Lead Applied Engineer

The Alan Turing Institute; City Of London; On-site; GBP 69,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

The Alan Turing Institute is seeking a Lead Applied Engineer to be the technical anchor of a newly formed team, working hands-on from day one. You will design, build and deploy Defence-focused systems, guiding a small cross-functional group and aligning delivery with stakeholder needs.

You will establish secure development practices, MLOps and deployment patterns, and bridge cutting-edge research with operational delivery in fast-moving environments across UK sites, London-based on-site.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a small cross-functional engineering team.
• Proven track record building and delivering AI/ML systems.
• Experience with secure development lifecycle, MLOps and deployment patterns.
• Ability to work directly with defence customers.
• Eligibility for DV clearance.

Responsibilities

• Design and build: take defence problems from requirement through architecture to working, deployable systems.
• Work directly with Defence customers to draw out requirements and translate to technical solutions.
• Establish secure development lifecycle, MLOps and deployment patterns, evaluation and assurance of AI systems.
• Bridge between Turing research and operational delivery; assess maturity and prioritise for delivery.
• Review and challenge the team's technical work, unblock delivery and keep it moving.
• Provide day-to-day technical leadership and management for a small cross-functional team.
• Provide technical quality assurance review of the Turing policy research outputs.

Job description

THE ROLE
We are looking for a Lead Applied Engineer to be the technical anchor of this team from day one. This is a hands-on role: you will spend most of your time designing, building and deploying. You will be hired alongside the first three engineers, so you start with colleagues around you rather than a team that exists only on paper. Strategic direction comes from senior Institute staff; the day-to-day technical leadership of the team is yours. You will work directly with stakeholders to identify the highest-impact problems and lead the team from project design to delivery into constrained environments. You will set the technical standards for the team, leading by example.
The role sits at the intersection of engineering delivery, solution architecture and applied AI. It suits a strong engineer with leadership experience who is comfortable in fast-moving environments, is motivated by direct operational impact and enjoys engaging closely with stakeholders.

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

• Design and build: take Defence problems from requirement through architecture to working, deployable systems, and stay close to the code throughout.
• Work directly with Defence customers to draw out requirements and translate them into technical solutions that operate within the constraints of the deployment environment.
• Establish how the team builds from day one: secure development lifecycle, MLOps and deployment patterns, evaluation and assurance of AI systems, code quality and documentation.
• Act as the bridge between Turing research and operational delivery: for example, assessing research outputs for maturity and exploitability & deciding what to prioritise for delivery
• Review and challenge the team's technical work, unblock delivery and make the calls that keep it moving.
• Provide day-to-day technical leadership and management for a small cross-functional team
• Provide technical quality assurance review of the Turing policy research team’s outputs

YOU’LL THRIVE IN THIS ROLE IF YOU

• Are motivated by producing work that has real operational relevance and impact for UK defence and national security.
• Can hold a technical position under scrutiny – from senior stakeholders and from your own team – and change it when the evidence says you should.
• Want to lead by building – setting the bar through your own work and the reviews you give, rather than through process.
• Move fluidly between customer conversations, technical design and hands-on delivery.
• Have built data and AI systems from the ground up across cloud and on-premise environments.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This post is offered on a full-time, permanent basis, at an annual salary of £69,000-82,500 plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, Employee-only benefits guide | The Alan Turing Institute

Given the close working relationship with government partners, this role requires regular on-site presence with Defence partners in London 3 days per week, with possible occasional travel to other sites in the UK, in addition to the Institute's standard office attendance expectations.

Eligibility for DV clearance is an essential requirement for this role. Eligibility criteria and further information on the process can be found on the UK Government security vetting website. Please note that we require you to provide essential information in your cover letter in order to progress your application:

• Your current nationality
• Your nationality at birth
• Other nationality (include dual nationality if applicable)
• Confirmation that you have been residing in the UK for the past 5 years (if you haven’t, please provide details of when and where you resided and the reason)
• Country where you were born.
• County in which you were born.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

We value diversity of background, experience, and perspective, and are proud to be an inclusive employer. We warmly encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from groups currently under-represented in our sector. If you feel passionate about this role butdon’tmeet every single requirement, please apply–we recognise that great candidates may bring strengths beyond the criteria listed.