Head of AI

Rokstone Group; City of London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading insurance firm is seeking a Head of AI to architect and lead its AI strategy. The successful candidate will blend hands-on engineering leadership with strategic oversight, ensuring AI initiatives are scalable and commercially impactful. The role includes building a high-performing team and engaging with the broader AI community. Candidates should have a relevant advanced degree and experience in AI system architecture and public engagement.

Benefits

Flexible benefits package

Inclusive culture

Hybrid work model

Qualifications

• Experience in architecting and building scalable AI systems.
• Ability to evaluate and implement AI frameworks.
• Strong public speaking and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build scalable AI systems.
• Translate AI research into commercially viable features.
• Lead and mentor AI teams.

Skills

Technical Leadership

AI Strategy Development

Collaboration

Ethics in AI

Public Engagement

Education

PhD or MSc in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, or related field

Certifications in AI/ML

Tools

Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer

AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty

Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate

Job description

Who We Are

Since its inception, Aventum Group has sought a different approach to insurance. We are on a mission to be the ‘most inspiring specialty (re)insurance group in the world’. At the heart of Aventum are our people. Working together in dynamic, service-focused teams, we prioritise our customers in everything we do. Collaboration fuels our success, courage drives our innovation and continuous improvement keeps us ahead in a rapidly evolving industry. Our shared commitment is to revolutionise insurance for the better, one day at a time.

We also believe that investing in our people is investing in our future. By empowering people across the Group to develop their careers, advance within the Group, and embrace new challenges, we build an environment where growth and learning never stop.

Our competitive benefits package, offered via a flexible benefits platform, reflects this. Beyond core benefits, employees have the freedom to tailor their benefits to meet their individual needs, supporting their unique goals and ambitions.

Role Summary

The Head of AI will architect and lead Aventum’s AI strategy, owning the technical direction of model development, infrastructure, and deployment. This role blends hands‑on engineering leadership with strategic oversight, product influence, and public representation. This role will work closely with the Head of Innovation and the Head of Data to ensure AI initiatives are scalable, ethical, and commercially impactful.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Architect and build scalable AI systems, including LLM-based agents, predictive models, and automation pipelines.
• Own the technical roadmap for AI infrastructure, including MLOps, data pipelines, and model lifecycle management.
• Evaluate and implement cutting‑edge AI frameworks, libraries, and tooling (e.g., LangChain, Hugging Face, Ray, Triton).
• Lead technical reviews, code audits, and model validation processes.

Product Influence

• Partner with product teams to embed AI capabilities into Aventum’s platforms, including underwriting, claims, and customer experience.
• Shape product direction by identifying opportunities for AI‑driven differentiation and automation.
• Translate AI research and experimentation into commercially viable features and services.

Strategic Oversight

• Define and execute Aventum’s AI strategy in alignment with business goals and innovation priorities.
• Collaborate with the Head of Data and Head of Innovation to ensure AI initiatives are data‑rich, innovative, and commercially viable.
• Establish AI governance frameworks covering ethics, compliance, and risk.

Innovation & Data Integration

• Ensure seamless integration of AI with Aventum’s innovation pipeline and data platform.
• Foster cross‑functional collaboration between AI, data science, and innovation teams to accelerate experimentation and delivery.
• Champion a culture of curiosity, iteration, and responsible innovation.

Public Engagement

• Represent Aventum externally as the technical authority on AI—speaking at conferences, engaging with media, and supporting client‑facing teams.
• Translate complex AI concepts into accessible narratives for stakeholders and partners.
• Actively foster relationships with the broader AI and technology community by supporting open‑source initiatives, participating in industry forums, and collaborating with academic and non‑profit partners.
• Encourage team engagement in community events, mentorship programs, and knowledge‑sharing activities to strengthen Aventum’s reputation as a responsible and innovative leader in AI.

Team Building

• Build and lead a high‑performing AI team including ML engineers, data scientists, and AI product managers.
• Mentor technical talent and foster a culture of experimentation, learning, and delivery.

Relevant Qualifications & Certifications

While not mandatory, the following may be advantageous:

• PhD or MSc in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, or related field
• Certifications in AI/ML or cloud platforms, such as:
  • o Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer
  • o AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty
  • o Microsoft Azure AI Engineer Associate
• Published research or patents in AI, NLP, or ML systems
• Open‑source contributions to AI frameworks or libraries

Management Duties: Yes

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are proud to share that 93% of our employees say they can be themselves at work. We aim to hire our industry's finest people because the best people drive the best outcomes. And we forever challenge the status quo because we know there are always ways to improve things. Because together, we're limitless.

We value applicants from all backgrounds and foster a culture of inclusivity. We understand the need for flexibility, so work in a hybrid model. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process.

FCA Conduct Rules

Under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime the FCA and Aventum expects that:

• You must act with integrity.
• You must act with due skill, care and diligence.
• You must be open and cooperative with the FCA, the PRA and other regulators.
• You must pay due regard to the interests of customers and treat them fairly.
• You must observe proper standards of market conduct.
• You must act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers.

As a Senior Management Function holder, the FCA and Aventum expects that:

• You must take reasonable steps to ensure that the business of the firm for which you are responsible is controlled effectively.
• You must take reasonable steps to ensure that the business of the firm for which you are responsible complies with the relevant requirements and standards of the regulatory system.
• You must take reasonable steps to ensure that any delegation of your responsibilities is to an appropriate person and that you oversee the discharge of the delegated responsibility effectively.
• You must disclose appropriately any information of which the FCA or PRA would reasonably expect notice.