Technical Lead in AI & MACH at AKQA | London

At AKQA, we envision the innovative fusion of art and science to develop captivating ideas, products, and services. Embracing an entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit, we craft adaptive digital solutions and experiences that not only inspire but also yield remarkable returns for our clients. In this era of rapid AI advancement and adoption, the landscape is evolving swiftly, and experience in AI implementation and production is crucial. The Technical Lead serves as the primary catalyst for the comprehensive lifecycle of projects—including ideation, technical innovation, design, scoping, development, deployment, and maintenance—utilizing cutting-edge tools and technologies. This role entails full technical ownership and strategic direction for projects on a day-to-day basis. While primarily client-facing and steering the technical trajectory, you will also play a pivotal role in architectural decisions and actively contribute to coding, especially during critical phases or while prototyping new features. Collaborating closely with Business, Project Management, Creative, UX, and Data teams, you'll manage onshore, offshore, and hybrid development teams. This position also encompasses contributions to Technical Strategy, ideation, pitching, pre-sales activities, engineering, thought leadership, profile creation, and speaking engagements. Situated in London (Farringdon) within a Hybrid work environment, you will frequently collaborate with our global studios and partners. You will thrive in a team of highly skilled professionals, each bringing strong opinions on diverse technologies, frameworks, and methodologies. Your ability to effectively communicate your ideas while valuing the input of others will be key, as will your focus on solutions. Embracing challenges as opportunities, you will continuously seek to enhance client offerings. Our progressive environment promotes a meritocratic culture, surrounded by some of the brightest minds in their fields. As a Technical Lead at AKQA, you will find inspiration in technology and possess a fervor for crafting innovative solutions. While you may occasionally take on responsibilities typical of a Project Manager, Scrum Master, or Product Owner, we are primarily seeking a Technologist with these additional capabilities. Proficiency in Technical Architecture and Engineering is essential.

At AKQA, we embrace the innovative fusion of art and science to craft exceptional ideas, products, and services. Our entrepreneurial spirit and collaborative ethos empower us to design adaptable digital services and content that captivate audiences and yield significant returns for our clients. The Delivery team resides at the core of all projects, ensuring they are executed to the highest standards, punctually, allowing clients to gain maximum value from their investments. We prioritize fostering collaborative relationships and effective communication between project teams and clients. Our industry-leading process and governance standards equip our teams with the necessary tools, training, and support to excel. The Senior Project Manager will oversee large, intricate projects, ensuring timely completion within budget while meeting all defined objectives. This role involves assessing business needs, managing resources, and successfully steering all facets of the assignment.

At AKQA, a proud part of WPP, we harness the imaginative intersection of art and science to craft ideas, products, and services that propel the world forward. Our mission lies at the confluence of design, technology, and culture, where we produce work that is not only beautiful but deeply meaningful. As the Group Creative Director, you will play a pivotal role in defining the future of creative excellence. You will lead the vision, shape innovative work, and establish the benchmark for digital craftsmanship across brand and product experiences. This position will oversee the journey of ideas from their inception to final execution, ensuring they are intelligent, innovative, and unforgettable. Embodying the spirit of a creative leader and maker, you will blend bold conceptual thinking with meticulous attention to detail. You will cultivate teams, elevate talent, and foster an environment where exceptional ideas can flourish. Global product storytelling and launch experiences are at the heart of this role, emphasizing the importance of every detail and interaction. Your influence will extend beyond mere projects; you will help shape culture, elevate aspirations, and push the limits of what is achievable. This position is integrated within a client team based in London, requiring onsite collaboration at the client studio three days per week. This is a fixed-term contract lasting between 6 to 9 months, with a hybrid working arrangement.

At AKQA, we are dedicated to the innovative fusion of art and science to shape a brighter future. As a Product Design Director, you will architect the interfaces, systems, and interactions that influence how brands engage in today's dynamic environment, spanning mobile, spatial, voice, wearables, and AI-driven experiences.In this pivotal role, you will spearhead the design of products and brand experiences for some of the most esteemed organizations globally, from luxury platforms and cultural initiatives to next-gen mobility and wellness systems. You’ll lead cross-disciplinary teams to develop refined, user-centered design solutions that are both intelligent and inspiring.Your responsibilities will include defining design direction across a range of complex, impactful digital products, setting benchmarks for accessibility, interaction, and multi-modal experiences. You will advocate for the evolution of brand user interfaces, utilizing adaptive design languages that convey brand identity through behavior, sound, motion, and intelligence.As a Product Design Director at AKQA, you will operate at the crossroads of brand, craft, and technology, collaborating closely with strategy, data, and engineering teams to create products that learn, adapt, and foster loyalty over time.This leadership position is based in AKQA’s London studio, part of a globally integrated network that is transforming the digital experience landscape for iconic brands such as Nike, Rolls-Royce, Samsung, Airbnb, and Google. You will be at the forefront of AI-enhanced product design, redefining the interplay between creativity, intelligence, and empathy in every user interaction.

About Flagright:Flagright is an innovative artificial intelligence platform designed for financial crime compliance, utilized by Fortune 500 companies, major banks, fintech firms, and rapidly growing startups worldwide. Our technology facilitates real-time risk detection, automated investigations, and smart decision-making, empowering compliance teams to excel in combating financial crime.We embrace a lean, high-performance team culture that emphasizes individual accountability and provides direct access to leadership.Role Overview:As part of our dynamic Marketing team, you will enhance our brand visibility across targeted markets. Through engaging customer interactions and integrated campaigns, you will articulate Flagright's narrative, accelerate our sales pipeline, and help clients recognize our value through strategic, impactful initiatives.We are seeking a Technical Content Lead who will refine and elevate our communication strategies aimed at enterprise buyers. You will transform product details, customer experiences, and market insights into compelling content that influences decision-making rather than just driving traffic.Collaboration with internal teams will be essential as you extract genuine insights and convert them into high-quality materials that are accurate, distinctive, and useful for real-time negotiations. You will set a higher standard for all content, create a structured approach to content production, and ensure that all publications meet the rigorous standards expected by technical and enterprise audiences.Who Thrives at Flagright:Resilient individuals who have faced setbacks and persevered.Resourceful problem-solvers who utilize available tools effectively.Confident individuals who can express and defend their opinions.Quick learners driven by curiosity and hunger for knowledge.Team players who prefer a straightforward, impactful work environment.Challenges for Others:Individuals needing extensive guidance.Those who perceive high expectations as unreasonable.People prioritizing work-life balance in a fast-paced environment.Individuals who struggle with ambiguity or rejection.Those who prefer consistent routines over adaptable priorities.Key Responsibilities:Oversee the editorial strategy for technical and commercial content tailored to enterprise and selected mid-market objectives.Translate go-to-market narratives, product capabilities, launches, and buyer challenges into engaging content.

Join The Economist Group as a Technical Lead in our cutting-edge AI Lab. In this pivotal role, you will spearhead innovative projects, guiding a talented team of engineers and data scientists to develop and implement advanced AI solutions. Your expertise will help drive the future of AI technology within our organization.

Join us on our mission to revolutionize real estate transactions by making them smarter, faster, and seamless. The real estate sector is the largest asset class globally, yet the legal procedures and tools are often slow, manual, and under-resourced. Legal professionals must meticulously review extensive documents and navigate fragmented information systems, all while clients expect quicker and more transparent due diligence. This is where we step in. Orbital Copilot is an AI assistant specifically designed for commercial real estate law. Created in collaboration with experienced real estate attorneys, it enhances complex due diligence processes by up to 70%, all while maintaining legal-grade accuracy. Recently, we secured a $60 million Series B funding round to expedite our expansion in the UK and US markets. We are proud to be partnered with prestigious firms like Goodwin and BCLP, enabling legal teams to eliminate routine tasks so they can concentrate on their core competencies: delivering exceptional legal insights, outstanding client service, and closing deals more efficiently. At Orbital, you’ll be part of a team that is transforming the real estate transaction landscape—working swiftly, collaboratively, and empowering team members to make a meaningful impact from day one.Role Overview Are you passionate about leading the development of innovative AI technologies that will redefine real estate transactions? As a Technical Lead for Orbital Copilot, you will be instrumental in crafting the future of our AI-powered assistant, aimed at revolutionizing the property due diligence workflow. Your leadership will guide a talented team of engineers from concept through to deployment, ensuring our AI platform remains industry-leading while delivering tangible benefits to our users.What You’ll Love: ‍ ‍Lead with Purpose: Mentor and support a skilled team of AI and software engineers in creating innovative, scalable AI-driven SaaS solutions that are transforming real estate transactions.Shape Tomorrow: Design and construct AI systems from the ground up, ensuring they are state-of-the-art, resilient, and scalable to tackle real-world challenges.Own the Vision: Guide product development processes from ideation through implementation, ensuring our technology meets and exceeds industry standards.

At AKQA, we embrace the creative fusion of art and science to envision a brighter future. Our Product Design Directors are responsible for shaping the interfaces, systems, and experiences that dictate how brands engage in the contemporary landscape, spanning mobile, spatial, voice, wearables, and AI-enhanced environments.In the role of Product Design Director, you will spearhead the design of innovative products and brand experiences for some of the globe's most prestigious organizations, from luxury ecosystems and cultural hubs to cutting-edge mobility and wellness systems. You will lead cross-functional teams to develop sophisticated, human-centered design solutions that are as insightful as they are aesthetically pleasing.Your role will involve defining the design trajectory across a diverse portfolio of complex, impactful digital products, setting standards for accessibility, interaction, and multi-modal experiences. You will advocate for the next generation of brand user interfaces: adaptive design languages that seamlessly integrate brand identity with behavior, sound, motion, and intelligence.AKQA Product Design Directors function at the confluence of brand, craftsmanship, and computation, collaborating closely with strategy, data, and engineering teams to create products that learn, adapt, and cultivate affection over time.This leadership position is based in AKQA’s London studio, part of a globally interconnected network that is revolutionizing digital experiences for renowned brands like Nike, Rolls-Royce, Samsung, Airbnb, and Google. You will be at the leading edge of AI-driven product design, helping to redefine the harmony between creativity, intelligence, and empathy in every interaction.

About the TeamThe Forward Deployed Engineering team at OpenAI collaborates closely with clients to transform groundbreaking research into effective production systems. We work at the crucial intersection of customer engagement and core platform innovation.About the RoleAs a Technical Deployment Lead (TDL), you will play a vital role in shaping OpenAI's approach to delivering sophisticated systems to our customers. You will oversee the entire process—from development and shipping to user adoption. Your expertise will help translate business objectives into actionable technical plans, manage daily operations across various teams including FDEs, Researchers, and Customer Engineers, and collaborate with client teams to ensure that our solutions align with their strategic goals.While this position does not involve direct management, you will be responsible for the end-to-end delivery of projects. This includes immersing yourself in customer workflows, defining success criteria, ensuring timely component delivery, and facilitating readiness and change management for seamless adoption. You will monitor project progress, manage dependencies, make key sequencing decisions, and drive prototypes from inception to MVP and scaling. Additionally, you will share insights from the field with our Product and Research teams to inform our roadmap and priorities.Success in this role is measured primarily by the impact of your deployments—ensuring they deliver significant value to customers, drive adoption, and integrate seamlessly into their operations. Other key performance metrics include delivery reliability (adhering to milestones, minimizing reopen/churn), operational efficiency (reusing patterns across deployments), judgment under pressure, and the influence on product direction based on field feedback.This is a role that demands high levels of trust and autonomy. Achieving success will require deep expertise in technical project management, a strong sense of ownership over outcomes, and the ability to engage deeply with customer workflows to tackle complex engineering challenges swiftly.In this role, you will:Own the technical delivery plan for multiple interrelated workstreams, translating business goals into a structured roadmap complete with milestones, dependencies, and acceptance criteria.Manage daily engineering execution. Ensure that projects progress smoothly across OpenAI FDE and customer teams, keeping workflows unblocked and properly sequenced. Make real-time adjustments to scope and priority to maintain the critical path.Work closely with customer teams to facilitate production deployments and encourage user adoption.

At Swap, we are revolutionizing the landscape of agentic commerce with our cutting-edge AI-native platform that seamlessly integrates backend operations with innovative storefront experiences.Designed for brands aiming to sell anything, anywhere, Swap centralizes global operations and enhances intelligent workflows, enabling margin-protecting decisions through real-time data insights. Our diverse product offerings encompass cross-border transactions, tax solutions, returns management, demand planning, and a next-generation storefront that equips merchants with full transparency and confidence.We are committed to fostering a culture that prioritizes clarity, creativity, and shared ownership as we redefine the future of global commerce.About the RoleWe are on the lookout for a dynamic Lead AI Engineer to spearhead the development of scalable conversational and autonomous AI agents within the e-commerce sector. In this pivotal role, you will be responsible for the architecture and technical direction of our agent platform, creating production-ready systems capable of managing high-volume agent workloads using modern JavaScript and Python frameworks. As a key member of the team, you will set engineering standards, shape platform architecture, and mentor fellow engineers while collaborating closely with product and design teams to bring intelligent agent experiences to fruition.

AKQA, part of WPP, combines creativity and technology to design digital experiences with both function and thoughtful detail. Each project aims for meaningful interaction and careful craftsmanship. Role overview The Talent Acquisition Manager (Fixed-Term Contract) will play a key role in shaping the future of AKQA’s London studio. The focus extends beyond filling vacancies: this position involves refining how the studio attracts, evaluates, and retains talent in a competitive market. The scope covers a wide range of creative and technical roles. What you will do Source and engage candidates across creative, product, and technology fields Advise senior stakeholders with market insights and tailored hiring strategies Develop and implement creative recruitment approaches Represent the AKQA brand in all candidate interactions, ensuring alignment with company values Adapt talent strategies as industry needs change, including skills related to AI and new technologies Contract details Fixed-term contract for 6 to 9 months Hybrid working: 3 days per week onsite at the Farringdon studio Based in London

Join Spotify as a Senior Conversational AI Lead in London, where you'll be at the forefront of AI innovation. You will lead a talented team in designing, developing, and deploying advanced conversational AI solutions that enhance user experiences across our platforms.Your expertise will drive the strategy and execution of our conversational AI initiatives, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration with our services. You will play a crucial role in shaping the future of how our users interact with music and podcasts.

Join PA Consulting as a Technical Lead and play an integral role in shaping the digital landscape. In this position, you will lead a team of talented professionals in delivering innovative technical solutions that drive our clients' success. You will collaborate closely with stakeholders to define project objectives and ensure high-quality outcomes while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Join PA Consulting as a Technical Lead where you will spearhead innovative digital solutions and drive technology transformation for our clients. In this pivotal role, you will leverage your technical expertise and leadership skills to guide teams in delivering impactful projects while ensuring alignment with business objectives. Your contributions will be instrumental in shaping the future of digital services.

Join Shield AI as a Technical Program Director!Are you ready to lead the charge in developing cutting-edge unmanned vehicle technology? At Shield AI, we are on a mission to enhance the safety of service members and civilians alike through our innovative AI systems. As the Technical Program Director, you will spearhead the integration and deployment of the world's leading AI pilots into transformative unmanned vehicles.

At Anaplan, we're a collective of innovators dedicated to enhancing business decision-making through our cutting-edge AI-driven scenario planning and analysis platform, empowering our clients to stay ahead of their competitors and the market.Our shared commitment to our customers' success and our Winning Culture unites Anaplanners across various teams and locations.Our clientele features some of the most recognized names on the Fortune 50 list, including Coca-Cola, LinkedIn, Adobe, LVMH, and Bayer, among over 2,400 global enterprises that trust our leading platform.Our Winning Culture fuels our teams of innovators. We promote diversity of thought, encourage leadership at all levels, strive for ambitious goals, and celebrate our achievements—both big and small.Guided by our strategy-led, values-based, and disciplined execution principles, you'll find inspiration, connection, growth, and rewards at Anaplan. Embrace your uniqueness; join us and let's shape the future together!We are seeking a proactive GenAI Technical Lead to establish and oversee our GenAI engineering team. You will lead the execution of our conversational AI and agentic AI roadmap while managing a team of skilled engineers, remaining actively engaged in hands-on problem-solving.This is a hybrid role requiring you to be present in our London office two days a week.Your Impact: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 5-8 GenAI engineers, nurturing a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and delivery.Drive the end-to-end execution of conversational AI features, enabling users to interact with Anaplan models through natural language.

Join our dynamic team at PA Consulting as a Technical Lead. In this pivotal role, you will drive the technical direction of our digital projects, ensuring high-quality solutions and innovation.

About UsAt Tracer, we are pioneering the development of autonomous AI agents designed specifically for production data pipelines. As an early-stage, venture-backed startup, we are supported by seasoned professionals and investors who foresee AI's transformative impact on enterprise software over the coming decade. Our tight-knit team is comprised of senior experts who are keenly focused on execution and innovation. About the RoleWe are seeking a Lead AI Software Engineer to join our London team, responsible for creating and managing the core systems that convert production alerts into actionable root cause analyses (RCAs) and corrective suggestions. While the agent handles the heavy lifting, you will ensure that human oversight remains integral to production decisions.In this role, you will serve as the primary technical authority for our systems, collaborating closely with the founders and engaging in hands-on development. You’ll Love Our Tech StackPython + LangGraph (for multi-agentic alert investigation)Rust (to ensure speed and correctness)ClickHouse (to manage high-volume events and investigation histories)AWS + Terraform (for self-building infrastructure)Next.js + TypeScript (for dynamic front-end experiences) What You’ll DoIn this pivotal role, you will oversee the systems that transform alerts into thorough investigations and RCAs. Your responsibilities will include:Designing and building the core alert, investigation, and RCA pipeline using PythonCrafting and implementing essential systems, such as:Alert ingestion and normalizationContext enrichment and correlationProblem framing outputsHypothesis orchestration engineInvestigation execution runtimeInvestigation artifacts and reportingLeading crucial architectural decisions to ensure the system is observable, auditable, and reliable from day oneCollaborating with founders to effectively deploy a select few high-value alert types before gradually expanding our capabilitiesDeveloping customer-ready integrations throughout the pipeline

Location: LondonCompany: H About H H is focused on building agentic AI that automates complex, multi-step tasks typically handled by people. The company’s goal is to help individuals achieve more by creating superintelligent systems that work safely and responsibly. H values openness, continuous learning, and collaboration. Every team member’s input matters here. About the Models Team The Models team develops the core models that power H’s agentic AI technology. This group works on training methods to boost model performance and efficiency, especially for agent-driven applications where inference costs matter. Projects span Large Language Models (LLMs) and Vision-Language Models (VLMs), enabling agents to interpret and interact with complex environments. Team members refine these models using advanced training approaches, including reinforcement learning and reward modeling. The focus is on better instruction following, tool use, and dynamic interaction. The team’s work bridges research and product, turning new research into practical solutions that move AI forward. Who Hires Here H seeks exceptional AI researchers and engineers from around the world who care about advancing technology safely and responsibly. The company welcomes those eager to shape the future of superintelligent AI alongside a collaborative and driven team.

Join Our Vision at Bauer Media OutdoorAt Bauer Media Outdoor, we are at the forefront of the advertising industry, operating in 12 diverse markets. Our ambition is to “Create technology that makes a difference”—empowering teams, delighting customers, and reshaping the media landscape of tomorrow through innovative, data-driven solutions and strong infrastructure.Technology is central to our mission, fostering transparency, accountability, and delivering exceptional value. Our aim? To establish ourselves as the premier technology team in the industry, recognized for our customer-focused, dependable, rapid, adaptable, and pioneering solutions.Become a part of our exciting journey to redefine the future of media!Your Role as Lead AI EngineerWe are seeking a highly skilled Lead AI Engineer to join our AI Enablement team at Bauer Media Outdoor. This hands-on technical role focuses on the design, development, and deployment of AI-powered software solutions utilized across our organization.Collaborating closely with Product Leads, you will contribute to the creation and delivery of impactful solutions, including the development of custom AI Assistants on our proprietary generative AI platform, Bauer AI Chat. You will take charge of tackling technical challenges, system architecture, AI integration, and producing high-quality code that drives significant business value.Additionally, you will explore and experiment with cutting-edge AI technologies, building and implementing practical solutions to address real business challenges.Key ResponsibilitiesAddress Real Business NeedsDesign and develop AI-enabled applications that resolve genuine business challenges.Integrate AI services like Azure OpenAI and Perplexity AI into existing systems.Create APIs, backend services, automation workflows, and data pipelines that facilitate AI functionalities.Develop and maintain custom AI Assistants for Bauer AI Chat, prioritizing security, reliability, and user experience.Transform Ideas into RealityWork in tandem with Product Leads to evolve ideas from inception to implementation.Convert ambiguous business issues into clear, scalable technical solutions.Prototype, iterate, and refine solutions based on user feedback and performance metrics.Launch AI-driven features into production environments with an emphasis on speed and quality.Take Ownership of ResultsProduce clean, thoroughly tested, production-ready code while maintaining high engineering standards.Oversee system design, delivery, and continuous evolution.Tackle complex engineering challenges related to performance, scalability, and integration.Establish and manage reliable infrastructure through practical DevOps and MLOps methodologies.Continuously monitor, optimize, and enhance AI solutions.