Senior Machine Learning Engineer
Location: Bristol (20% onsite)
Duration: 6 month contract
Rate: 78ph LTD (Outside IR35)
Role details:
Our client, a leader in the defence and security sector, is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to join their team on a contract basis. This role involves developing and deploying advanced machine learning models essential for secure, high-integrity systems and services across critical defence, government, and public sector programmes.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design, build, and optimise machine learning models, including NLP, computer vision, and predictive analytics
- Own the ML lifecycle from data preparation through to training, evaluation, and deployment
- Implement and maintain MLOps workflows for continuous integration and delivery of ML models
- Collaborate with Data Engineers and DevOps teams to ensure production readiness and scalability
- Contribute to architecture decisions for ML pipelines and data flows
- Apply secure coding and configuration practices in line with compliance standards
- Mentor junior engineers and share best practices across the team
- Support innovation by researching emerging ML techniques and tools
Job Requirements:
- Proven experience developing and deploying machine learning models in production environments
- Experience with the OpenCV framework and object detection models, including YOLO, RCNN, and Vision models
- Proficiency in optical flow and object tracking for video analysis
- Solid knowledge of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) models and fine-tuning with custom datasets
- Understanding of accuracy measurement metrics like Character Error Rate (CER) and Word Error Rate (WER)
- Proficiency in Python and ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch)
- Understanding of ML architectures, hyperparameter tuning, and performance optimisation
- Experience with MLOps tools and CI/CD pipelines
- Familiarity with data engineering concepts (ETL, data pipelines, SQL)
- Ability to analyse complex data and communicate insights effectively
- Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
- Excellent collaboration and stakeholder engagement skills
Core Areas (Must Have):
- ML Development Expertise: Hands-on experience building and deploying ML models
- Lifecycle Ownership: Ability to manage ML workflows from design to production
- Tool Proficiency: Skilled in Python, ML frameworks, and MLOps tooling
- Data Engineering Awareness: Understanding of data pipelines, warehousing, and integration
- Governance & Compliance: Familiarity with secure coding and quality assurance standards
- Collaboration & Mentoring: Ability to work across teams and support junior engineers
- Continuous Improvement: Commitment to learning and applying emerging ML techniques
Desirable Skills:
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS) and containerisation (such as Docker, Podman, Kubernetes)
- Experience working in secure or regulated environments
- Exposure to big data technologies (Spark, Hadoop) and Apache tools
- Familiarity with Agile and DevOps practices
- Industry certifications (e.g., TensorFlow Developer, AWS Machine Learning Specialty)
- Knowledge of NLP, computer vision, and deep learning architectures
- STEM degree or equivalent experience in AI, Data Science, or related fields
If you are ready to take ownership of machine learning solutions that underpin secure, high-integrity systems and services, and lead in solving customer problems in an agile, innovative, and team-centric manner, we would love to hear from you. Apply now to join our client's Cyber & Security Solutions Division team in Bristol.