Senior Machine Learning Scientist

Zendesk
City of London
3 months ago
Applications closed

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Senior Machine Learning Scientist

Senior Machine Learning Scientist

Senior Machine Learning Scientist

Senior Machine Learning Scientist

Senior Machine Learning Scientist

Senior Machine Learning Scientist - Search

Overview

The Agentic Tribe is revolutionizing the chatbot and voice assistance landscape with Gen3, a cutting-edge AI Agent system that is goal-oriented, dynamic, and truly conversational. Gen3 leverages a multi-agent architecture and advanced language models to deliver personalized and engaging user experiences, handling complex tasks and off-script inquiries in real time.


We are hiring a Senior Machine Learning Scientist for the AI Agent product at Zendesk. You will own a designated product area and help revolutionize how our customers experience our products. This is an opportunity to bridge cutting-edge ML research and real-world impact, shaping the product roadmap, discovering innovative ML applications, and collaborating with a talented cross-functional team.


Key responsibilities

  • You\'ll be part of a team responsible for designing and testing novel AI solutions for real business problems.


  • You\'ll own the full research projects end-to-end from understanding business requirements to design, implementation, experimentation and reporting.


  • You\'ll discuss your and others\' ideas in the research team regularly and provide peer review for colleagues\' work.


  • You\'ll keep up with the NLP and ML fields and literature and introduce new concepts discovered as potential solutions to our business problems.


  • You\'ll work closely with AI engineers helping them implement your designs into our production system.


  • You\'ll use suitable tools and technologies for rapid implementation and quickly testing your hypotheses while keeping in mind the requirements of future production implementation.


  • You\’ll collaborate with Product managers and other non-technical stakeholders to discover the product roadmap.



Who you are

  • Degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Engineering, Mathematics, or related fields.


  • Proven record of Machine Learning or NLP research, ideally in industry.


  • Knowledge of building deep learning neural network architectures, ideally with a focus on NLP.


  • Ability to implement ideas from research literature into proof-of-concept models.


  • Practical approach for researching machine learning solutions to business problems.


  • You have significant experience with LLMs and Prompt Engineering.


  • Bonus if you have experience with AI Agent Context Management.


  • Ideally experience with conversational AI and voice technologies, including text-to-speech (TTS) and speech-to-speech (STS).


  • A positive, proactive team player who is passionate about their craft, participates in product discussions, and cares about helping the team deliver.


  • Excellent communication skills and fluency in English.



How we measure success in this role

  • Alignment of your work with the overall product roadmap and strategic goals.


  • Effectiveness in collaborating with product managers, engineers, designers, and other stakeholders.


  • Discovery and ideation — the ability to identify new opportunities within the product area and to prioritize and champion these ideas.



The Interview Process

We are excited to learn more about you and want to be transparent about what you can expect from our interview process:



  1. Initial Call with Talent Team — 15 mins


  2. Interview with one member of the Hiring Team — 45 minutes


  3. Take-home technical/research challenge


  4. A technical interview with two of our scientists to discuss your technical experience and answer questions — 1 hour


  5. Final interview with two of the following: CTO or Engineering Manager/Director — 45 minutes



About Zendesk

Zendesk builds software for better customer relationships. It empowers organizations to improve customer engagement and understand their customers. Zendesk products are easy to use and implement, enabling organizations to move quickly, focus on innovation, and scale with growth.


More than 100,000 paid customer accounts in over 150 countries use Zendesk products. Based in San Francisco, Zendesk has operations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America.


Zendesk is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and is an equal opportunity employer. Individuals seeking employment are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.


By submitting your application, you agree that Zendesk may collect your personal data for recruiting, global organization planning, and related purposes. Zendesk\'s Candidate Privacy Notice explains what personal information Zendesk may process, where it may be processed, its purposes, and your rights regarding Zendesk’s use of your personal information.


Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed to provide a rich onsite experience while also offering flexibility to work remotely part of the week. The in-office schedule will be determined by the hiring manager.


The intelligent heart of customer experience


Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid approach enables in-person collaboration at Zendesk offices worldwide while also providing flexibility to work remotely.


Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer with ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about EEO rights, please click here. Zendesk makes reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans. If you require an accommodation to submit this application or participate in the process, please email with your request.


#J-18808-Ljbffr

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.

How Many AI Tools Do You Need to Know to Get an AI Job?

If you are job hunting in AI right now it can feel like you are drowning in tools. Every week there is a new framework, a new “must-learn” platform or a new productivity app that everyone on LinkedIn seems to be using. The result is predictable: job seekers panic-learn a long list of tools without actually getting better at delivering outcomes. Here is the truth most hiring managers will quietly agree with. They do not hire you because you know 27 tools. They hire you because you can solve a problem, communicate trade-offs, ship something reliable and improve it with feedback. Tools matter, but only in service of outcomes. So how many AI tools do you actually need to know? For most AI job seekers: fewer than you think. You need a tight core toolkit plus a role-specific layer. Everything else is optional. This guide breaks it down clearly, gives you a simple framework to choose what to learn and shows you how to present your toolset on your CV, portfolio and interviews.

What Hiring Managers Look for First in AI Job Applications (UK Guide)

Hiring managers do not start by reading your CV line-by-line. They scan for signals. In AI roles especially, they are looking for proof that you can ship, learn fast, communicate clearly & work safely with data and systems. The best applications make those signals obvious in the first 10–20 seconds. This guide breaks down what hiring managers typically look for first in AI applications in the UK market, how to present it on your CV, LinkedIn & portfolio, and the most common reasons strong candidates get overlooked. Use it as a checklist to tighten your application before you click apply.

The Skills Gap in AI Jobs: What Universities Aren’t Teaching

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept. It is already reshaping how businesses operate, how decisions are made, and how entire industries compete. From finance and healthcare to retail, manufacturing, defence, and climate science, AI is embedded in critical systems across the UK economy. Yet despite unprecedented demand for AI talent, employers continue to report severe recruitment challenges. Vacancies remain open for months. Salaries rise year on year. Candidates with impressive academic credentials often fail technical interviews. At the heart of this disconnect lies a growing and uncomfortable truth: Universities are not fully preparing graduates for real-world AI jobs. This article explores the AI skills gap in depth—what is missing from many university programmes, why the gap persists, what employers actually want, and how jobseekers can bridge the divide to build a successful career in artificial intelligence.