Lead AI & ML Engineer at IO Associates, London, £600-£700 per day

Title: AI & ML Senior Engineer Role

Rate: Up to £600 Per Day (Outside IR35)

Contract length: 3 months (Initially)

Start date: ASAP

Our Client, a rapidly expanding international beauty brand celebrated for innovation and excellence, is seeking a skilled Lead AI & ML Engineer to join their forward-thinking team. Operating across numerous markets worldwide, this company offers a vibrant, collaborative culture that rewards creativity, technical mastery, and strategic thinking. Employees benefit from a stimulating work environment, ongoing development opportunities, and the chance to work at the forefront of AI technology within the beauty industry.

Role Overview:
As a Lead AI & ML Engineer, you will be instrumental in advancing AI and machine learning capabilities across the organisation. This pivotal role is designed for an ambitious professional eager to influence company-wide strategy, manage cutting-edge projects, and lead a talented team. Your expertise will help shape innovative AI solutions that drive customer engagement, optimise operations, and bolster competitive advantage. This contract opportunity is perfect for a technical leader passionate about delivering enterprise-grade AI systems in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Take ownership of the full life cycle of AI and ML projects, ensuring scalable, reliable, and secure deployment.
• Develop and optimise advanced machine learning models, including generative AI, recommender systems, forecasting tools, and customer segmentation.
• Lead the design and deployment of production-ready AI solutions on cloud platforms, particularly using Google Cloud's Vertex AI.
• Build sophisticated workflows incorporating retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and prompt engineering to enhance AI capabilities.
• Implement and maintain MLOps best practices, including continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD), infrastructure as code (IaC), and system monitoring.
• Establish governance frameworks to ensure AI usage remains secure, ethical, and compliant with regulations.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-disciplinary teams, including data scientists, software engineers, and product managers.
• Mentor and develop team members, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Advocate for AI across the organisation, translating technical insights into strategic value.

Essential Skills & Experience:

• Proven experience in designing, developing, and deploying machine learning models at scale.
• Strong proficiency in Python and relevant ML frameworks (eg, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Extensive cloud expertise, particularly with Google Cloud Platform and Vertex AI.
• Demonstrable knowledge of MLOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines, IaC, and monitoring solutions.
• Familiarity with emerging AI techniques such as RAG and prompt engineering.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence decision-making.
• Prior leadership experience, ideally guiding cross-functional teams in high-growth settings.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience within the beauty, fashion, or consumer goods industries.
• Knowledge of data governance, security, and compliance standards.
• Background in developing AI solutions around generative models and large language models (LLMs).
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to innovation.

Next Steps:

If you are ready to lead groundbreaking AI initiatives within a globally recognised beauty brand and possess the skills outlined above, we encourage you to submit your CV. Join our client's team and help shape the future of beauty through innovative AI technologies!