Interim Head of Engineering and AI

The Opportunity

Join a leading buy-side investment firm as Head of Engineering and AI, taking ownership of proprietary investment and operations platforms while driving the transformation to AI-augmented development.

This is a hands-on leadership role for an engineering leader who treats software as a craft, has strong opinions on modern application architecture, and is energized by building AI-native delivery capabilities.

What You’ll Own

Proprietary Applications

• Lifecycle ownership of core investment and operations systems
• Application portfolio including architecture, technical roadmap, framework modernization
• Decommissioning legacy components and driving technical evolution

AI-Augmented Delivery

• Drive adoption of Claude Code, agentic pipelines, and AI-generated testing across the development lifecycle
• Build MCP connector layer exposing proprietary systems to firm’s AI estate
• Implement governance, audit trails, and access controls
• Enable secure, governed AI integration with core platforms

Team & Supply Model

• Lead small senior in-house engineering squad augmented by selected contractors
• Set engineering standards, code review culture, and delivery cadence
• Reduce dependency on external development suppliers through AI-augmented in-house capability

Governance & Audit Readiness

• Ensure institutional investor scrutiny standards met
• AI code provenance, container hardening, change control, full audit trails
• FCA regulated environment compliance without slowing delivery

We’re Looking For

An engineering leader who has done the work, not just managed it.

• Strong track record building and running proprietary applications in financial services
• Experience of managing onshore and offshore teams.
• Deep .NET background with modernization programme experience
• Multi-language fluency – .NET, Python, TypeScript, SQL
• Hands-on AI tooling experience – Claude Code, Cursor, or equivalent AI-native development tools with clear POV on effective use
• MCP, agent frameworks, or LLM integration – practical production experience
• Cloud & data platforms – Azure and Databricks fluency
• Team leadership – experience leading small senior teams and managing supplier relationships
• In-house ownership bias – proven track record reducing external dependency for critical IP
• FCA regulated environment – judgement to maintain compliance without blocking velocity

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