Machine Learning Engineer

Mind Foundry; Oxford; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

EMI options scheme

25 days annual leave

Salary Sacrifice Pension scheme

Private Healthcare (including dental/0

Group Life Cover

Parental and Sickness Leave

Nursery Scheme

Volunteer days

Pet friendly office

Professional development

Job summary

Mind Foundry is seeking a Machine Learning Engineer to design and deploy production-ready ML solutions for Defence and National Security applications. You will prototype, explore, and deploy ML approaches from concept to live operation in collaboration with product managers, ML scientists, and engineers.

The role involves travel to client sites or hybrid work from our Oxford office, with UK Security Vetting (SC) eligibility required or in process.

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science or related STEM field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Proficiency in Python, producing clean, reproducible, well-tested code.
• Hands-on production infra experience: Docker, Linux, CI/CD, MLOps, cloud platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design and build prototypes and production-ready ML solutions.
• Collaborate with Product Managers, ML Scientists, and Engineers to solve Defence and National Security challenges.
• Maintain knowledge of state-of-the-art ML methods and implement them in production code.
• Explain core ML concepts to customers and partners.

Skills

Python

Production-grade code

ML concepts

Ambiguity tolerance

Strong debugging

Education

Degree in Computer Science

Tools

Docker

Linux

CI/CD

MLOps

Cloud platforms

Job description

We’relooking for aMachine Learning Engineer to join a supportive, multidisciplinary team developing AI/ML systems to solve critical Defence and National Security challenges. In this role,you’lldeveloprobust, production-ready machine learning solutions,exploring, prototyping, and deployingML approaches frominitialconcept through to live operation. Working at the forefront of applied AI alongside experts across multiple disciplines,you’llhelp users defend against Defence and National Security threats, directly contributing to safer, more resilient systems deployed where they matter most.

Mind Foundry works on some of the most complex and urgent challenges in Defence and National Security. We specialise in supporting customers across the community to make sense at the speed of relevance from the ever-increasing volumes of data collected by sensors and systems. We often find ourselves working at the edge in complex environments where power, compute, and bandwidth are in short supply. The work is challenging, the customer needs products and applications they can trust, and the sense of achievement is thereforesubstantial.

This is an opportunity to innovate at the forefront of applied machine learning, tackle high-impact real-world problems, grow your technical skills, and shape the way AI/ML solutions are delivered to critical operational environments.

Because of the nature of this work:

• You will be required to travel to and work from client sites and partner locations. When not working onsite, this role can be office-based or hybrid from our Summertown, Oxford office.
• You will need toholdexistingorbe eligible for UK Security Vetting (SC), details of which can be found on the Gov UKwebsite.

Key day-to-day activities:

• Design and build prototypes androbust,production-readyMLsolutions.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues acrosstheMind Foundryteam (Product Managers, Machine Learning Scientists, Software Engineers)to solvecriticalDefence andNational Securitychallenges.
• Maintain and developagoodworking knowledge ofstate-of-the-artML methods, softwaretoolsand implementation methods.
• Write maintainable production code and promote best practices for code quality in a scientific codebase.
• Provide advice andexplain core ML conceptsto our customers and partners.

Core Skills & Experience:

• A degreeinComputer Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, or a related STEM field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Demonstratedproficiencyin programming languages such as Python, producing clean, reproducible, well-tested, and well-documented code suitable for long-term ownership and handover.
• Hands-on experience with production infrastructure, including Docker, Linux, CI/CD,MLOps, cloud platforms, and model serving architectures.
• Be able to work withstate-of-the-artML libraries to deliver powerful results quickly.
• Comfortableworking in ambiguous, fast-moving environments, embedded with customers or delivery teams.
• Hold existingUK securityclearance, or willing and eligible to apply and obtain UK security clearance.

Nice to Have:

• Prior experience working with government customers, defence contractors, or in military environments.
• Ability to write technical material (documentation, published papers, internal technical notes etc).
• Experience in areas of model development, dataprocessingand streaming (Spark, Kafka), microservices in python (Flask orFastAPI), and interactive visualisations and User Interfaces (Streamlit,Plotly,Gradioetc).
• Experienceor knowledge ofsignalprocessing,datafusionorAI/ML assurance.

While we think the above experience is important, we’re keen to hear from people that believe they have valuable skills, ideas, or perspectives that will make an impact in this role. If our team and mission resonate with you, but you do not necessarily meet all our requirements, we still encourage you to apply.

Why Mind Foundry?

At Mind Foundry, peoplehave the opportunity towork on problems that are technically challenging, operationallyimportantand genuinely meaningful. We are a close-knit, multidisciplinary team working on complex problems where advanced AI has the potential to make a meaningful difference in the real world. Our work sits at the intersection of research, engineering, product, customerneedand operational impact, which means everyone can contribute beyond their job title.

What makes Mind Foundry different is the way we combine technical excellence with pragmatism,responsibilityand partnership. We are ambitious about what AI can achieve, but thoughtful about how it should be designed,deployedand trusted. Our teams work closely together, challenging ideas constructively, learning quickly and staying focused on building capability that is useful,credibleand operationally relevant.

As a growing business, we offer the opportunity to have visible impact. You will be close to the customers, the technology and the decisions that shape our direction. We value people who ask good questions, bring others with them, and take ownership.

This is an exciting time to join Mind Foundry. Demand for trusted, deployable AI capability is increasing, our products and partnerships are maturing, and our work is helping to shape how advanced machine learning can support Defence and National Security in challenging operational environments. If you are motivated by meaningful work, collaborativeteamsand the chance to help build something with real-world importance, Mind Foundry is a place where you can make a genuine contribution.

What do we offer?

We believe in investing in our people by encouraging career and personal development that aligns with your goals and ambitions. We make sure all staff have the tools, time and support they need to shape their own professional development. We want to help you excel at what you do and support your growth within the company.

You’ll enjoy a competitive compensation package and great benefits such as:

• EMI options scheme
• 25 days of annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Salary Sacrifice Pension scheme
• Private Healthcare (including dental and optical cover)
• Group Life Cover at three times your annual salary
• Enhanced Parental and Sickness Leave
• Workplace Nursery Scheme
• Volunteer days
• Pet friendly office
• Personal and professional development

For more information, please visit our website or email

[e-mail]

Interview Process:

• Initialdiscussion with the People team
• TestDomecoding exercise
• 60 minute interview with two members of the Science & Engineering Team
• 90 minutetechnical interview, including a10 minutepresentation and live coding exercise
• In person meet the team at our Summertown, Oxfordoffice