> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/2053157-senior-ai-developer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/2053157-senior-ai-developer). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Senior AI Developer - **Company:** Apache Associates - **Location:** Newcastle upon Tyne, UK - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** £60,000.0 - £80,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Automation of Tests, Software as a Service, Cursor (Graphical User Interface Elements), Software Product Management, Search Technologies, Data Processing, GitHub Copilot, Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Large Language Models, Prompt Engineering, Free and Open-Source Software - **Published:** August 14, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/senior-ai-developer/57238870 ## About the Role This role requires someone who is an engineer first, with substantial practical experience applying AI in real-world software environments. We're particularly interested in people who can demonstrate: * Several years of experience building and shipping production software. * Significant hands-on experience working with Large Language Models in commercial environments. * Strong experience with prompt engineering, context engineering and structured outputs. * Experience building evaluation frameworks, test harnesses or datasets for LLM outputs. * Evidence of using evaluation and data to measurably improve AI quality. * A proven ability to mentor, coach and develop other engineers. * Experience delivering internal training, workshops, communities of practice or similar knowledge-sharing initiatives. * Daily experience with AI development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor or equivalent. * A pragmatic understanding of both the strengths and limitations of AI coding tools. * The confidence to challenge assumptions and use evidence rather than hype to determine whether an AI approach is actually working. It would be advantageous if you have experience with: * RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) * Agentic workflows and tool use * Fine-tuning * Vector search and embeddings * Retrieval pipelines * LLM orchestration frameworks such as LangChain, Semantic Kernel or equivalents * Multiple LLM providers and an understanding of their respective strengths and weaknesses * Automated test suites and evaluation datasets for AI outputs * AI adoption within established or legacy codebases * SaaS environments * Distributive trades, rental, retail, automotive aftermarket or garage management * Public speaking, technical writing or open-source contributions This is a genuinely influential opportunity within an organisation that is embracing AI at pace. You'll have the opportunity to influence not just what AI features get built, but how an entire engineering organisation approaches AI. You'll be working across multiple engineering teams, helping establish reusable practices and standards rather than solving the same problems repeatedly. The successful candidate will be someone who enjoys seeing other engineers improve because of their coaching and guidance, and who gets as much satisfaction from spreading good practice as they do from solving the original technical problem. You'll be curious, pragmatic and technically rigorous, but also someone who genuinely enjoys helping others. You're comfortable working with engineers at very different levels of AI experience - from enthusiastic early adopters to people who remain sceptical about the technology. You won't be someone who believes AI is the answer to everything. Instead, you'll be interested in understanding where it genuinely creates value, proving that through evidence and helping others apply it effectively. ## Description This is a senior, hands-on position for someone who is as passionate about building with AI as they are about helping other engineers get better at it. You'll be responsible for designing and refining prompts, context strategies and agentic workflows, while also establishing best practice around evaluation and AI-assisted development across a large engineering organisation. The Role This isn't simply an AI engineering role focused on building individual features. You'll become a key technical voice for how AI is used across the wider R&D organisation. You'll work closely with engineers, architects, product teams and subject matter experts, helping teams understand where AI can genuinely add value and, equally importantly, where it shouldn't be used. A major part of the role will be raising the capability of other engineers through coaching, pairing, workshops, knowledge-sharing and reusable tools and resources., * Design, build and refine prompts, context strategies and agentic workflows for real-world AI product features. * Develop robust approaches to evaluating LLM outputs, using real business cases and measurable quality standards. * Work across multiple LLM providers and models, making pragmatic decisions around quality, cost and latency. * Work closely with Product Managers, Product Owners and subject matter experts to understand the underlying business problem before designing the AI solution. * Coach and mentor engineers across multiple teams, helping them get significantly more value from LLMs and AI coding tools. * Run pairing sessions, technical reviews, workshops and one-to-one coaching. * Build and maintain reusable prompt patterns, templates, evaluation harnesses and internal guidance. * Establish and lead an internal AI community of practice where engineers can share successes, failures and lessons learned. * Define what "good" looks like for prompting, context engineering and evaluation across R&D. * Keep those standards current as models, providers and AI tooling evolve. * Provide engineering leadership with measurable evidence of where AI is delivering genuine value. * Act as a constructive challenger when an AI solution looks impressive in a demo but isn't robust enough for production. * Promote high standards around accuracy, safety and data handling. * Help engineers working within established and legacy codebases adopt AI tooling effectively, rather than focusing solely on greenfield development. * Potentially represent the organisation externally through talks, articles or open-source contributions. ## Related Videos - [Hiring AI Native Talents](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100268-hiring-ai-native-talents) - [Implementing continuous delivery in a data processing pipeline](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/73-implementing-continuous-delivery-in-a-data-processing-pipeline) - [AI Pair Programming with GitHub Copilot at SAP: Looking Back, Looking Forward!](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1546-ai-pair-programming-with-github-copilot-at-sap-looking-back-looking-forward) - [Same Words, Different Worlds: Who's in Control?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2071-same-words-different-worlds-who-s-in-control) - [GitHub Copilot Beyond the Basics - 10 Ways to Elevate Your Coding](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1011-github-copilot-beyond-the-basics-10-ways-to-elevate-your-coding) - [Bringing the power of AI to your application.](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1010-bringing-the-power-of-ai-to-your-application) ## Related Articles - [How to Become an AI Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/331-how-to-become-an-ai-engineer) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [Transforming Software Development: The Role of AI and Developer Tools](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/527-transforming-software-development-the-role-of-ai-and-developer-tools) - [MLOps And AI Driven Development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/82-mlops-and-ai-driven-development) - [What is Software Engineering in the Age of AI?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/640-what-is-software-engineering-in-the-age-of-ai) - [Coffee with Developers - Maria Apazoglou - Making AI understandable for all in production](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/475-coffee-with-developers-maria-apazoglou-making-ai-understandable-for-all-in-production)