Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Location: Bristol (20% onsite)

Duration: 6 month contract

Rate: £78ph LTD (Outside IR35)

Our client, a leader in the defence and security sector, is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to join their team on a contract basis. This role involves developing and deploying advanced machine learning models essential for secure, high-integrity systems and services across critical defence, government, and public sector programmes.

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• Design, build, and optimise machine learning models, including NLP, computer vision, and predictive analytics
  
• Own the ML lifecycle from data preparation through to training, evaluation, and deployment
  
• Implement and maintain MLOps workflows for continuous integration and delivery of ML models
  
• Collaborate with Data Engineers and DevOps teams to ensure production readiness and scalability
  
• Contribute to architecture decisions for ML pipelines and data flows
  
• Apply secure coding and configuration practices in line with compliance standards
  
• Mentor junior engineers and share best practices across the team
  
• Support innovation by researching emerging ML techniques and tools
  

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• Proven experience developing and deploying machine learning models in production environments
  
• Experience with the OpenCV framework and object detection models, including YOLO, RCNN, and Vision models
  
• Proficiency in optical flow and object tracking for video analysis
  
• Solid knowledge of Optical Character Recognition (OCR) models and fine‑tuning with custom datasets
  
• Understanding of accuracy measurement metrics like Character Error Rate (CER) and Word Error Rate (WER)
  
• Proficiency in Python and ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch)
  
• Understanding of ML architectures, hyperparameter tuning, and performance optimisation
  
• Experience with MLOps tools and CI/CD pipelines
  
• Familiarity with data engineering concepts (ETL, data pipelines, SQL)
  
• Ability to analyse complex data and communicate insights effectively
  
• Strong problem‑solving skills and attention to detail
  
• Excellent collaboration and stakeholder engagement skills
  

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• ML Development Expertise: Hands‑on experience building and deploying ML models
  
• Lifecycle Ownership: Ability to manage ML workflows from design to production
  
• Tool Proficiency: Skilled in Python, ML frameworks, and MLOps tooling
  
• Data Engineering Awareness: Understanding of data pipelines, warehousing, and integration
  
• Governance & Compliance: Familiarity with secure coding and quality assurance standards
  
• Collaboration & Mentoring: Ability to work across teams and support junior engineers
  
• Continuous Improvement: Commitment to learning and applying emerging ML techniques
  

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• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS) and containerisation (such as Docker, Podman, Kubernetes)
  
• Experience working in secure or regulated environments
  
• Exposure to big data technologies (Spark, Hadoop) and Apache tools
  
• Familiarity with Agile and DevOps practices
  
• Industry certifications (e.g., TensorFlow Developer, AWS Machine Learning Specialty)
  
• Knowledge of NLP, computer vision, and deep learning architectures
  
• STEM degree or equivalent experience in AI, Data Science, or related fields
  

If you are ready to take ownership of machine learning solutions that underpin secure, high‑integrity systems and services, and lead in solving customer problems in an agile, innovative, and team‑centric manner, we would love to hear from you. Apply now to join our client's Cyber & Security Solutions Division team in Bristol.