Generative AI Lead

Octopus Energy is all about clean, green energy with transparent pricing and a relentless commitment to customer experience. Join a global team dedicated to sustainability and green tech, where energy is good for the planet and your soul 💚 Embrace flat hierarchies and an open, agile culture that fosters innovation, flexibility, and creativity. At Octopus, great people get stuff done, all whilst being themselves.
Octopus was founded with a mission to use technology to accelerate us towards a low-carbon future. That’s why we created Kraken - our own technology platform from scratch which now serves over 70 Million households and is a core reason why Octopus is the number one energy supplier in the UK.
We have been using GenAI in live, customer-facing environments since 2022, including one system that creates tens of thousands of high-quality emails for our Energy Specialists, combining our deep knowledge of the energy industry and the Octo communication style with customer-specific data from Kraken.
We are now looking for an experienced AI Lead to drive our use of GenAI to the next level, building and executing a strategy to keep us at the forefront of tech innovation in the energy space. In particular, the successful candidate would start as a hands-on builder, whilst building out a strong team around them to deliver upon an ambitious strategy.
You’ll report into the Global Head of Data Science and work on developing solutions that genuinely move us closer to Net Zero in a company passionate about building great technology to change the way customers use energy. 

What you’ll do...

• The four main areas are:

Technical Leadership

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of generative AI solutions and systems, including spending time hands-on coding
• Stay across the latest advancements in AI and machine learning to ensure we stay at the forefront of technology 
• Oversee the technical architecture and ensure scalability, reliability, and security of AI systems

Strategic Management 

• Develop and execute a strategic roadmap for AI initiatives aligned with the company’s goals alongside our technology and strategy teams
• Identify and manage strategic partnerships with technology providers, research labs, and other stakeholders 
• Evaluate and integrate third-party AI services and solutions, as needed 

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with technical and non-technical teams across the business, be the bridge between these teams specifically for AI use cases 
• Communicate complex AI concepts to non-technical stakeholders to facilitate understanding and decision making

Leadership and Team Development

• Build, mentor, and lead a high performing AI team
• Set clear objective and performance metrics for the team 
• Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of AI projects ensuring they meet quality, timeline, and budget requirements
• Manage project risks and issues, implement mitigation strategic as needed 

The ideal candidate will be…

• The three main areas are:

Hands-on GenAI builder

• Experience delivering business value from GenAI tools, building and scaling AI/ML systems from 0 to 1
• Understanding of evaluations and how to improve GenAI systems against proprietary data in production
• This experience could be from delivering a transformational product at an enterprise, or developing innovative B2B products at a startup

Exceptional leader

• Proven 2+ years of leadership experience, with a track record of managing and developing high-performing teams
• A product-focused mindset with the ability to translate complex AI capabilities into user friendly experiences, including proven experience leading the direction of tool development
• The ability to both get into the nitty gritty with developers and translate complex concepts to non-technical audiences, as a plus enjoying doing technical talks at conferences

Passionate about the future of AI

• Knowledge of AI ethics and the evolving regulatory landscape
• A close follower of the trends at the cutting edge of GenAI development & implementation

💚 Why else you'll love it here

• 💰 Wondering what the salary for this role is? Just ask us! On a call with one of our recruiters it's something we always cover as we genuinely want to match your experience with the correct salary. The reason why we don't advertise is because we honestly have a degree of flexibility and would never want salary to be a reason why someone doesn't apply to Octopus - what's more important to us is finding the right octofit!
• 🎉 Octopus Energy Group is a unique culture. An organisation where people learn, decide, and build quicker. Where people work with autonomy, alongside a wide range of amazing co-owners, on projects that break new ground. We want your hard work to be rewarded with perks you actually care about! We won best company to work for in 2022, on Glassdoor we were voted 50 best places to work in 2022 and our Group CEO, Greg has recorded a podcast about our culture and how we empower our people. We’ve also been placed in the top 10 companies for senior leadership
• 🎁 Visit our UK perks hub - Octopus Employee Benefits

Our process usually takes up to 4 weeks, but we’ll always do our best to flex around what works for you. Along the way, you’ll chat with our recruitment team and your Recruiter will help you throughout different stages. Got any burning questions before then? Drop us a message at hiring@octoenergy.com and we’d love to help!
If this sounds like you then we'd love to hear from you. 🚀
Are you ready for a career with us? We want to ensure you have all the tools and environment you need to unleash your potential. Need any specific accommodations? Whether you require specific accommodations or have a unique preference, let us know, and we'll do what we can to customise your interview process for comfort and maximum magic!
Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire. Across Octopus, we're looking for genuinely decent people who are honest and empathetic. Our people are our strongest asset and the unique skills and perspectives people bring to the team are the driving force of our success. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. Our commitment is to provide equal opportunities, an inclusive work environment, and fairness for everyone.