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