AI Engineering Apprentice

Job Title: AI Engineering Apprentice
Department: Engineering
Salary: £25,000 - £26,000Working Hours: Monday - Friday (37.5 hours per week with integrated study day)Annual Leave: 25 days + bank holidays

This is a rare opportunity to join a fast-growing, technology-driven manufacturer at the forefront of advanced battery systems. As our AI Engineering Apprentice, you will help shape the future of how ABT operates embedding AI into real production environments, engineering workflows, customer delivery processes, and the systems that underpin our global operations.

The role combines a degree-level apprenticeship with hands on work implementing AI automation across the business. You will collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Production, Supply Chain, HR, Project Management, and Commercial teams to design, build, and deploy practical AI solutions that accelerate how ABT works.

You will help us automate manual tasks, connect AI agents to our CRM and ERP systems, strengthen customer interactions with data driven "proof packages," and explore new AI enabled capabilities that strengthen our position as a UK leader in custom battery technology.

This role is ideal for someone who is already experimenting with LLMs, automation tools, workflow builders, or API driven AI agents and wants to turn that passion into a world class career.

AI Automation & Workflow Development

• Build and deploy automations that reduce manual workload across the business (e.g., engineering reporting, quality checks, customer updates, goods in documentation, production forecasting).
• Create AI workflows that integrate with our CRM and ERP systems (including IFS Cloud), enabling smarter insights, rapid data retrieval, and improved traceability.
• Maintain AI agents that support internal teams, including text analysis bots, report generators, and knowledge retrieval tools.
• Clean, structure, and analyse company data to support decision making.
• Produce "proof packages" for customers data driven documents that showcase validation results, quality records, traceability, and technical strength.
• Build dashboards and visual analytics tools that help teams understand trends, risks, and opportunities in real time.

Support for Engineering, Quality, and Production

• Collaborate with Engineering to trial AI in simulation, predictive modelling, test scheduling, and component analysis.
• Work with the Quality team to automate FAI checks, SPC monitoring, supplier performance analysis, and NCR triage.
• Assist Production with digital work instructions, anomaly detection, and AI supported training materials.

Enterprise Level AI Integration

• Contribute to long term AI architecture decisions choosing tools, shaping governance, and ensuring safe/auditable AI use.
• Support cybersecurity, compliance, and data handling standards within AI workflows.
• Help ABT prepare for next generation technologies such as autonomous testing, generative engineering tools, and vision enabled defect capture.

• Strong analytical and problem solving capabilities.
• Curiosity and passion for AI, automation, and how technology can improve real world systems.
• Familiarity with Python, no code automation platforms, API integrations, or LLM based tools (OpenAI, Claude, etc.).
• Comfortable working with datasets, spreadsheets, or basic data pipelines.
• Excellent communication skills able to explain complex ideas simply.
• High attention to detail and ownership of tasks from start to finish.
• GCSEs (grade 5/C or above) in English and Maths and further study in relevant area.
• Eligibility to enrol on a relevant degree apprenticeship in AI, Data Science, or Software Engineering.
• Experience building AI workflows, chat based agents, or automation scripts.
• Understanding of ERPs or CRMs (IFS, Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.).
• Knowledge of manufacturing, engineering, or electronics (not essential but beneficial).
• Proactive, creative, and self driven.
• Naturally curious eager to test ideas, learn fast, and iterate.
• Collaborative comfortable working across multiple departments.
• Committed to high standards, accuracy, and professionalism.

Candidates must be authorised to work in the UK and work onsite from our offices based in Peterlee.

We kindly ask that recruitment agencies refrain from contacting us regarding this vacancy. Any unsolicited CVs submitted will be treated as having been provided free of charge, with no agency fees applicable.