AI Technical Lead - Legal sector
Ipswich, Chelmsford, Cambridge, Norwich, Sevenoaks or Bristol | 5+ years’ experience | Hybrid (60% office / 40% home) | Up to £75,000 DOE | Right to work in the UK mandatory | Perm
About the role
We are seeking an experienced AI Technical Lead to play a hands‑on role in designing, building and scaling AI‑enabled capabilities within a complex, enterprise professional services environment.
Working in close partnership with the AI Product Manager, you will help turn early AI adoption into safe, repeatable and well‑governed capabilities. A key initial focus will be productising Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Agents across priority workflows such as document drafting, document review and knowledge management, alongside delivering practical integrations with existing business systems.
This is a delivery‑oriented, hands‑on role. Alongside shaping standards, patterns and enablement, you will actively write and ship code to deliver integrations, automations and production‑ready AI‑assisted workflows.
Your duties:
- Acting as a hands‑on technical lead for priority AI initiatives, partnering closely with Product, Development, Data, Security, Knowledge Management and Learning & Development
- Designing, building and releasing incremental AI‑enabled solutions that are secure, auditable and operationally robust
- Productising AI capabilities, starting with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Agents, within defined business workflows
- Building small services, integrations and automations to connect AI capabilities with core enterprise systems
- Supporting evidence‑based build vs buy decisions for specialist third‑party AI tools and platforms
- Applying best practice for secure delivery, including identity, access control, audit logging, monitoring and operational readiness
- Establishing and re‑using patterns, documentation and shared approaches to support adoption and scalability
- Working in a matrixed delivery model, leading by influence and coaching rather than owning all engineering capacity
- Contributing to pragmatic testing, validation and monitoring of AI‑assisted features in production
What we’re looking for
This role suits a technically strong lead who enjoys building real solutions, working closely with users and product colleagues, and translating business needs into secure, integrated systems.
Essential experience and skills:
- Proven experience delivering production‑grade software, automation or workflow solutions in an enterprise environment
- Experience in legal, regulated or professional services environments
- Hands‑on experience with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Agents or Microsoft‑aligned automation
- Strong system integration experience (API‑led integrations, events and/or data pipelines)
- Hands‑on software development skills in at least one mainstream enterprise language (e.g. C#/.NET, Python)
- Practical experience delivering AI‑assisted features into production, including testing, validation and monitoring
- Solid understanding of common AI delivery patterns, controls and guardrails
- Cloud experience (preferably Azure) and knowledge of secure delivery practices
- Familiarity with modern engineering practices (Git, code review, CI/CD fundamentals, logging and monitoring)
- Experience working with security and governance stakeholders to embed confidentiality, auditability and least‑privilege controls
- Experience delivering through an agile product lifecycle with a focus on measurable outcomes
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to explain technical decisions and trade‑offs to non‑technical audiences
Desirable experience:
- Familiarity with platforms such as iManage, practice management, intake or data platforms
- Experience integrating document or content‑centric systems
- Exposure to Azure AI services (including Azure OpenAI / Azure AI)
- Experience evaluating third‑party AI tools and supporting build vs buy recommendations
What’s on offer
- The opportunity to shape and deliver AI capabilities with real business impact
- A hybrid working model with flexibility and collaboration at its core
- A comprehensive benefits package, including:
- 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
- Additional leave for long service
- Private healthcare
- Pension scheme with employer contribution
- Bonus and profit‑related reward schemes
- Life assurance and income protection
- Paid CSR day
- Enhanced family leave
- Wellbeing and lifestyle benefits
- An inclusive, collegiate culture that encourages learning, collaboration and continuous improvement
Equal opportunities
The organisation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. Applications are welcomed from candidates of all backgrounds, with selection based solely on skills, experience and potential.