Python AI Engineer

Salary: £? - ? per year

• Strong commercial experience developing production-grade Python applications and services.
• Advanced Python skills, including asynchronous programming, type annotations, modular design, and performance optimisation.
• Hands-on experience with Pydantic, LangGraph, MS Agent Framework, Semantic Kernel, or similar AI orchestration frameworks.
• Demonstrable experience delivering Generative AI and RAG solutions beyond proof of concept.
• Strong understanding of embeddings, vector search, lexical search, hybrid retrieval, chunking, reranking, and evidence selection.
• Experience integrating LLMs using structured outputs, tool calling, prompt and model versioning, token management, and response validation.
• Experience building multi-step, agentic, or workflow-based AI applications.
• Strong automated testing experience using Pytest or equivalent.
• Experience with APIs, distributed services, Git, CI/CD, containers, and production observability.
• Familiarity with Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, or equivalent AI and enterprise search platforms.
• Familiarity with LLM and RAG evaluation approaches; Azure Foundry or ML Studio preferred.
• Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes, telemetry, and load testing.
• Candidates outside the stated experience range will be considered if they can demonstrate the necessary competencies.

• Design, develop, and maintain production-grade Python services for Generative AI and RAG solutions.
• Build and integrate LLM workflows using structured outputs, tool calling, schema validation, and controlled fallbacks.
• Implement vector, lexical, and hybrid retrieval, metadata filtering, reranking, and evidence selection.
• Build asynchronous services with appropriate timeout, retry, cancellation, and exception handling.
• Develop automated unit, integration, regression, and failure-path tests.
• Implement structured logging, tracing, and operational monitoring.
• Monitor and optimise response quality, latency, token usage, cost, and performance.
• Contribute to technical design, code reviews, engineering standards, and production support.

• AI
• Azure
• CI/CD
• Docker
• Git
• Support
• Kubernetes
• LLM
• Python
• RAG
• pytest
• Cloud

More:

We are recruiting a Python AI Engineer for a six-month contract based in London, with hybrid working. The day rate is £600–£700, inside IR35, and the expected start is mid-October. The role focuses on developing production-grade Python services for Generative AI and complex RAG solutions, spanning AI workflow orchestration, information retrieval, evidence processing, LLM integration, response generation, and validation. Square One acts as both an employment agency and an employment business and is an equal-opportunities recruitment business. We embrace diversity and treat everyone equally. Applicants are invited to apply with an updated CV in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

last updated 41 week of 2026