Principal AI Engineer

Job summary

This role involves leading the technical direction for AI-augmented optimisation and intelligent operational decision-making within a complex operational environment. The Principal AI Engineer will oversee how AI integrates with optimisation methods to enhance decision quality and operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in engineering, mathematics, computer science, operations research, or a related quantitative field.
• Significant experience in applied AI, decision intelligence, optimisation, or analytics within complex operational domains.
• Strong understanding of optimisation and modelling principles, and their application to real-world planning challenges.
• Proficiency in Python and experience collaborating with software and data engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Direct the optimisation intelligence agenda across network design, routing, vessel deployment, and operational decision-making.
• Guide teams in defining problem structures and formulating optimisation approaches, ensuring alignment with AI capabilities.
• Lead structured experimentation to validate model performance and enhance scalability and robustness.
• Define interactions between AI systems and optimisation services, promoting integration rather than separation.
• Shape the innovation roadmap by identifying and piloting new methods.
• Communicate technical trade-offs and assumptions effectively to senior stakeholders.

Skills

• Strong leadership capabilities, with a focus on guiding specialists rather than performing all modelling tasks personally.
• Experience with agentic AI systems and human-in-the-loop workflows.
• Ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.

Education

• Advanced degree in a relevant field as mentioned in the qualifications.

Tools

• Proficient in Python; familiarity with optimisation and modelling tools is preferred.