Technical Specialist - Cyber-Physical Multi-Agent Systems

Department: Programmes

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Location: London

Reporting To: Alex Obadia

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

Description

Salary Levels: c.£70,000, c.£90,000, c.£105,000 (eventual offers will be based on benchmarked experience levels in combination with our selection criteria)

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

Employment Type: Full-time

Contract: 3 years fixed-term (with the possibility for extension)

ARIA is a new kind of R&D funding agency. 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.

We are growing our team to develop bold new approaches that can scale – from programmes to systems, processes and everything in between. If that sounds fun, come and build ARIA with us.

Role Summary

As an ARIA Technical Specialist, you will have the rare chance to catalyse breakthroughs that could change the world. You will sit alongside the Programme Director, Alex Obadia, as well as the rest of the team in ARIA’s Trust Everything, Everywhere opportunity space – Sarath Murugan, Edith Clare-Hall, Nicola Greco – working on an emergent programme in this space. You will be exposed to every aspect of the programme's technical management from design through approval, project selection, and delivery.

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 to universities, in the pursuit of groundbreaking advancements that will shape the future of science & technology.

What you will do

• Act as the technical lead, with the Programme Director and their Programme Specialist, to shape and deliver a bold programme of research aimed at enabling AI agents, both embodied and digital, to coordinate with one another in untrusted settings.
• 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.
• 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.
• Be the technical bridge between the Programme Director and functional teams, ensuring execution aligns with the needs of the ecosystem's understanding of the programme.
• Represent the programme, often on behalf of the Programme Director, at events, workshops and talks.
• Build trusted relationships with world-class researchers, labs, and founders working at the forefront of the programme’s focus area.
• 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.
• 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 Technical Specialists (‘T-Specs’), sharing best practices and learnings between programmes to strengthen ARIA’s portfolio of work.
• Help build and sustain ARIA’s scientific and operational culture.

Who you are

Essential Criteria

• You have strong technical foundations in mathematics, physics, or engineering that allow you to rapidly learn and adapt to new scientific and technical areas, comprehending key components of new disciplines from first principles.
• You have a hacker-like, DIY mindset; a tinkerer by nature, can prototype quickly, and red-team effectively.
• Entrepreneurial, you understand that the impact generated is more important than accolades or following a set process and are willing to start new initiatives and think outside of the box.
• Independent, you have the ability and track record to reliably take on a project from start to completion, manage it, self-impose standards of excellence, raising your hand when help is needed.
• You are hungry and ambitious; on a team level, pushing us to think hard about the biggest things we can achieve and ensuring we aim for the moon; on a personal level, setting big goals for yourself that we can help you achieve and support you in.
• You can uncover non-obvious opportunities and risks, connecting teams, ideas, and research threads in novel ways that drive adoption and translation.
• You comprehend and articulate complex technical concepts and timelines clearly and with conviction, think and communicate with structure, and interrogate ideas effectively.
• Highly adaptable, you are okay with uncertainty and a fast-paced environment.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in embodied AI, and/or AI games, and/or game theory.
• Experience in physical-world fields, e.g. biology, quantum, neuroscience, robotics.
• Practical experience in engineering, startups, or other industry environments.
• AI-curious at the very least; ideally you’ve worked with/on AI already, or have thought deeply about the implications of AI on the world.
• You are obsessed about niche technologies, future technologies, and the future itself.
• You’re a creator, with evidence of turning their passions into something tangible—whether it’s a company, an open-source project, a personal blog/podcast, or a thriving community.
• You have successfully performed technical assignments that require unconventional or novel approaches.
• You are skilled in identifying technical bottlenecks, risk analysis and resolution, tracking technical milestones, and reporting on complex technical projects.
• You have a strong working knowledge of the UK R&D ecosystem and how to activate relevant parts of it.

Qualifications

You have a Scientific qualification, with a preference for PhD in Physics/Maths/Engineering or other deep technical experience in one of the listed areas of interest, or similar; AI security, embodied AI, algorithmic game theory, etc.

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

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to this, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.

Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.

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.