Machine Learning Engineer - Defence

££60,000 - £90,000 GBP

Hybrid WORKING

Location: Manchester;Bristol;London;Newcaslte , Manchester, North West - United KingdomType: Permanent

Machine Learning Engineer

Newcastle | Manchester | Bristol | London | Hybrid | Permanent

Our client is a specialisttechnology consultancy delivering high-impact engineering across defence and complex environments, supporting organisations operating in secure, mission-critical settings. The focus is on solving complex problems through advanced machine learning and AI capabilities within constrained and high-assurance environments.

This role offers the opportunity to work oncutting-edge machine learning and large language model (LLM) systems, contributing to impactful solutions where performance, reliability, and security are critical.

You'll have the opportunity to:

• Design and developmachine learning and LLM-based solutions
• Work on advanced AI systems withinsecure and constrained environments
• Apply deep technical knowledge acrossML, statistics, and optimisation
• Contribute to real-world AI applications in defence and high-assurance settings
• Collaborate with engineers and clients to solve complex challenges
• Take ownership of delivery within high-impact projects

Your Responsibilities:

• Develop and deploymachine learning models and LLM-based systems
• Apply knowledge oftransformer architectures and LLM principles
• Optimise modelperformance, inference, and efficiency
• Evaluate model behaviour using established performance frameworks
• Contribute to solutions deployed inedge, constrained, or air-gapped environments
• Apply best practices inAI safety, explainability, and robustness
• Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate ML systems into production environments

Key Requirements:

• Strong understanding ofmachine learning fundamentals
• Solid foundation inmathematics and statistics
• Hands-on experience withLLMs and transformer architectures
• Experience withmodel evaluation and inference optimisation
• Strong programming experience (typically Python)
• Ability to work on complex problems within constrained environments
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability
• Clear communication skills and ability to work in client-facing environments
• UK national, eligible forUK Security Clearance (SC)

You will gain exposure with:

• AdvancedLLM and AI system development
• Deployment of ML systems insecure and resource-constrained environments
• Real-world applications ofAI safety and explainability
• High-impact defence and national security programmes
• Complex engineering challenges requiring both theory and practical delivery

Why Join:

• Work oncutting-edge AI problems with real-world implications
• Operate within a high-performance, engineering-focused environment
• Gain exposure toadvanced ML, LLMs, and secure systems
• Take ownership of meaningful technical delivery
• Flexible working acrossNewcastle, Manchester, Bristol, and London

Interested? Apply now.