RELX

Software Engineering Lead

London Full time

Software Engineering Lead – Search & AI Platform (Hybrid)

About the Team
Our AI Platform team builds shared capabilities that power more than 13 products across the company. We enable teams to safely, reliably, and efficiently integrate generative AI into their workflows without rebuilding core infrastructure. We focus on reusable services, developer tooling, and platform components that support scalability, security, and strong observability.

About the Role
We are looking for a Software Engineering Lead to provide hands-on technical leadership for the AI Platform. You will guide the design and delivery of shared AI services, mentor engineers, and collaborate with product, research, and engineering teams. This is a highly impactful role with ownership of technical direction and platform outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead technical design and implementation of shared AI services and components.
  • Drive the delivery of platform initiatives, ensuring solutions are scalable, reliable, secure, and maintainable.
  • Design, build, and maintain backend services and APIs, primarily in Python (with some Java).
  • Translate architecture into clear implementation plans and iterative delivery approaches.
  • Partner with cross-functional teams to turn AI prototypes into production-ready capabilities.
  • Promote engineering best practices, including code quality, testing, CI/CD, and observability.
  • Provide constructive design and code reviews.
  • Mentor and support engineers through pairing, coaching, and feedback.
  • Contribute to deployment and operational stability of AI services in a Kubernetes (EKS) environment.
  • Identify and address technical risks, dependencies, and bottlenecks.
  • Ensure smooth integration of AI Platform services across the broader product ecosystem.

Required Experience

  • 7+ years of software engineering experience.
  • Experience serving as a technical lead for complex backend or platform systems.
  • Strong proficiency in Python; familiarity with Java.
  • Solid backend fundamentals: API design, data modelling, distributed systems, and concurrency.
  • Experience building or integrating AI/LLM-powered systems and working with modern AI frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LangGraph).
  • Hands-on experience with Kubernetes (EKS) and cloud-native development.
  • Ability to balance hands-on coding with technical leadership.
  • Experience working in Agile or Kanban environments.
  • Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical decisions to diverse audiences

  • Work in a way that works for you:
  • We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organisation. We offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long-term goals.
  • Working for you:
  • We know that your wellbeing and happiness are key to a long and successful career. These are some of the benefits we are delighted to offer:
    ● Generous holiday allowance with the option to buy additional days
    ● Health screening, eye care vouchers and private medical benefits
    ● Wellbeing programs
    ● Life assurance                                                                                          
    ● Access to a competitive contributory pension scheme
    ● Save As You Earn share option scheme
    ● Travel Season ticket loan
    ● Electric Vehicle Scheme
    ● Optional Dental Insurance
    ● Maternity, paternity and shared parental leave
    ● Employee Assistance Programme
    ● Access to emergency care for both the elderly and children
    ● RECARES days, giving you time to support the charities and causes that matter to you
    ● Access to employee resource groups with dedicated time to volunteer
    ● Access to extensive learning and development resources
    ● Access to employee discounts scheme via Perks at Work
  • About the business:
  • A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. Building on our publishing heritage, we combine quality information and vast data sets with analytics to support visionary science and research, health education and interactive learning, as well as exceptional healthcare and clinical practice. What you do every day will help advance science and healthcare to advance human progress

We know your well-being and happiness are key to a long and successful career. We are delighted to offer country specific benefits. Click here to access benefits specific to your location.

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