Science and Technology Lead - AI Hardware Systems

Department: Programmes

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: London

Compensation: £70,000 - £105,000 / year

Description Salary Levels: £70,000, £90,000, £105,000 (offers will be calibrated on benchmarked experience levels and assessment against our selection criteria)

Location: Kings X, London; Tues - Thurs (3 days) at HQ, Monday + Friday, anywhere

ARIA is a new R&D funding agency built to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK's world-class R&D in new ways so we can meet these head on. Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK's future generations? Whether that's a life‑changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role. If you want to help make breakthroughs like these possible, come and build ARIA with us.

Role Summary

As an ARIA Science and Technology Lead, you will have the rare chance to catalyse breakthroughs that could change the world. You'll sit alongside Programme Director Suraj Bramhavar and their Programme Specialist on ARIA's Scaling Compute programme (including the newly announced Scaling Inference Lab). You'll be exposed to every aspect of the programme's technical management from design through approval, project selection, and delivery. Your impact will extend beyond a single programme; you will play a key role in strengthening the wider Nature Computes Better opportunity space, with a deep, evolving understanding of programmes and projects over time. As Programme Directors join the opportunity space and new programmes are launched, you will surface insights that build on existing ARIA-funded technologies, accelerate discovery, and turn past lessons into future breakthroughs, maximising impact across the portfolio.

We're looking for an adaptable technical professional who's strongly motivated by the opportunity to catalyse a technological step change. You'll be working in a bold, talented & agile team, funding projects ('Creators') across the entire R&D ecosystem, from startups and universities, in the pursuit of groundbreaking advancements that will shape the future of science & technology.

What you'll do

• Technical Programme Advisory and Support
• Act as the technical lead, with the Programme Director and their Programme Specialist, to shape and deliver a bold programme of research aimed at reducing the cost of AI hardware by 1000x.
• Review project proposals, grant applications, assess technical milestones, and stay close to the ground on what's being built and tested by creator teams.
• Plan, lead, and contribute to technical discussions in project meetings, workshops, and formal reviews, bringing depth, challenge, and direction to every interaction.
• Provide evidence‑based technical insight to the Programme Director and the ARIA team to support high‑quality decisions and sharpen the programme's strategic direction.
• Confidently communicate complex scientific ideas surrounding the programme to stakeholders, from government and funders to key players across the ecosystem.
• Contribute your technical prowess in application areas for robot locomotion (e.g., inspection & maintenance, construction, etc.) and other cutting‑edge capabilities within the program, amplifying its overall effectiveness.
• Identify emerging trends and surface the most promising technologies, people, and ideas across the programme and its surrounding opportunity space.
• Co‑author white papers, open calls, and technical reviews that articulate the ambition of the programme and set a clear, compelling vision for external communities.
• Work closely with the Programme Specialist and creator teams to drive project delivery, tracking against ambitious technical milestones, benchmarking progress against the state of the art, and spotting opportunities for research cross‑pollination to sustain momentum.
• Provide continuity to the opportunity space, and maintain a deep understanding of past and present programmes, and creator projects, to help new Programme Directors build on what has worked, avoid what hasn't, and leverage existing technologies and insights.

Connecting the Programme to the Ecosystem

• Represent the programme, often on behalf of the Programme Director, at events, workshops and talks.
• Support the broader opportunity space by identifying and developing innovative ways to expand it, bringing in new ideas, talent, and opportunities that deliver long‑term value beyond the immediate needs of one programme.
• Build trusted relationships with world‑class researchers, labs, and founders working at the forefront of the programme's focus area, as well as the broader opportunity space.
• Work closely with ARIA's Activation Partners to ensure creator teams can access the right tools, platforms, and networks to accelerate translation and achieve impact beyond ARIA's direct reach.

Define and Cultivate ARIA's Technical Culture

• Collaborate across ARIA on funding models, budgets, tooling, and operational mechanisms to support effective, flexible funding and programme delivery.
• Contribute as a member of ARIA's team of Science and Technology Leads, sharing best practices and learnings between programmes to strengthen ARIA's overall portfolio of work.
• Identify opportunities to expand the opportunity space and build the connective tissue between adjacent spaces.
• Help build and sustain ARIA's scientific and operational culture.

Who you are

• You have first‑hand exposure to building/running modern AI models or building systems using those models.
• You have proven adept at learning new ideas/technologies extremely quickly, assessing their risks, and understanding how they may fit into or shift existing industries.
• You are familiar with a variety of programming languages/frameworks and have demonstrated proficiency with at least one.
• You have built something tangible yourself from start to finish in any engineering capacity that was used by someone other than yourself.
• You can uncover non‑obvious opportunities and risks, connecting teams, ideas, and research threads in novel ways that drive adoption and translation.
• Highly adaptable, you are okay with uncertainty and a fast‑paced environment.
• You comprehend and articulate complex concepts clearly and with conviction, think and communicate with structure, and interrogate ideas effectively.

Desirable Criteria

• You have hands‑on experience with the modern AI software stack (PyTorch/JAX/ CUDA/Triton/etc).
• You have a solid understanding of modern AI architectures (e.g., Transformers, Diffusion Models, etc.) and you can clearly articulate a view of existing system‑level performance limitations for each.
• You possess an understanding of the hardware technologies underpinning modern AI systems.
• You have a strong working knowledge of the UK R&D ecosystem.

Qualifications

• You have a Scientific qualification, with a preference for PhD or other deeper technical experience in one of the listed areas of interest, or similar; AI System Design.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings X, London

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests is intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process. Please note: You will be required, as and when necessary, to travel to different locations around the UK and internationally to support projects, depending on the Programme you are designated to. ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here.