Engineering Manager - ML Platform

Lightricks; London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in AI technology is seeking an ML Platform Engineering Manager in London. The role involves leading backend engineers to build scalable AI infrastructure and requires a blend of technical expertise and leadership skills. Ideal candidates will possess extensive experience in backend systems and cloud technologies.

Benefits

Stock Options

Private Medical Insurance (including Optical & Dental cover)

Life Assurance

£3,000/p/a Transport Allowance

£750p/a Wellbeing & Professional Development Allowance

Free on-site lunches, coffee, breakfast & snacks

Pension Contributions (7%)

Holiday (25 days)

Seasonal & Anniversary Vouchers

Hybrid & Flexible working

Enhanced Parental Leave

Cycle-to-work Scheme

Season Ticket Loan

Volunteering Opportunities

Frequent social activities

Qualifications

• 8+ years of backend systems experience with 2+ years in engineering management.
• Strong proficiency in backend development focused on scalability.
• Experience managing and mentoring engineering teams in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of backend engineers to build AI infrastructure.
• Streamline the path from research to production deployment.
• Architect and maintain a high-performance inference platform.

Skills

Backend Systems

Cloud-based Distributed Systems

Backend Development

System/API Design

Leadership

Communication

Collaboration

ML Model Serving

Education

B.Sc. in Computer Science or related technical field

Job description

Who we are

Lightricks, an AI-first company, is revolutionizing how visual content is created. With a mission to bridge the gap between imagination and creation, Lightricks is dedicated to bringing cutting-edge technology to the creative and business spaces.

Our advanced AI photo and video generation models, including our open-source LTXV model, power our apps and platforms, including Facetune, Photoleap, Videoleap, and LTX Studio, allowing creators and brands to leverage the latest research breakthroughs, offering endless control over their creative potential. Our influencer marketing platform, Popular Pays, provides creators the ability to monetize their work and offers brands opportunities to scale their content through tailored creator partnerships.
What you will be doing

As the ML Platform Engineering Manager, you'll lead a dynamic team of backend engineers building the backbone of Lightricks' AI infrastructure. The team operates at the critical intersection of research and production, transforming cutting-edge ML and generative AI models from our research teams into robust, scalable systems that power magical experiences for millions of users across our apps.

The ML Platform team owns the end-to-end journey of AI at Lightricks. You'll streamline the path from research prototype to production deployment, while architecting and maintaining a high-performance inference platform that serves our models at scale. Your work directly enables both our internal research teams to iterate faster and our end users to experience seamless AI-powered features.

This role demands a unique blend of technical depth and leadership excellence. You'll need strong architectural vision to guide complex distributed systems decisions, coupled with exceptional people management skills to grow and inspire your team. Success here means balancing the fast-paced demands of a growing AI company while building sustainable, world-class infrastructure that can scale with our ambitions.

Your skills and experience

• 8+ years of backend systems experience with 2+ years in engineering management, including proven leadership of complex platform projects from conception to production
• Deep expertise in cloud-based distributed systems, including architecture, deployment, and operational excellence
• Strong proficiency in backend development and system/API design with focus on scalability and observability
• Experience managing and mentoring engineering teams in fast-paced, startup environments
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills with ability to drive technical vision
• Experience with ML model serving and GPU infrastructure - preferred
• Comfortable leading distributed teams across multiple time zones
• B.Sc. in Computer Science or related technical field

Benefits:

• Stock Options.
• Private Medical Insurance (Optical & Dental cover) including your loved ones.
• Life Assurance.
• £3,000/p/a Transport Allowance.
• £750p/a allowance for Wellbeing & Professional Development.
• Free on-site lunches, coffee, breakfast & snacks.
• Pension Contributions (7%).
• Holiday (25 days).
• Seasonal & Anniversary Vouchers.
• Hybrid & Flexible working.
• Cool office space in central London.
• Enhanced Parental Leave.
• Cycle-to-work Scheme.
• Season Ticket Loan.
• Volunteering Opportunities.
• Frequent social activities - away-days, happy hours, team building, yoga, creative workshops.