AI Technical Lead - 2 Year Fixed Term Contract

As a Technical Lead, you'll play a critical role in turning ambitious AI opportunities into high-quality, scalable technology solutions. You'll work across the full lifecycle - from early-stage ideas and proof of concepts through to production-ready systems that are embedded into the organisation. You'll be accountable for technical quality and delivery, working in a highly matrixed environment alongside internal product teams and trusted external partners. Technology-agnostic and adaptable, you'll help shape problem statements, align solution designs to our AI vision, and guide teams through complex technical decisions. This is a hands-on leadership role that offers variety, influence, and the opportunity to help define how engineering practices evolve in the age of AI - all while supporting a mission that saves lives. What will I be doing?

• Act as Technical Lead for key AI initiatives at different stages - from emerging ideas and proofs of concept through to solutions ready to scale and operationalise
• Assess technical complexity, feasibility, and effort, helping teams make informed delivery decisions
• Identify where foundational changes to platforms or infrastructure are needed to unlock AI capabilities
• Work with Product Managers and colleagues to assess when and how to partner with external suppliers
• Collaborate closely with Product and Project Managers, Architects, UX and Service Designers, and Business Analysts to understand user needs and iteratively design effective solutions
• Provide technical assurance and constructive challenge for external technology partners
• Validate high-level designs and support smooth transitions from design into delivery
• Produce low-level designs, technical work plans, and documentation in line with delivery standards
• Proactively surface technical risks, issues, and dependencies to initiative leads
• Contribute significantly to testing strategies and plans to ensure solutions are robust, secure, and reliable
  
  We're looking for someone who brings both strong technical leadership and a genuine interest in how AI can create real-world value. You'll have:
• Experience delivering Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions, from procurement through to live operation
• Recent, hands-on experience writing clean, maintainable, and well-tested code using proven design patterns
• The curiosity and adaptability to learn new languages, frameworks, and tools
• Deep technical expertise and the confidence to tackle complex problems independently
• A strong interest in AI and innovation, with the ability to role-model how modern engineering practices can evolve to deliver greater impact
• Experience working across a range of domains, with the ability to context-switch as priorities change
• Proven experience running critical services in production and designing scalable, secure, and highly available systems
• Experience acting as a technical lead: defining solutions from scratch, shaping technical direction, and reviewing the work of other engineers
• Knowledge of modern software delivery approaches (e.g. Scrum, Kanban), with some understanding of spec-driven development
• Excellent communication skills, enabling you to explain complex ideas clearly and influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Comfort working in complex environments with multiple priorities, and the resilience to adapt to continual change
• Highly desirable to have experience implementing bespoke data, machine learning or AI solutions from pilot through to operationalisation.
• Ideally hold a professional certification (e.g. cloud architect) in at least one major cloud data platform (e.g. GCP, Azure, AWS, Snowflake, Databricks) and will, ideally, be an active participant in that cloud's community.
Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do. Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism

At Cancer Research UK, we are a community of professionals with purpose. Every day, we push boundaries to beat cancer-yet we know we must go.

We're looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer. You'll help make breakthroughs possible-not just in laboratories, but in parliaments, communities and homes across the UK. Together, we're building a future where everybody lives longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer. Ready to use your voice to help save lives? We'd love to hear from you. What will I gain? We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.