Vacancy detail

Lead Technologist – AI & Machine Learning

£85,000 GBP

+ Bonus

Onsite WORKING

Location: Chelmsford, East of England – United Kingdom Type: Permanent

Job Title: Lead Technologist – AI & Machine Learning

Chelmsford (Hybrid)

Up tp £85k + Bonus 

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Technologist to join a growing Data and Decision Support capability, working on cutting-edge AI and ML applications across a diverse range of sectors, including defence, security, space, and commercial domains.

This role offers a blend of technical leadership, research direction, and hands-on assurance responsibilities, with opportunities to shape innovation in areas such as NLP, reinforcement learning, computer vision, graph neural networks, and sensor-based AI systems.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the technical delivery of complex AI/ML projects, overseeing the preparation and review of technical reports, proposals, and supporting documentation.

• Identify opportunities for novel research and potential academic or industrial partnerships; direct research activities in strategic focus areas.

• Present technical content clearly and persuasively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Mentor junior team members and provide guidance on research best practices and delivery standards.

• Conduct engineering assurance reviews on bids, publications, and project deliverables to ensure high-quality outputs.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• PhD in a relevant discipline with approximately 10+ years of experience in AI/ML, either in industry or academia.

• Demonstrated leadership in R&D settings, including line or technical management of teams of 5+ engineers or researchers.

• Strong experience in engineering assurance activities, including proposal and technical document review.

• Experience writing research or funding proposals (e.g., for government agencies, public sector innovation bodies, or academic institutions).

• Deep expertise in at least one of the following, with working knowledge across multiple areas:

  • AI/ML for imagery (including remote sensing)

  • Reinforcement learning

  • Natural Language Processing and Large Language Models

  • Knowledge graphs and graph-based neural networks

  • AI/ML applied to RF, EW, radar, sonar, or acoustic signal processing

  • Autonomous systems

Desirable:

• A track record of peer-reviewed publications in relevant AI/ML journals or conferences.

• Strong connections with academic communities and an interest in growing technical research areas aligned to organisational priorities.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a senior-level AI professional looking to combine technical depth with strategic influence in an organisation focused on innovation, security, and applied AI research.

Reference: SCU/BDI/LT/270625

Postcode: CM1

#secu