Job Ref: THE1107
Branch: thebigword UK - Interpreting
Location: thebigword
Salary/Benefits: Competitive Salary, Hybrid/Remote
Contract type: Contract
Hours: Full Time
Hours per week: 40
Posted date: 14/05/2026
Closing date: 16/06/2026
The role is expected to last up to 12-months on either a Fixed Term Contract, or via engagement on a Freelance/ Consultant Basis.
Your Role in Action
We are seeking an experienced AI Specialist on a short-term basis to design and deliver an AI-powered, voice-enabled chatbot solution to automate key customer service processes via telephone. Working closely with our technical and operations teams, you will take ownership of the end-to-end implementation — from solution architecture through to deployment and handover.
A key element of this engagement is working alongside our in-house Architects, actively upskilling them in AI tooling and approaches as part of the delivery process. Experience with Azure AI Foundry is preferred. This is a hands-on role with the opportunity to make a real impact on how we serve our customers.
What You’ll Be Responsible For
- Design and implement a customer service chatbot using Azure AI services, with a preference for Azure AI Foundry.
- Analyse existing customer service workflows and identify high-value automation opportunities.
- Develop and configure conversational AI flows, intent recognition, and integration with back-end systems.
- Integrate the chatbot with existing platforms (booking system, ticketing systems, web/mobile channels) via APIs.
- Ensure robust testing, quality assurance, and performance benchmarking of the solution.
- Provide documentation and knowledge transfer to internal teams to support ongoing maintenance.
- Work collaboratively with stakeholders to iterate on the solution based on feedback and evolving requirements.
- Adhere to data security, privacy, and compliance requirements throughout the engagement.
- Design and implement voice recognition capabilities to support phone-based customer interactions, including speech-to-text, intent detection, and natural spoken dialogue flows.
- Actively upskill our in-house Architects throughout the engagement — sharing knowledge of AI tooling, patterns, and best practices through pairing, workshops, or informal coaching as appropriate.
The Perfect Match: Your Skills Talents
- Proven experience building and deploying conversational AI or chatbot solutions in a production environment.
- Hands-on experience with large language models (LLMs) and prompt engineering.
- Familiarity with RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) patterns and vector search.
- Strong understanding of NLP concepts including intent classification, entity extraction, and dialogue management.
- Hands-on experience with speech-to-text and text-to-speech technologies, such as Azure Speech Services or equivalent.
- Experience building voice-driven dialogue flows, including handling interruptions, silence detection, DTMF fallback, and spoken error recovery.
- Familiarity with telephony integration patterns, such as SIP trunking, IVR replacement, or contact centre platform APIs (e.g. Azure Communication Services, Twilio, or similar).
- Experience with Azure AI services (Azure OpenAI, Azure Bot Service, Azure Cognitive Services).
- Azure AI Foundry experience is preferred — familiarity with model catalogues, AI project management, and responsible AI tooling.
- Comfortable with Azure infrastructure including App Services, Functions, API Management, and storage.
- Proficiency in C# / .NET and/or Python for backend integration and service development.
- Experience integrating AI solutions with REST APIs and third-party systems.
- Understanding of CI/CD practices and DevOps tooling (e.g. Azure DevOps).
- Strong communication skills — able to present solutions and trade-offs clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
- Self-directed and able to work independently with minimal supervision.
- Collaborative approach with a focus on knowledge sharing and handover.
- Confident in a mentoring or coaching capacity — able to bring technical colleagues along on the journey and build lasting capability within the team.
- Previous experience in customer service automation or contact centre technology.
- Experience replacing or augmenting traditional IVR systems with AI-driven voice agents.
- Prior experience upskilling or mentoring technical teams in AI/ML tooling within a consultancy or contractor setting.
- Familiarity with Power Virtual Agents / Microsoft Copilot Studio.
- Experience with multi-channel deployment (web chat, Teams, telephony integrations).
- Understanding of responsible AI principles and GDPR/data privacy considerations.
- Azure AI Engineer Associate certification (AI-102) or equivalent.
Perks That Make You Smile!
See all of our amazing perks, here: https://careers.thebigword.com/pages/perks-uk
We are eradicating the final barrier of global communication!
At thebigword, we specialise in language solutions, translating over 1 billion words annually, support more than 250 languages and handle millions of interpreting minutes each year. As one of the largest language service providers globally, we utilise the greatest minds and boundary shattering technology to deliver phenomenal quality at scale to both our clients and linguist network. We’re proud that our services support thousands of people every single day, from those using the National Health Service to global brands across the world such as google, Honda, and Unilever.
Joining our team is not just a career, it’s being part of something much bigger!
Equal Opportunities:
At thebigword, we prioritise the physical and mental health of our global teams. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have signed the Menopause Workplace Pledge, and are proud to have signed the Mental Health at Work Commitment. Should you require reasonable adjustments for your interview or subsequent employment, please notify our team. Our mission is to welcome everyone and create inclusive teams, celebrating differences and encouraging everyone to join us and be themselves at work. To find out more about our dedication to Equality, Diversity Inclusion, and our EDI Committee, click here: https://careers.thebigword.com/pages/our-commitment
