Machine Learning Engineer Manager

Kingfisher; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading home improvement retailer in the UK seeks a Machine Learning Engineering Manager to lead AI projects and foster a strong engineering culture. The ideal candidate will possess leadership experience, expertise in Machine Learning, and the ability to manage teams and stakeholder expectations effectively. This role offers a dynamic work environment and opportunities for career growth.

Benefits

Competitive benefits package

Flexible working arrangements

Opportunities for career growth

Qualifications

• Strong leadership experience with the ability to build and mentor Machine Learning teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills.
• Solid grounding in computer science and software architecture.
• Strong understanding of classical and modern Machine Learning methods.
• Proficient in SQL and Python with familiarity in data ecosystems.
• Experience with Generative AI frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of major Artificial Intelligence projects.
• Oversee multiple teams and ensure complete Machine Learning solutions.
• Develop and support Machine Learning team leads.
• Build diverse teams translating business needs into Machine Learning solutions.
• Work with Technology, Product and Data teams to embed Machine Learning.

Skills

Leadership experience

Stakeholder management

Computer science grounding

Understanding of Machine Learning methods

Proficiency in SQL

Proficiency in Python

Experience with Generative AI

Understanding of MLOps principles

Experience with cloud services

CI/CD knowledge

Tools

Kubernetes

Kubeflow

Job description

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Overview

We're Kingfisher, A team made up of over 82,000 passionate people who bring Kingfisher - and all our other brands: B&Q, Screwfix, Brico Depot, Castorama and Koctas - to life. That's right, we're big, but we have ambitions to become even bigger and even better. We want to become the leading home improvement company and grow the largest community of home improvers in the world. And that's where you come in.

At Kingfisher our customers come from all walks of life, and so do we. We want to ensure that all colleagues, future colleagues, and applicants to Kingfisher are treated equally regardless of age, gender, marital or civil partnership status, colour, ethnic or national origin, culture, religious belief, philosophical belief, political opinion, disability, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.

We are open to flexible and agile working, both of hours and location. Therefore, we offer colleagues a blend of working from home and our offices, located in London, Southampton & Yeovil. Talk to us about how we can best support you!

This is an opportunity to make a significant impact across one of the largest retail groups in Europe. We are looking for a Machine Learning Engineering Manager who can lead the productionisation of advanced AI solutions created by our Group AI team. Your work will help shape how millions of customers and colleagues experience our products, services and decision making.

You will guide the delivery of real world Machine Learning systems across the business and help establish a strong engineering culture across our AI organisation. This role is suited to someone who is confident in both leadership and technical depth, with the enthusiasm to champion the adoption of AI across the group.

What's the job?

Key Accountabilities / Responsibilities:

• Lead the delivery of major Artificial Intelligence projects and help drive the next stage of Machine Learning development within Kingfisher.
• Oversee multiple teams working across a wide range of business domains and ensure they deliver complete end to end Machine Learning solutions.
• Develop and support Machine Learning team leads who each manage domain based project teams.
• Build and guide diverse teams that can translate business needs into Machine Learning solutions and communicate recommendations clearly to non technical stakeholders.
• Create an environment of cross team collaboration and knowledge sharing in order to improve effectiveness across Group AI.
• Work closely with Technology, Product and Data colleagues to help shape the data platforms that enable us to embed Machine Learning into our products and operational processes.
• Act as a visible advocate for the use of Machine Learning within Kingfisher and help promote its value across the group.
• Support the wider data leadership team in developing a strong data culture and in demonstrating the importance of data informed decisions.
• Contribute to the development and recognition of the Group AI brand both inside and outside the organisation

What you'll bring

• Strong leadership experience with the ability to build, mentor and organise high performing Machine Learning teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to understand real business needs and influence senior decision makers.
• Solid grounding in computer science including algorithms, data structures, modelling and software architecture.
• Strong understanding of classical Machine Learning and modern Deep Learning methods.
• Good proficiency in SQL and Python and familiarity with the Python data ecosystem.
• Experience working with Generative AI and agent based frameworks such as LangChain or LangGraph.
• Clear understanding of the Machine Learning development lifecycle and MLOps principles.
• Proven experience delivering AI solutions into production environments including cloud based services.
• Confidence working with CI/CD, data pipelines and containerised deployments such as Kubernetes and Kubeflow.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to manage several technical projects simultaneously.

Be Customer Focused - constantly improving our customers' experience

• I listen to my customers

• I use available data to help make decisions

Be Human - acting with humanity and care

• I do the right thing

• I am respectful

Be Curious - thrive on learning, thinking beyond the obvious

• I build and share new ideas

• I try new things and share my learnings

Be Agile - working with trust, pace and agility

• I have courage to be creative

• Done is better than perfect, I aim for 80/20

Be Inclusive - acting inclusively in diverse teams to work together

• I embrace allyship

• I have self‑awareness and a desire to learn

Be Accountable - championing the plan to deliver results and growth

• I own my actions

• I understand the Kingfisher plan and how it relates to my role

At Kingfisher, we value the perspectives that any new team members bring, and we want to hear from you. We encourage you to apply for one of our roles even if you do not feel you meet 100% of the requirements.

In return, we offer an inclusive environment, where what you can achieve is limited only by your imagination! We encourage new ideas, actively support experimentation, and strive to build an environment where everyone can be their best self. Find out more about Diversity & Inclusion at Kingfisher here!

We also offer a competitive benefits package and plenty of opportunities to stretch and grow your career.