Head of AI Engineering - SMBC - #2159011

SMBC: A trusted partner for the long term

Here at SMBC Group, we want to help you find the next step in your career so read on to discover if this opportunity is the one for you. We like to recognise potential in our people, so we welcome your application even when your experience doesn't perfectly align with the job description. Whilst we'll always strive to be better, we're proud of our inclusive culture, and encourage our applicants and colleagues to be their authentic, unique selves.

Who we are

United by a sense of purpose towards our customers - to be a trusted partner for the long-term - and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.

Role Summary

Is the next step in your career atSMBC Group EMEA? We're looking for a Head of AI Engineering for our ITSD Department to join our team.

We are seeking a visionary and technically accomplished Head of AI Engineering to lead the development and deployment of advanced AI solutions across SMBC EMEA. This role will oversee a team of AI engineers, delivering secure, scalable, and production-grade AI systems that support strategic use cases in Capital Markets and Corporate Banking.

The successful candidate will work closely with the AI Innovation and Transformation teams to align on deliverables, priorities, and solution architecture. The role will also require close collaboration with other technical teams within Architecture & Engineering, as well as wider IT functions, to ensure seamless integration, platform alignment, and compliance with enterprise standards.

This is a hands-on, delivery-focused position that blends engineering leadership with cross-functional collaboration, regulatory awareness, and a strong commitment to responsible AI development in a regulated financial environment.

The anticipated salary range for this role is £132,00 - £198,000 with the final offer determined based on the candidate's skills, experience, role scope, location, and relevant market factors. In addition to base salary, the role may be eligible for a discretionary incentive award and a competitive benefits package, including core benefits such as pension provision.

Business Area

SMBC recognises the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of financial services. As the bank accelerates its AI strategy, it is expanding its technical capabilities by establishing a dedicated AI Engineering function to build and scale secure, production-grade AI systems.

The Head of AI Engineering will lead this newly formed function, playing a pivotal role in delivering the technical foundation for the bank's AI programme. This includes overseeing the development of advanced AI solutions-such as LLM-powered services, agentic workflows, and AI-enhanced applications-while ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture, security, and regulatory standards.

This role is critical to the success of SMBC's AI ambitions and will work closely with other IT functions and other senior stakeholders to ensure that engineering delivery supports the bank's broader innovation goals.

Knowledge an Experience

Education & Qualifications:

• Educated to degree level in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent professional experience).
• Postgraduate qualifications (e.g., MSc, PhD) in AI, Machine Learning, or Data Science are advantageous.
• Relevant certifications in cloud platforms (e.g., Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform) and AI/ML engineering (e.g., TensorFlow Developer, Azure AI Engineer Associate) are desirable.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning in AI system architecture, secure engineering, and cloud-native development.

• Proven track record of delivering secure, scalable AI systems in regulated environments, ideally within financial services.

• Deep expertise in building and deploying advanced AI solutions, including:
  • LLM-based services and APIs
  • Agentic workflows and orchestration
  • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines
  • Document intelligence and GenAI applications
• Strong hands-on experience with cloud-native AI development onMicrosoft AzureandGoogle Cloud Platform (GCP), including services such as Azure OpenAI, Azure ML, Vertex AI, and Gemini.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional engineering teams across front-end and back-end disciplines.
• In-depth understanding of secure engineering practices, including encryption, access control, secure context injection, and audit logging.
• Familiarity with AI governance and regulatory frameworks such as theEU AI Act,FCA/PRA guidance,GDPR,ISO/IEC 42001, andNIST AI RMF.
• Experience working closely with cybersecurity, legal, and risk teams to ensure compliance and audit readiness.
• Strong background in MLOps and DevSecOps, including CI/CD pipelines, model monitoring, drift detection, and infrastructure-as-code.