Senior Machine Learning Research Engineer

Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Cambridge
7 hours ago
Create job alert
Closing Date: 29 March 2026

Salary: £64,490 - £86,255

Location: Cambridge - Triangle/Hybrid (2 days per week in the office) 

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full Time (35 hours per week)

 
Shape the future of AI-powered learning solutions with Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation, and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

This is an exciting opportunity for Machine Learning Research Engineers to join our innovative Applied AI team. You'll contribute to developing, deploying, and maintaining cutting-edge AI capabilities that drive the success of Cambridge English's products and services. 

About the Role 

As a Senior Machine Learning Research Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in driving innovation and advancing AI-powered solutions that enhance Cambridge English products. Your expertise will contribute to the continuous improvement of existing models and the development of cutting-edge technologies that address future business needs. 

Key Responsibilities: 

  • Technical lead in designing full-cycle AI solutions, including data collection and pipelines for reusable analysis, and monitoring and maintenance regimes for continuous development. 
  • Research, develop, deploy, and maintain scalable AI-powered solutions for Cambridge English products. 
  • Estimate time, cost and outcomes of technical solutions, and manage risks to ensure prompt delivery.
  • Collaborate with product, validation, and business teams to transform capabilities into impactful product features, while setting appropriate expectations.
  • Plan work and resources, including adoption of new tools, to ensure that the machine learning team stay at the forefront of AI and machine learning trends and position Cambridge as a leader in AI-driven. 
  • Mentor junior team members. 
 

About You 

To thrive in this role, you'll have a passion for AI-driven innovation and the ability to turn ideas into scalable solutions. 

Essential Qualifications & Skills: 

  • Master's degree (or equivalent qualification and experience) in machine learning or AI/computer science with substantial machine learning component.
  • Proven hands-on industry experience (minimum 5 years, not including internships) in designing, developing, and deploying machine learning solutions in production environments. 
  • Strong track record of successfully translating academic research into real-world applications and products. 
  • Ability to estimate suitability of candidate ML, NLP, LLM, and GenAI technologies for specific scenarios, estimate the time, cost and outcomes of different solutions, and apply effective risk management to ensure prompt delivery 
  • Deep experience in Python and PyTorch/TensorFlow. 
  • Industry experience in building scalable, production-grade AI services and automated data pipelines with tools like Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms (e.g., AWS). 
  • Proven ability to collaborate effectively in Agile/Scrum teams and contribute to cross-functional projects. 
  • Exceptional communication skills for articulating complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, translating business requirements into technical solutions. 
  • Proactiveness in communicating issues and suggesting solutions. 
  • Stay current with state-of-the-art research and applying emerging AI techniques to solve business problems. 
  • Ability to supervise a sub-team and mentor junior colleagues (can be developed on-the-job). 

Desirable: 

  • PhD degree or equivalent qualifications and experience in computer science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or a closely related field. 
  • Experience in applying Natural Language Processing and/or Speech Technology techniques to solve real-world problems. 
  • Experience in applying machine learning to educational assessment and learning solutions 
  • Experience in leading research initiatives, contributing to patents, or publishing papers in machine learning or related AI fields. 
 

Rewards and benefits

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package, featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including:

  • 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
  • Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
  • Discretionary annual bonus
  • Group personal pension scheme
  • Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
  • Green travel schemes
We are a hybrid working organisation, and we offer a range of flexible working options from day one. We expect most hybrid-working colleagues to spend 40-60% of their time at their dedicated office or location. We will also consider other work arrangements if you wish to work more flexibly or require adjustments due to a disability.

 

Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now. 

We review applications on an ongoing basis, with a closing date for all applications being 29 March although we may close it earlier if suitable candidates are identified. We'll set up interviews on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for.

 

Why join us

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You'll belong to a collaborative team that's exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration. 

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it's safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Jobs Careers

AI Jobs for Career Switchers in Their 30s, 40s & 50s (UK Reality Check)

Changing career into artificial intelligence in your 30s, 40s or 50s is no longer unusual in the UK. It is happening quietly every day across fintech, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, government & professional services. But it is also surrounded by hype, fear & misinformation. This article is a realistic, UK-specific guide for career switchers who want the truth about AI jobs: what roles genuinely exist, what skills employers actually hire for, how long retraining really takes & whether age is a barrier (spoiler: not in the way people think). If you are considering a move into AI but want facts rather than Silicon Valley fantasy, this is for you.

Jobs

How to Write an AI Job Ad That Attracts the Right People

Artificial intelligence is now embedded across almost every sector of the UK economy. From fintech and healthcare to retail, defence and climate tech, organisations are competing for AI talent at an unprecedented pace. Yet despite the volume of AI job adverts online, many employers struggle to attract the right candidates. Roles are flooded with unsuitable applications, while highly capable AI professionals scroll past adverts that feel vague, inflated or disconnected from reality. In most cases, the issue isn’t a shortage of AI talent — it’s the quality of the job advert. Writing an effective AI job ad requires more care than traditional tech hiring. AI professionals are analytical, sceptical of hype and highly selective about where they apply. A poorly written advert doesn’t just fail to convert — it actively damages your credibility. This guide explains how to write an AI job ad that attracts the right people, filters out mismatches and positions your organisation as a serious employer in the AI space.

Education Jobs

Maths for AI Jobs: The Only Topics You Actually Need (& How to Learn Them)

If you are a software engineer, data scientist or analyst looking to move into AI or you are a UK undergraduate or postgraduate in computer science, maths, engineering or a related subject applying for AI roles, the maths can feel like the biggest barrier. Job descriptions say “strong maths” or “solid fundamentals” but rarely spell out what that means day to day. The good news is you do not need a full maths degree worth of theory to start applying. For most UK roles like Machine Learning Engineer, AI Engineer, Data Scientist, Applied Scientist, NLP Engineer or Computer Vision Engineer, the maths you actually use again & again is concentrated in a handful of topics: Linear algebra essentials Probability & statistics for uncertainty & evaluation Calculus essentials for gradients & backprop Optimisation basics for training & tuning A small amount of discrete maths for practical reasoning This guide turns vague requirements into a clear checklist, a 6-week learning plan & portfolio projects that prove you can translate maths into working code.

🍪 We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience on our website. By continuing to use this site, you consent to the use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. You can review our Cookie Policy for more information.