AI Software Engineering Specialist

Santander (www.santander.com) is evolving from a global, high-impact brand into a technology-driven organization, and our people are at the heart of this journey. Together, we are driving a customer-centric transformation that values bold thinking, innovation, and the courage to challenge what’s possible.

This is more than a strategic shift. It’s a chance for driven professionals to grow, learn, and make a real difference.

Our mission is to contribute to help more people and businesses prosper. We embrace a strong risk culture and all our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.

Our Chief Data & Artificial Intelligence Officer (CDAIO) division is building a world-class AI & Data team to make a difference in the lives of over 170 million people worldwide, through one of the largest banks in the world.

We are undergoing one of the biggest transformations in our history and technology is at the heart of our strategy. Join our team to play a part in one of the most important technological projects for the financial sector in the world.

Our mission is to contribute to helping more people and businesses prosper. We embrace a strong risk culture and all our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management. 

THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

CDAIO/ AI TECH is looking for a AI Software Engineering Specialist  based out of Madrid.

You will be responsible for designing, developing, and implementing AI-driven solutions that accelerate software delivery, improve software quality, and automate engineering and operational processes across the development ecosystem. 

This is a highly technical role requiring deep expertise across software architecture, application development, DevOps, cloud platforms, and AI-enabled engineering practices. 

We’re shaping the way we work through innovation, cutting-edge technology, collaboration and the freedom to explore new ideas. To succeed in this role, you will be responsible for:

• Design and develop deterministic agents and intelligent automation systems focused on software engineering use cases. 

• Implement AI-powered solutions to automate SDLC activities, including:code generation and review, automated testing, technical documentation, quality analysis, incident management, CI/CD pipelines, observability and operations.

• Design scalable, resilient, and secure software architectures in cloud environments. 

• Contribute to architecture decisions and technical standards. 

• Develop modern backend and frontend applications. 

• Integrate AI/LLM capabilities into enterprise platforms and engineering workflows. 

• Define and promote best practices in software engineering, security, observability, and automation. 

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across engineering, infrastructure, architecture, and business domains. 

• Lead innovation initiatives related to AI-enabled software engineering. 

• Evaluate emerging AI technologies, frameworks, and tooling. 

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

Our people are our greatest strength. Every individual contributes unique perspectives that make us stronger as a team and as an organization. We’re enabling teams to go beyond by valuing who they are and empowering what they bring.

The following requirements represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for success in this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Professional Experience

• 5+ years of experience in DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering, or Platform Engineering roles. (Required)

• Proven experience supporting across: software architecture, technical design, backend/frontend development, systems integration, testing, deployment, DevOps, application operations.

• Hands-on experience building: deterministic agents, automated workflows, AI-based systems, engineering assistants, automation platforms.

• Hands-on experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and orchestration of microservices. (Required)

• Strong background in managing cloud environments (AWS or GCP), including cost optimization and security best practices. (Required)

• Solid experience implementing CI/CD pipelines and using tools such as Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or similar

• Familiarity with machine learning workflows, model deployment patterns, and MLOps tools (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow, SageMaker, Vertex AI). (Preferred)

Education

• BSc or MSc in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field. (Required)

• Relevant certifications in cloud platforms or DevOps practices (e.g., AWS DevOps Engineer, Azure DevOps, Google Cloud DevOps). (Preferred)

Languages

• Spanish proficiency. (Required)

• High level of English . (Preferred)

Hard Skills

• Strong experience with public cloud platforms: AWS, Azure. (Required)

• Advanced experience with several modern software engineering technologies across backend, frontend, APIs, integration, DevOps and platform engineering, including Java/Spring Boot, Python, Node.js and .NET; React, Angular and TypeScript; REST APIs, GraphQL and event-driven architectures using Kafka or RabbitMQ; as well as Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD tools such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI or Azure DevOps, and monitoring and observability platforms. (Preferred)

• Practical knowledge and hands-on experience in AI, including LLM-based architectures, deterministic AI agents, propt engineering, Retrieval-Augmented Generation, agent orchestration frameworks and AI-driven automation, with exposure to frameworkds such as LangChain, LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, AutoGen and CrewAI, as well as integration with models from OpenAI, Antrhopic, Gemini or AWS Bedrock. (Preferred)

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities. 

• Strategic and architectural mindset. 

• High level of technical autonomy. 

• Automation-first mentality and continuous improvement mindset. 

• Technical leadership and mentoring skills. 

• Strong communication and collaboration abilities. 

WE VALUE YOUR IMPACT

Your contribution matters, and it’s recognized. You can expect a fair, competitive reward package that reflects the impact you create and the value you deliver. But we know rewards go beyond numbers.

• We’re enable our teams to go beyond through global opportunities and broad career paths.

• Flexibility that works. Enjoy a hybrid working models—some days remote, some days onsite with your team—along with flexible hours.

• Learning for life. Access hundreds of courses on our platforms, including exclusive access to our global learning space: Santander Open Academy (www.santanderopenacademy.com)

• Competitive rewards. Receive a highly competitive salary with performance-based bonuses, motivating you to keep growing with us.

• Financial advantages. Benefit from preferential banking terms, special interest rates on loans, life insurance, and more.

• Your health is our priority. Through BeHealthy, our global wellness programme, we promote Holistic wellbeing.

• We know family is everything. That’s why we offer childcare support and family-friendly programmes tailored to each life stage.

• Always by your side. Get access to Santander Contigo, our program for employees and their families offering legal, emotional, and administrative advisory services.

• Extra benefits. Gym/WellHub membership, medical centers in some of our facilities, meal subsidy, parking, shuttle service from various points in Madrid, as well as exclusive discounts and offers for Santander employees. And that’s only the beginning—we’ll tell you more when you join!

We’re here to keep you motivated, help you reach your goals, and celebrate your progress, every step of the way.

LOCAL COMPLIANCE

Santander is proud of being an organization where there are equal opportunities regardless of age, gender, disability, civil status, race, religion or sexual orientation. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible application process for all candidates.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

If this sounds like a role you are interested in, then please apply.

READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN YOUR JOURNEY?