AI Tech Lead

Lead Technologist - Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Location: Great Baddow (Hybrid - 2 days onsite per week)
Salary: Up to £90,000 + Benefits

The Opportunity

A leading digital intelligence organisation is seeking a Lead Technologist to join their rapidly growing Data and Decision Support capability. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), delivering impactful solutions across defence, security, space, and commercial sectors.
You'll play a pivotal role in shaping and guiding innovative AI/ML projects while mentoring colleagues, engaging with customers, and driving forward research collaborations with academic and industry partners.

About the Role

You will be responsible for:

• Leading the technical delivery of large-scale AI projects.
• Preparing and assuring technical reports, proposals, and supporting material.
• Driving novel research and developing partnerships with universities and industry.
• Presenting research topics to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Mentoring junior colleagues and providing technical assurance on bids and project outputs.

• PhD in a relevant discipline with 10+ years' demonstrable AI/ML experience in academia or industry (defence sector experience desirable).
• Proven track record of leading R&D teams (minimum of 5 developers).
• Strong background in engineering assurance and proposal writing (eg, Dstl, NS, EPSRC).
• Expertise in at least one of the following areas, with broad knowledge across AI/ML:
• AI/ML for imagery (including remote sensing applications)
• Reinforcement learning
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Large Language Models (LLMs)
• Knowledge graphs and graph-based neural networks
• AI/ML for RF, EW, radar, sonar, or acoustics
• Autonomy

• Evidence of publication in relevant journals and conferences.

• Work on cutting-edge AI/ML projects with real-world impact.
• Hybrid working model (2 days onsite per week).
• Salary up to £90,000 + excellent benefits.
• Inclusive, collaborative culture with strong career development support.