Senior Algorithms Engineer

Chess Dynamics; Wokingham; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Group pension plan

Income protection

Employee Assistance Programme

Life assurance

Share incentive plan

EV salary sacrifice

Wellbeing app

Sports and social activities

Gym membership discounts

Learning & development opportunities

Job summary

Chess Dynamics seeks an innovative algorithms engineer to develop next‑generation intelligent sensing and computer vision capabilities for defence applications. You will solve real‑world perception problems by combining ML, CV, signal processing and statistics to detect, classify, track and understand objects in challenging environments.

You will take technical ownership of key capability areas, mentor others and share expertise across the engineering team while shaping future development

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in Computer Science, AI, Engineering, Mathematics or Physics.
• Experience deploying ML/vision algorithms in production or near-production.
• Experience with modern CV architectures (detection, classification, transformers).
• Ability to analyse image datasets and inform model development.
• Strong problem-solving and ownership from investigation to delivery.
• Excellent communication; can explain complex concepts clearly.
• Able to evaluate technical trade-offs and choose approaches.
• Strong Python skills; production/C++ for performance-critical systems.

Responsibilities

• Research, develop and evaluate CV algorithms for image classification and detection.
• Investigate hard problems with structured experiments and evidence-based methods.
• Design datasets, evaluation methodologies, and automated ML pipelines.
• Analyse model performance and drive improvements in real-world capability.
• Develop tools to improve automation, repeatability, and ML lifecycle efficiency.
• Provide technical guidance and mentor other engineers in CV/ML.
• Stay current with CV/AI advances and identify applicable tech.
• Communicate results and recommendations clearly to teams and customers.
• Support integration, testing and deployment of algorithms in real-time video systems.
• Produce technical documentation and presentations for engineering decisions.

Skills

Python

C++

Computer vision

ML in production

Image processing

Data analysis

Problem solving

Ownership

Communication

Bayesian inference

Synthetic data

Multi-modal nets

CI/CD pipelines

CMake

Dataset management

Experiment tracking

Education

Degree in CS/AI/Engineering/Math/Physics

Tools

CMake

Job description

Chess Dynamics is an established leading design and manufacturing business with several sites across the UK. Our product range is cutting edge and services the defence industries with products that aid specific client requirements – driving innovation is at the heart of everything we do.

We are looking for an innovative algorithms engineer to join our team, developing next-generation intelligent sensing and computer vision capabilities for challenging defence applications including electro-optic gun fire control systems, ground-based air defence, counter‑unmanned aerial systems (C‑UAS), multi‑domain surveillance, and autonomous platforms.

The role involves solving complex real‑world perception problems by combining machine learning, computer vision, signal processing, and statistical techniques to improve the ability of systems to detect, classify, track, and understand objects in challenging environments.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to take technical ownership of key capability areas, helping shape future development activities while mentoring others and sharing expertise across the engineering team.

Key Responsibilities

• Research, develop, and evaluate computer vision algorithms for image classification, fine‑grained recognition, object detection, and computer vision applications
• Investigate challenging technical problems where the solution is not immediately known, developing structured experiments and evidence‑based approaches
• Design and improve datasets, evaluation methodologies, and automated pipelines to accelerate machine learning development
• Analyse model performance, identify failure modes, and develop innovative solutions to improve real‑world capability
• Develop tools and processes to improve automation, repeatability, and efficiency across the machine learning lifecycle
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to other engineers, supporting knowledge sharing and development of computer vision and machine learning capability within the team
• Keep up to date with advances in computer vision, AI, and machine learning, identifying opportunities to apply emerging technologies
• Communicate complex technical concepts, experimental results, and recommendations clearly to engineering teams, stakeholders, and customers
• Support integration, testing, and deployment of algorithms into real‑time video processing systems
• Produce technical documentation, reports, and presentations to support engineering decisions

Essential

• Degree or equivalent experience in a relevant technical discipline such as Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics
• Practical experience developing and deploying machine learning or computer vision algorithms in production or near‑production systems
• Experience with modern computer vision architectures, including object detection, image classification, and transformers
• Ability to analyse image datasets using image processing techniques to inform machine learning model development and debugging
• Strong problem‑solving skills with the ability to break down complex, uncertain problems into achievable steps
• Ability to take ownership of technical challenges from investigation through to delivery
• Have excellent communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly
• Able to evaluate technical trade‑offs and select appropriate approaches
• Strong programming skills in Python, with experience in C++ for production or performance‑critical systems

Desirable Skills

Experience or familiarity with:

• Applying statistical modelling techniques, Bayesian inference, uncertainty estimation, probabilistic modelling, or state estimation methods to real‑world engineering problems
• Custom loss functions
• Action recognition
• Synthetic data
• Multi‑modal neural networks
• ML development tools including experiment tracking, dataset management, model evaluation, or CI/CD pipelines
• Automation of data processing, testing, training, or deployment workflows
• Experience using build systems such as CMake for cross‑platform C++ development

Person Attributes

• Is motivated by solving difficult technical challenges and delivering meaningful real‑world impact
• Takes ownership and creates structure, clarity, and momentum in ambiguous situations
• Has a methodical approach to experimentation, problem solving, and engineering delivery
• Works collaboratively while being capable of driving work independently
• Continuously looks for opportunities to improve tools, processes, and ways of working
• Naturally curious with a broad engineering mindset, able to explore different approaches and technologies to solve challenging problems

Work Life Balance

• 37.5 hour working week
• Lunchtime finishes on a Friday
• Hybrid / flexible working arrangements
• 28 days annual leave
• Christmas closure
• Holiday purchasing scheme

Benefits

• Group pension plan – matched contributions up to 5%
• Income protection scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme gives you and your family access to 4 key services including remote GP service, second opinion, mental health pathway service and physiotherapy consultations
• Life assurance policy, including bereavement counselling and probate helpline
• Company shares incentive plan and save as you earn scheme
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Wellbeing initiatives, including access to wellbeing app and the addition of mental health support for all employees. Plus, regular activities across our sites to support and promote wellbeing
• Regular sports and social activities
• Gym membership discounts
• Reward platform (high street discounts, employee benefits, health, and wellbeing offerings).
• Recruitment referral bonus scheme
• Excellent learning & development opportunities
• Great working environment with free, onsite car parking across all our locations

Security Clearance Requirements

Due to the nature of our business, our staff need to be able to obtain UK Security Clearance as a mandated requirement. Therefore, if successful, you will need to provide proof of identity, employment history and right to work in the UK, along with proof of UK residency for at least five years.