Data / RAG Engineer - watsonx.ai & Data

Data / RAG Engineer – watsonx.ai & Data

Contract | July-December 2026
Up to £550 per day | Inside IR35
UK‑based | Mostly Remote (occasional onsite required)
British‑born nationals or UK residents (5+ years) | One passport only
Previous SC clearance highly advantageous

Build AI‑driven solutions using watsonx

We’re looking for an experienced Data / RAG Engineer to support the delivery of a high‑profile AI MVP using watsonx.ai and watsonx.data.

This role will play a key part in designing, implementing and optimising Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines and data foundations that enable LLM‑driven insights within a structured, secure delivery environment.

You’ll work closely with front‑end and AI delivery teams to ensure data, retrieval and model interactions are accurate, scalable and production‑ready.

Project overview

• Start date: 1 July 2026
• End date: 31 December 2026
• Remote working: Yes (occasional onsite presence may be required)

Key responsibilities

Data & RAG Engineering

• Design and implement Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures to support LLM‑powered use cases
• Build and manage data pipelines feeding structured and unstructured data into AI workflows
• Optimise retrieval strategies, embeddings and indexing approaches for accuracy and performance

AI Integration

• Integrate RAG pipelines with watsonx.ai models and services
• Ensure reliable orchestration between data layers, retrieval logic and LLM prompts
• Support prompt inputs with high‑quality, well‑governed data sources

Quality & Assurance

• Validate outputs to ensure consistency, explainability and relevance
• Support testing of data flows, retrieval accuracy and model responses
• Ensure solutions align with secure SDLC and governance expectations

Collaboration

• Work closely with UI engineers, AI engineers and solution leads
• Support iterative MVP development and refinement based on stakeholder feedback

Required experience

• Strong experience as a Data Engineer, RAG Engineer or AI‑focused Data Specialist
• Hands‑on experience designing and implementing RAG pipelines
• Strong understanding of LLMs, embeddings, vector databases and retrieval patterns
• Experience building and managing data pipelines for analytics or AI use cases
• Comfortable working in structured delivery environments

Nice to have

• Experience with watsonx.ai and/or watsonx.data
• Previous work on MVPs or proof‑of‑value AI initiatives
• Experience supporting AI solutions in regulated or secure environments

Security & eligibility

• British‑born national or UK resident with 5+ years’ continuous UK residency
• One passport only
• Previous SC clearance is a strong advantage
• Willingness to comply with security and access requirements

Why this role?

• Hands‑on delivery role shaping a real, production‑focused AI capability
• Apply RAG techniques in a meaningful, decision‑support context
• Mostly remote working with flexibility
• Up to £550 per day, Inside IR35