Lead AI Research Engineer

AVEVA is creating software trusted by over 90% of leading industrial companies.
Position:
Lead AI Research Engineer

Location:
Cambridge, London, Milan, Gallarate, Madrid, Derry, Frankfurt, Malmo, Paris

Employment Type:
Full-time

The job

We are seeking an experienced AI technologist to join our AI Investigation and Incubation team. This is a hands-on engineering lead role, focused on researching, prototyping, and validating emerging AI technologies to drive innovation and real-world use cases.

The ideal candidate will have a passion for both exploring new frontiers in AI and turning AI research into working systems with expertise making architectural trade-offs, and proving feasibility through code, experiments, and deployable prototypes. A strong technical foundation with experience working at the intersection of AI research and incubation is critical for this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Research and evaluate emerging AI technologies with a clear focus on practical applicability and deployability
• Investigate, develop, fine-tune, evaluate, and benchmark AI/ML models
• Design, build, and iterate on working prototypes, proof-of-concepts, and pilots
• Assess AI approaches for scalability, reliability, cost, security, and operational feasibility
• Make and document AI investigation and architectural decisions related to model deployment and integration
• Drive technical and scientific publications on AI research
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to ensure AI proofs-of-concept, prototypes, and pilots can transition to later stage development and/or downstream products
• Clearly document findings and present actionable recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Mentor and coach junior team members

Essential Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in AI research and development, ML engineering, or equivalent industry experience with at least 3 years in a technical lead position
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, AI/ML, Engineering or a related technical field; advanced degree preferred
• Proven track record leading and delivering large-scale technical investigations or complex AI cross-functional initiatives with measurable outcomes
• Expertise in Python and deep experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., Jax, TensorFlow, PyTorch) and state-of-the-art ML techniques (building, training, evaluating, deploying ML models)
• Practical experience with modern AI paradigms such as: world models, foundation models, and multi-modal language models; agent-based systems and orchestration; and context retrieval and augmentation techniques
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills; can articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership
• Ability to connect AI capabilities to practical industrial or enterprise use cases

Desired Skills And Competencies

• Exposure to AI governance, security, or compliance considerations
• Experience deploying ML models in cloud environments (Azure preferred, AWS acceptable)
• Familiarity with MLOps practices (model versioning, evaluation, monitoring, iteration)
• Experience working with non-ideal, real-world data rather than curated research datasets
• Exposure to industrial, IoT, manufacturing, energy, or asset-intensive domains
• Experience working in both enterprise and start up environments

What Success Looks Like

• AI concepts progress beyond research into validated, working prototypes and pilots
• Technical investigations result in clear go / no-go recommendations
• Prototypes and pilots demonstrate feasibility for real-world deployment, not just benchmark performance
• Strong collaboration with cross-functional technical and non-technical teams to enable transition into later stage development, where appropriate
• Ability to meaningfully influence AI roadmaps and technology direction through evidence-backed work

R&D at AVEVA
Our global team of 2000+ developers work on an incredibly diverse portfolio of over 75 industrial automation and engineering products, which cover everything from data management to 3D design. AI and cloud are at the centre of our strategy, and we have over 150 patents to our name.

Our track record of innovation is no fluke – it's the result of a structured and deliberate focus on learning, collaboration and inclusivity. If you want to build applications that solve big problems, join us.

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UK Benefits include:
Flexible benefits fund, emergency leave days, adoption leave, 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), pension, life cover, private medical insurance, parental leave, education assistance program.

It's possible we're hiring for this position in multiple countries, in which case the above benefits apply to the primary location. Specific benefits vary by country, but our packages are similarly comprehensive.

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Hybrid working
By default, employees are expected to be in their local AVEVA office three days a week, but some positions are fully office-based. Roles supporting particular customers or markets are sometimes remote.

Hiring process
Interested? Great Get started by submitting your cover letter and CV through our application portal. AVEVA is committed to recruiting and retaining people with disabilities. Please let us know in advance if you need reasonable support during your application process.

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About AVEVA
AVEVA is a global leader in industrial software with more than 6,500 employees in over 40 countries. Our cutting-edge solutions are used by thousands of enterprises to deliver the essentials of life – such as energy, infrastructure, chemicals, and minerals – safely, efficiently, and more sustainably.

We are committed to embedding sustainability and inclusion into our operations, our culture, and our core business strategy. Learn more about how we are progressing against our ambitious 2030 targets: sustainability-

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AVEVA requires all successful applicants to undergo and pass a drug screening and comprehensive background check before they start employment. Background checks will be conducted in accordance with local laws and may, subject to those laws, include proof of educational attainment, employment history verification, proof of work authorization, criminal records, identity verification, credit check. Certain positions dealing with sensitive and/or third-party personal data may involve additional background check criteria.

AVEVA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to being an exemplary employer with an inclusive culture, developing a workplace environment where all our employees are treated with dignity and respect. We value diversity and the expertise that people from different backgrounds bring to our business. AVEVA provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify your recruiter. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.