Lead Software Developer AI

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Virgin holidays

Crawley

GBP 50,000 - 90,000

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Today

Job description

Job Details

Hours: Fulltime, 37.5 per week, Monday – Friday.
Location: Hybrid remote working, with 3 days a week in our VHQ, Crawley based on operational requirements.
Contract: Permanent.
Closing Date: 18th April

In a nutshell

At Virgin Atlantic Airways, we believe that everyone can take on the world, and it's our vision to become the most loved travel company. As we embark on this next exciting stage of our journey, we're harnessing our spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation to challenge the status quo.

As the Lead Software Developer - AI, you will play a critical role in designing, implementing, and leading the development of AI-powered solutions that drive the next generation of digital products. You will work closely with the Senior Manager of Software Engineering - AI to develop, test, and deploy scalable, secure, and observable AI solutions, directly contributing to the company’s CX vision. In addition to hands-on development, you will provide leadership to other software engineers through code reviews, setting coding standards, and guiding solution architecture. Your expertise in programming languages like Python and JavaScript, alongside experience with AI prototypes using platforms such as OpenAI and Databricks, will be essential. With strong problem-solving skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks, you’ll take ownership of AI projects from concept to delivery. As a technical leader, you’ll also ensure adherence to best practices and promote a collaborative, innovative development environment.

Day to day

Some of your key responsibilities will be:

• Lead the development and implementation of AI models and solutions in alignment with product and business needs.

• Ensure AI technologies are scalable, robust, and secure, supporting the long-term goals of the organisation.

• Build and test AI prototypes on platforms such as OpenAI and Anthropic to explore new opportunities and product features.

• Apply expertise in multi-agent architectures and model evaluation to improve the effectiveness of AI models.

• Provide leadership to other software developers through code reviews, setting coding standards, and maintaining high-quality software development practices.

• Mentor software engineers and guide them through technical challenges, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of AI into digital products, enhancing customer experiences.

• Design and guide solutions architecture for AI-driven applications, ensuring scalability, security, and performance.

• Work closely with the Senior Manager Software Engineering - AI to align technical direction with business strategy and product goals.

• Take full ownership of AI projects, working across multiple tasks while ensuring high standards of delivery.

• Be proactive in identifying new opportunities to leverage AI for business and customer value.

About you

The skills and experience we are looking for you to bring are:

• Proven experience in software development, with a focus on AI or machine learning projects.

• Proficient in Python and JavaScript, with hands-on experience in AI development, including building prototypes using platforms like OpenAI and Anthropic.

• Strong understanding of AI technologies, including Generative AI, multi-agent architectures, model evaluation, and natural language processing.

• Experience leading other developers in code reviews, setting coding standards, and ensuring quality software development practices.

• Ability to design and guide solutions architecture for scalable, secure, and robust AI-driven applications.

• Experience in collaborating with product teams to integrate AI solutions into digital experiences.

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical details to non-technical stakeholders and guide junior engineers.

• A passion for working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, with a proactive approach to problem-solving and learning.

Our recipe for leadership

At Virgin Atlantic, our leaders empower teams to thrive through collaboration, innovation, and excellence. Explore our Leadership Recipe and discover the 20 core ingredients that define what it means to lead with us, driving our mission to be the most loved travel company and achieve sustainable profit. Want to learn more? Click here

Be yourself

Our customers come from all walks of life and so do our colleagues. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from all backgrounds. At Virgin Atlantic, we believe everyone can take on the world - no matter your age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, or beliefs. We celebrate difference and everything that makes our colleagues unique by upholding an inclusive environment in which we can all thrive. So that everyone at Virgin Atlantic can be themselves and know they belong.

To make your journey with us accessible and individual to you, we encourage you to let us know if you’d like a little extra help with your application, or if you have any individual requirements at any stage along your recruitment journey. We are here to support you, so please reach out to our team, recruitment@fly.virgin.com feeling confident that we’ve got your individual considerations covered.