Security-Cleared Lead Python Engineer - Backend & ML

Searchability; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Searchability is seeking a Lead Python Engineer with security clearance experience to lead backend architecture and delivery for AI-enabled applications in a defence-focused environment. You will own design decisions, collaborate with data scientists, and drive scalable, production-ready software across cloud platforms using Docker and Kubernetes.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, architecture, and mentoring, with a hybrid London on-site pattern and a salary up to £130,000 base.

Qualifications

• Extensive commercial experience developing backend applications and services using Python.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals; design of robust, reusable and maintainable systems.
• Proven experience with technical leadership, software architecture and decision-making.
• Experience building APIs, integrations and scalable backend services.
• Knowledge of machine learning concepts and production ML model ops.
• Experience with ML frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch.
• Hands-on cloud experience (AWS, Azure or GCP) and modern deployment practices.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes and scalable deployment pipelines.
• Understanding of security, infrastructure and production-grade design.
• Confident with clients and advising senior stakeholders; mentoring engineers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of scalable Python backend applications.
• Build production-grade APIs, integrations and supporting infrastructure.
• Collaborate with data scientists to operationalise ML models in production.
• Develop reusable components and engineering standards for AI apps.
• Make architectural decisions across cloud, security, scalability and performance.
• Work with AWS/Azure/GCP and containerized deployments (Docker/Kubernetes).
• Promote best practices in code quality, testing and deployment.
• Partner with stakeholders to scope solutions and deliver complex projects.
• Serve as technical point of contact for clients; translate tech to business value.
• Mentor engineers and contribute to team development.

Skills

Python

Technical leadership

API design

Cloud platforms

ML concepts

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Docker

Kubernetes

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Job description

Searchability is seeking a Lead Python Engineer with security clearance experience to lead backend architecture and delivery for AI-enabled applications in a defence-focused environment. You will own design decisions, collaborate with data scientists, and drive scalable, production-ready software across cloud platforms using Docker and Kubernetes.

The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, architecture, and mentoring, with a hybrid London on-site pattern and a salary up to £130,000 base.