SL-034-26-R - Lead AI Platform Engineer

Do you have strong programming skills? Are you able to design and implement retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines using vector databases? Are you skilled in technical AI platform configuration? If so, we'd welcome an application from you.

The team within the Student Life Directorate is seeking a Lead AI Platform Engineer who will be responsible for the secure and effective operation of the University's institutionally approved AI platform, and for designing, developing and deploying high-quality AI-powered applications that enhance education, research, and professional-services delivery.

The role holder will take technical ownership of platform configuration, permissions, monitoring, and safety guardrails. They will also build production-ready software solutions that integrate large language models, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, automation workflows, and agentic AI tools that enable AI systems to perform purposeful tasks across University systems and content.

Working closely with Information Technology Services (ITS), Planning, Insights and Improvement, academic schools, research teams and professional-services teams, the postholder will ensure that the University's use of AI is secure, ethical, and aligned with institutional priorities.

As Lead AI Platform Engineer you can expect to be involved in:

• Managing the University's institutionally approved AI platform, including system configuration, user permissions, safety guardrails, usage monitoring, credit management, and incident escalation, ensuring compliance with University policies and data-protection requirements.
• Designing, developing, testing and deploying AI-powered applications and integrations that support academic, research and operational use cases, using modern engineering practices and ensuring that solutions are secure, scalable, and maintainable.
• Build and maintain retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, including document ingestion pipelines, embedding generation, vector database configuration, and retrieval logic to provide accurate, grounded AI responses using University-approved content.
• Contribute to institutional AI governance, working with Information Governance, Legal and IT Security to ensure systems meet regulatory, ethical and security standards.

What will you bring to the role?

• A degree or equivalent professional experience in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field
• Strong programming skills in Python, with experience developing APIs, backend services, or automation workflow
• Demonstrable experience building AI-enabled applications that integrate large language models (LLMs) using APIs (for example via enterprise or commercial LLM providers), including prompt management and context injection:
• Experience developing, deploying, and maintaining applications in a cloud environment, ideally Microsoft Azure

For more information about what you can look forward to if you join us, visit our dedicated webpage: Working at Kent

We are ambitious for our people, our communities and the region we serve - join us in making the world a better place. Visit our website for more on who we are:

Please see the links below to view the full job description and to apply for this post. For further information regarding the application process, please contact quoting reference number "SL-034-26".

Occasionally we may need to close a vacancy before the published deadline due to a high number of applications being received, therefore we strongly advise you to submit your application as soon as possible. (All vacancies will be open for at least one week.)

PLEASE NOTE: We prioritise applications from current University of Kent redeployees. We will let you know if this post is to be filled by a redeployee as, in this instance, your application will unfortunately not be taken forward.

We know applicants may use AI tools to help prepare job applications. For guidance on how to use AI responsibly and effectively, see: Using AI in your job application

Applications must be made via the University's online application system; CVs or details sent directly to the department or via email cannot be considered.

The University of Kent values diversity and equality at all levels.