference.

We were one of the first major organisations to set goals on diversity in senior roles, create a menopause health package, and establish a dedicated Working with Cancer initiative. We offer reasonable workplace adjustments for colleagues with disabilities, including flexibility in office attendance, location and working patterns. As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee interviews for a fair and proportionate number of applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role and have a disability, long-term health condition or neurodivergent condition through the Disability Confident Scheme. We provide reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to reduce or remove barriers. Just let us know what you need. We also offer a wide-ranging benefits package, which includes:
• A generous pension contribution of up to 15%
• An annual performance related bonus
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
• 30 days' holiday, with bank holidays on top
• A range of wellbeing initiatives and generous parental leave policies