Software Engineer

National Composites Centre; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in composites manufacturing is seeking a Software Engineer specializing in Artificial Intelligence. This role focuses on evaluating and implementing large language models to enhance manufacturing processes. Candidates should have strong programming skills in Python and a background in NLP techniques. The position offers hybrid working, competitive salary, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

Private medical insurance

Up to 12.5% employer pension contribution

Focus on wellbeing and professional development

Qualifications

• Experience with large language model development.
• Strong programming skills in Python.
• Knowledge of NLP techniques including tokenisation and transformers.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and implement large language models for manufacturing.
• Design and develop NLP applications using Python.
• Work in an Agile environment through the software development lifecycle.

Skills

Statistical analysis

Programming in Python

NLP techniques

Large language models

Data processing

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, or related fields

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

AWS

Google Cloud

Azure

Job description

Bristol based with Hybrid working (minimum 2 days per week in office)

Salary: £55,782 to £65,420 (experience dependent) plus pension, private medical & other benefits

Visa Sponsorship: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this position.

Security Clearance: You will be required to achieve MoD security clearance.

Summary

Software Engineer – Artificial Intelligence Developer

We require an experienced software engineer with good statistical analysis skills and practical experience of implementing large language models. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone interested in assessing and evaluating a range of Artificial Intelligence models for use in practical manufacturing.

You’ll focus on the analysis and evaluation of a range of open-source Large Language Models (LLM), to evaluate which will be most useful. You will then be responsible for designing, developing, and optimising large language models applications.

You will have a variety of stakeholders in the enterprise and engineering teams at the NCC. You will work closely with our research and engineering teams to create state-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) solutions that drive our products and services.

Activities

As well as evaluating existing open-source large language models, you will support the design and development of applications, involving programming using Python.

You’ll work through the full software development lifecycle: designing, coding, testing, and supporting implementations. You’ll work in an Agile environment, using modern DevOps practices and continuously developing our software engineering practices.

Security considerations will be important; awareness of secure-by-design principles and modern cybersecurity practices in software development would be advantageous.

Specific activities may include:

• Optimising and fine-tuning models for performance, accuracy, and efficiency.
• Developing multi-agent, multi-modal systems interpreting images, video, robotic motion, and sensor outputs.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to integrate language models into applications.
• Implementing and maintaining scalable NLP pipelines.
• Documenting development processes and results.
• Analyzing application performance, providing insights and recommendations for improvements.
• Conducting research to stay updated with advancements in NLP and machine learning.

Candidate Profile

We are prioritising applications with backgrounds in Defence, Engineering, or Manufacturing. Relevant experience includes:

• Proven experience as a software engineer with knowledge of large language model development.
• Practical experience implementing large language or machine learning models within an organisation.
• Strong programming skills in Python and familiarity with frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch.
• In-depth knowledge of NLP techniques, including tokenisation, embeddings, transformers, and attention mechanisms.
• Good statistical/data skills, especially with large-scale data processing and distributed computing.

Desirable qualifications include:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, or related fields.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.
• Contributions to open-source NLP projects or publications in top-tier conferences/journals.

What We Offer

Hybrid and flexible working, annual salary reviews, private medical insurance, up to 12.5% employer pension contribution, and a focus on wellbeing, EDI, and professional development. Join a thriving R&D facility with a bright future.

For questions or to discuss your application, contact Suzi Fox in the recruitment team on LinkedIn.

About The Company

We value diversity and encourage applications from underrepresented groups. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment and making hiring decisions free from discrimination. Flexible working requests are welcome and will be considered carefully.

Why Choose The NCC?

We see our success in yours. The future of composites manufacturing relies on the NCC, and we rely on talented individuals to make it happen, across all roles.

Diverse challenges – working across over 16 sectors and with various clients, from private ventures to global tier 1 companies.

Innovation – leading research and development, bringing novel solutions to industry with a focus on the future.

Development and growth – our ethos of continuous learning, development, and flexible working.

We look forward to hearing from you. #fulltime