AI Engineering Industry Mentor

At peopleworth, we support work where people and performance thrive. As part of our Employer Group, we work with a variety of forward-thinking partners and are excited to share this opportunity that sits within our growing group.Role OverviewThis opportunity is for a practising AI engineering professional to bring current industry experience into a career-focused learning environment. The role supports learners developing production-ready AI engineering capability, with a particular focus on LLM-based application engineering, real-world engineering practice, career development, and industry context.The Industry Mentor works alongside academic tutors while maintaining a distinct remit. Academic teaching, assessment, grading, and academic standards sit outside this role. The mentor focuses on connecting technical learning to how AI systems are built, operated, evaluated, governed, and hired for in industry today.RequirementsDemonstrated professional software engineering experience with hands-on involvement in building and operating LLM-based systems in productionCurrent professional experience in a role such as AI Engineer, AI Application Engineer, Senior or Staff Software Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, Technical Lead, Principal Engineer, Architect, or AI Engineering ConsultantPractical experience with LLM APIs, function calling, RAG, retrieval design, agent architectures, evaluation approaches, and cost or latency optimisationStrong production engineering fundamentals, including testing, CI/CD, containerisation, monitoring, and incident responseWorking knowledge of responsible AI in practical deployment environments, including governance, auditability, bias assessment, human oversight, and regulatory considerationsExperience with AI-assisted software development, including an understanding of common failure modes and approaches for verifying AI-generated codeDemonstrated ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly to people with different levels of technical experienceStrong communication, facilitation, mentoring, and relationship-building skills, with the judgement to guide learners through uncertainty rather than provide overly prescriptive answersComfort working with online learning and communication technologiesPrevious teaching, mentoring, facilitation, or online learning experience is desirableA master's degree is desirable but not essentialKey ResponsibilitiesFacilitate online community discussions that connect weekly technical learning and build activities to real-world AI engineering practiceDesign and deliver three 60-minute live industry sessions focused on the practical application of topics covered in the learning contentProvide structured 30-minute one-to-one sessions, through an agreed booking process, to support learners with industry context and career directionShare practical examples and lessons from building and operating LLM-based systems in production environmentsSupport learners in understanding routes into AI engineering, employer expectations, portfolio credibility, and professional engineering practiceCollaborate with relevant delivery colleagues to flag learner concerns, share learner feedback, and contribute observations on programme content and learner engagementHelp learners connect technical topics including RAG, retrieval design, agent architectures, evaluation, monitoring, responsible AI, and production engineering to real workplace scenariosAdapt industry guidance to learners entering from different starting points, including career changers, experienced coders, and practising software engineersMaintain clear boundaries around academic assessment by avoiding grading, direct correction of assessed work, or step-by-step guidance on completing assessed tasksBenefitsCollaborative, people-centred performance cultureOpportunities to grow in a fast-paced environmentOpportunity to contribute current industry knowledge to the development of emerging AI engineering professionalsFlexible participation in a remote learning environment, subject to the requirements of the roleOur Recruitment ProcessThe peopleworth Employer Group follows a fair, transparent, and multi-stage recruitment process designed to ensure mutual fit.Application Submission: Complete the online form and answer brief application questionsInitial Screening: Your application is reviewed for role alignment; successful candidates move to the longlistLive Interviews: Shortlisted candidates join first-round interviews (and, where applicable, second or third rounds depending on the role)Final Shortlist & Verification: Reference and background checks are completedOffer & Contracting: Successful candidates receive formal offers and contract documentsPre-boarding & Onboarding: Once accepted, you'll complete a pre-boarding process before officially joining your employing organisation within the Employer GroupThroughout every stage, we value clear communication, respectful engagement, and timely feedback.