Senior Python Software Engineer (AI)

ABOUT XCEPTOR

Data is at the heart of everything we do: Xceptor has been designed around data manipulation in its broadest sense. We source data from wherever it flows. We curate, normalise, validate, repair, and enrich that data so it reaches its destination in a reliable and consistent format. Data coming out of Xceptor is data our clients can trust.

We are recognised as an expert in the Financial Services vertical, which strongly aligns with Business Users in Middle and Back-Office teams. We enable these users to solve their data challenges by themselves, rather than through a technology-led project.

Our People are subject matter experts. We understand our client’s challenges and we’ve got the experience and knowledge to solve them. Our talented team has a deep understanding of the unique challenges of the industry - we can empathise, engage, and speak the same language as our clients.

Our Vision is to be the leading platform for automating data flows.

Our Mission is to empower business users within Financial Institutions to build automated processes that deliver trusted data.

Our Values were created by our people, and speak to both who we are, and who we aspire to be. Ambition is in our DNA, and we embrace any opportunities ahead. Our curiosity and desire to grow drives us to learn from our customers and those around us. Our people are empowered, accountable, and deliver. We pull together, step up and focus on outcomes. The brilliance of our people makes a positive difference.

Business area and team

The development team is responsible for building the Xceptor platform and products.  We create innovative features and great user experiences that help our users within Financial Institutions build automated processes that deliver trusted data.

Our development teams are in The United Kingdom (Guildford) and South Africa (Cape Town).

The role

This Senior Software Engineer role will be responsible for designing and implementing solutions that integrate with Agentic AI systems and AI workflows, and developing AI and Agentic AI solutions, as well as AI governance capabilities, to solve customer use cases.

You will be accountable for driving technical excellence and innovation across your tribe and the engineering function.  You partner with product, design, quality assurance, and engineering to align on business, technical, and quality objectives, and always lead by example.  You embrace collaboration, shared ownership to deliver high impact software solutions, always leaving things in a better state than you found them.

A key part of your role is defining and upholding clear technical standards that align with business objectives and ensure accountability for measurable results.  You use and evangelise AI continuously to accelerate development initiatives and drive innovation, while upholding the highest standards of quality.  You apply platform insights and stakeholder feedback to continuously enhance the software design and improve customer satisfaction.

Key responsibilities

Technical Excellence

• Innovative Software Development: Design, code, test, and debug cutting-edge software features that make a difference.
• Strategic Technical Design: Craft and maintain robust software architecture to ensure scalability and performance.
• Quality Commitment: Ensure the highest levels of product quality possible, contribute to defect resolutions, perform debugging and troubleshooting.
• Quality Code Review: Elevate the team's output by reviewing code to ensure it meets high standards and best practices.
• Dynamic Problem Solving: Tackle and resolve software issues and bugs with creativity and precision, always leaving the software in a better state than you found it
• Clear Documentation: Write and maintain straightforward and concise technical design documentation for seamless understanding and implementation
• Technical Excellence: Acquire and maintain a knowledge of new technologies and security requirements

Leadership & Collaboration

• Project Leadership: Drive software development projects to success, ensuring timely delivery
• Mentorship & Growth: Inspire and guide junior engineers, fostering their professional development.
• Cross-Tribe Collaboration: Work closely with product management and design team to align software development with business objectives.
• Continuous Innovation: Stay ahead of the curve by integrating the latest technologies into the development process

Operational Use of AI

• Clear Technical Design: Create clear technical design documentation that can be fed into AI tools to accelerate delivery of implementations and outcomes
• Automated Code Generation: Leverage AI tools like GitHub Copilot to accelerate coding and enhance productivity.
• Efficient Debugging & Error Detection: Utilize AI-powered tools like SonarQube to swiftly identify and fix bugs.
• Automated Testing: Utilise AI testing frameworks to automate repetitive tasks, boosting accuracy and reducing manual effort.
• Innovation: Continuously research, trial and evangelise AI tools and techniques across engineering to increase effectiveness and move faster, while upholding quality

Key Competencies

• Minimum 3+ years of experience in AI.
• Experience leading, designing, implementing and integrating with Agentic AI, AI workflows and AI governance solutions and frameworks for real world customer use cases
• Back-end development skills in Python are preferred. C# .Net skills are also beneficial.
• Hands-on experience using LLM frameworks such as LangGraph/LangChain/Haystack
• Hands-on experience integrating with ModelOps using MLFlow and similar data / ML platforms. 
• Strong experience with Hyperscaler (AWS, Azure, GCP) API’s and declarative deployments.
• Prefer skills with data engineering tooling like Polars (or Pandas).
• Prefer skills with orchestration patterns and serverless patterns (e.g. Lambdas) or K8S
• Lead technical design and execution across tribe work stream
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to align architecture and delivery with business goals.
• Champion engineering excellence through best practices in design, testing, CI/CD (Azure DevOps), and code quality.
• Mentor senior engineers, fostering innovation, continuous learning, and a psychologically safe environment.
• Resolve complex technical challenges and guide squads through debugging, performance tuning, and incident response.
• Contribute to architectural governance and evolve frameworks, standards, and reusable solutions.
• Promote inner-source collaboration and early adoption of AI tools to enhance productivity and quality.
• Drive a culture of accountability, adaptability, and solution-oriented thinking.
• Communicate clearly across technical and business contexts, including documentation and MBRs.
• Influence decisions through credibility and leadership, not control.

Associated values and behaviors

• Evidence of taking responsibility for a solution from specification through to implementation and deployment.
• Passionate about using cutting-edge technologies, and a strong desire to expand current knowledge through research and learning.
• Innovative and creative, with a concise, precise, and effective approach to problem solving and the ability to develop, deliver and evaluate brilliant ideas founded on rock-solid strategic thinking.
• Credible, confident, and articulate, with excellent communication and presentation skills and the gravitas to deliver ideas clearly and concisely to internal and external stakeholders at all levels of seniority.
• Reliable, flexible, and cooperative.
• Diplomatic and tactful.
• Personable and approachable, with an enthusiastic and motivational nature and an overall passion for excellence.

#LI-GL1 #LI-Hybrid

This is a great opportunity to join an innovative, fast-paced, highly collaborative, and forward-thinking organisation, during a significant growth phase. Xceptor is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of society and does not discriminate on grounds of race, religion, or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic, or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, or gender identity or any other basis as protected by applicable law.

Please note:

• Xceptor works with clients in financial services and our offers of employment are subject to the satisfactory completion of background checks, which includes criminal record checks, and credit reference checks.
• If you have any employment gaps exceeding three months within the last six years, we will request additional information and evidence to clarify those periods.