Job Title

OtherUniversity (OU) is building the world’s first AI-powered university for degree apprenticeships - a new model of higher education that is faster, smarter, employer-funded, and built for real professional mastery.We are looking for a Lead AI Engineer to join as our founding technical hire.This is a hands-on role: you will design, build, and own the core AI systems that power Prof. T, our 24/7 AI professor.If you want to build something important, ambitious, and first-of-its-kind - this is it.What you'll buildAs our Lead AI engineer, you will:Architect and deploy OU’s private Azure OpenAI environmentBuild Prof. T v0.1 — our AI tutor trained on curriculum, assessments, and teaching materialsCreate retrieval and vector-based pipelines (RAG) for structured learning contentBuild internal tools for academics to upload, review, and refine materialsWork with leadership to define our long-term AI roadmapLay the foundation for adaptive learning, personalised coaching, and automated formative assessmentSet engineering standards, model safety guidelines, and data governance frameworksHelp scale the AI stack into a proprietary academic engine used by thousands of learnersThis is a rare opportunity to shape the technical core of an entire institution.What we’re looking forEssentialExperience with Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, LangChain, or similar frameworksStrong Python engineering skillsPractical experience building RAG systems, embeddings, vector storesComfort with cloud architecture (Azure preferred)Ability to move fast, prototype, and shipExperience building MVPs, internal tools, or early-stage AI productsStrong understanding of prompt engineering, evaluation, and safety guardrailsOwnership mindset — you want to build and shape the system, not just take ticketsBonusExperience with LLM fine-tuning or instruction tuningBackground in edtech, assessment, apprenticeship systems, or LMS toolingPrevious startup or founding-engineer experienceFamiliarity with SOC2 / ISO data security practicesInterest in AI ethics, education, or professional trainingWho you areYou want to build something meaningful.You like small teams, high autonomy, and rapid iteration.You enjoy creating systems, not just writing code.You care about impact, not bureaucracy.You’re energised by the challenge of building the AI foundation of a new kind of university.Why join usFounding engineer role with massive influenceBuild a globally significant AI education product from scratchWork directly with the founder/CEO and academic leadershipZero bureaucracy - move fast, own outcomes, ship continuouslyLondon or Dubai (both supported)Competitive pay (£7k/month)Mission-driven organisation with UK non-profit statusYou will create the backbone of a new educational model