AI Principal Engineer

Join us as a AI Principal Engineer

Want to do work that really matters?
At Checkatrade, we’re building the UK’s go-to home improvement marketplace. Every day, we help millions of homeowners find the right tradesperson for the job, fast, fair, and without the faff.

AI is a core part of that mission. We believe AI can genuinely improve lives and livelihoods — helping trades automate admin, win more work, and deliver with confidence, while making it easier for homeowners to find, trust, and collaborate with the right professional. We’re building an AI-powered Checkatrade where intelligence sits at the heart of every product, workflow, and decision.

As our next AI Principal Engineer, based in Barcelona, you’ll play a senior technical leadership role at the intersection of AI and engineering. You’ll define how Checkatrade builds, integrates, and scales multi-agent systems and AI-powered APIs, turning research breakthroughs into production-grade systems that power real products. You’ll bridge the gap between innovation and reliability — ensuring our use of AI is bold, responsible, and built to scale.

Forget long lists, here’s what you’ll actually spend your time on:

• Architecting large-scale AI systems — from orchestration frameworks to API integrations — that make intelligence a seamless part of our platform.
  

• Guiding and mentoring engineering teams experimenting with multi-agent workflows and next-gen AI integrations.
  

• Partnering closely with our R&D leadership and fellow AI Principals to translate research into scalable, maintainable systems.
  

• Defining our AI engineering playbook — setting standards for evaluation, design patterns, and responsible AI implementation.
  

• Providing hands-on technical direction while influencing strategy and decision-making across the wider engineering organisation.
  

It’s not about ticking every box. It’s about turning up curious, ready to crack on. You’ll do well here if you bring:

• Deep experience designing and building distributed systems, ideally with exposure to LLMs, vector databases, or multi-agent orchestration frameworks.
  

• The ability to move seamlessly from prototype to production, balancing experimentation with solid engineering discipline.
  

• Strong architectural instincts — you care about how things work, but also why they matter.
  

• A collaborative mindset and the confidence to guide technical direction across teams.
  

• A passion for using AI in ways that drive meaningful impact for both businesses and users.

We believe great work deserves great rewards. Here’s just a taste:

• Great salary for the impact you make

• Annual bonus - get rewarded for your work

• Work your way - flexible, remote-friendly setup

• Lunch vouchers so you stay fuelled while you build

• Learning support for courses, certs and books to level up

• Real time off - generous annual leave plus local public holidays

Interviews will take place in Barcelona.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during our interview process, please discuss them with your Talent Acquisition Partner.

If this sounds like the place where you can do your best work, we’d love to hear from you, even if you don’t tick every box

About us

We’re Checkatrade – the UK’s leading platform for finding a tradesperson. With more than 50,000 trades listed and over 6 million reviews, we help homeowners get jobs done right and help tradespeople grow their business.

We’re growing fast, with big plans to become the go-to brand for home improvements. If you care about great work, take pride in the details, and want to make an impact, you’ll fit right in.