AI Platform Lead (Director)

Purpose of the role

To design, develop and improve software, utilising various engineering methodologies, that provides business, platform, and technology capabilities for our customers and colleagues.

Accountabilities

Development and delivery of high-quality software solutions by using industry aligned programming languages, frameworks, and tools. Ensuring that code is scalable, maintainable, and optimized for performance.
Cross-functional collaboration with product managers, designers, and other engineers to define software requirements, devise solution strategies, and ensure seamless integration and alignment with business objectives.
Collaboration with peers, participate in code reviews, and promote a culture of code quality and knowledge sharing.
Stay informed of industry technology trends and innovations and actively contribute to the organization’s technology communities to foster a culture of technical excellence and growth.
Adherence to secure coding practices to mitigate vulnerabilities, protect sensitive data, and ensure secure software solutions.
Implementation of effective unit testing practices to ensure proper code design, readability, and reliability.

Director Expectations

Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

Additional Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Lead the design and evolution of a global AI/ML platform supporting high scale, secure, and cost-efficient workloads across cloud and on prem environments for Markets, Banking, Research, and Operations use cases
Deliver hands on engineering solutions using Python and cloud native technologies to build reliable AI and machine learning infrastructure
Own end to end platform delivery including development, production support, monitoring, and incident management
Drive operational excellence with strong focus on reliability, performance, cost optimization, and automation
Establish and enforce governance, security, and compliance frameworks for AI and data platforms
Partner with business, technology, and risk stakeholders to align platform capabilities with enterprise priorities
Shape platform strategy and technical roadmap, evaluating emerging AI, MLOps, and cloud technologies
Ensure delivery outcomes by tracking performance metrics, managing risks, and driving adoption of platform capabilities

Required Skills

Strong Python engineering expertise with experience building cloud native platforms
Deep experience with AWS services and modern distributed systems architecture
Proven track record building and scaling AI platforms in production environments
Hands on knowledge of model lifecycle, deployment, monitoring, and governance practices
Strong understanding of security, compliance, and risk management in enterprise environments
Ability to lead technical teams and communicate effectively with both technical and senior stakeholders
Ability to lead execution using Agentic Software Engineering tools

Preferred Experience

Experience with AWS and Bedrock
Experience with Kubernetes, CI or CD, infrastructure as code, and automation tools
Familiarity with AI or ML platforms such as Databricks, SageMaker, or MLflow
Exposure to hybrid cloud architectures and large scale data processing ecosystems
Knowledge of enterprise data platforms, observability, and cost management tooling

Leadership Expectations

Set technical direction and influence enterprise wide platform strategy and adoption
Lead high performing engineering teams and foster a culture of innovation and excellence
Drive accountability for delivery outcomes, performance metrics, and continuous improvement
Act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders on AI platform strategy and execution

Purpose of the role

To design, develop and improve software, utilising various engineering methodologies, that provides business, platform, and technology capabilities for our customers and colleagues.

Accountabilities

Development and delivery of high-quality software solutions by using industry aligned programming languages, frameworks, and tools. Ensuring that code is scalable, maintainable, and optimized for performance.
Cross-functional collaboration with product man