At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead groundbreaking AI research and shape the future of machine learning systems.
- Company: A1, a forward-thinking tech company revolutionising AI technology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team focused on cutting-edge technology and high-impact decisions.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in AI by defining innovative research directions.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in machine learning and a passion for real-world applications.
The predicted salary is between 120000 - 150000 £ per year.
About the Role
A1 is building a proactive AI system that goes beyond responding to prompts - it maintains context across conversations, plans actions, and carries work forward over time. You will own the research and intelligence direction of this system. Your role is to define how AI reasons, evaluates, and improves in a product used with high frequency.
What You'll Do
- Set and evolve the research direction for A1's core intelligence, including context representation, memory, reasoning, planning, and orchestration.
- Decide when to design new model architectures versus adapting or leveraging frontier open-source or commercial models.
- Define evaluation frameworks that measure real-world usefulness, robustness, safety, and long-term behavior - not benchmark vanity.
- Own alignment, safety, and guardrail strategy as first-class product concerns.
- Guide exploration of frontier techniques such as:
- retrieval-augmented training
- mixture-of-experts
- distillation
- multi-agent orchestration
- multimodal systems
Requirements
- Deep experience building or evolving real machine learning systems used in production.
- Strong technical judgment around model behavior, failure modes, and long-horizon trade-offs.
- A builder's mindset: you care about systems that work in the real world, not just ideas.
- Comfortable making irreversible or high-impact decisions with incomplete information.
- Obsession with evaluation, correctness, and how systems behave over time.
- High ownership mentality - you operate as a founder, not a manager. If you are looking to focus primarily on publishing, incremental benchmarks, or managing a large research organization, this role will not be a fit.
Tech Stack
- Python
- PyTorch / JAX
- GPU-based training
VP of Research, Machine Learning | London, UK employer: Bjak Sdn Bhd
Contact Detail:
Bjak Sdn Bhd Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land VP of Research, Machine Learning | London, UK
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with people on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your expertise! Create a portfolio or blog where you share insights about machine learning, research projects, or even your thoughts on the latest trends. This not only showcases your knowledge but also makes you memorable to potential employers.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by diving deep into the company’s products and their tech stack. Be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their goals, especially around AI reasoning and evaluation frameworks. We want to see that you’re genuinely interested!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team and contributing to cutting-edge AI research.
We think you need these skills to ace VP of Research, Machine Learning | London, UK
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV reflects the specific skills and experiences that align with the VP of Research role. Highlight your deep experience in machine learning systems and any relevant projects that showcase your builder's mindset.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Use your cover letter to tell us why you're passionate about AI and how your vision aligns with our goals at StudySmarter. Share examples of your past work that demonstrate your technical judgment and ownership mentality.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t shy away from detailing your technical expertise, especially in Python, PyTorch, or JAX. We want to see how you’ve applied these skills in real-world scenarios, so be specific about your contributions and outcomes.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity to shape the future of AI with us!
How to prepare for a job interview at Bjak Sdn Bhd
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you’re well-versed in the latest trends and techniques in machine learning. Brush up on context representation, memory, and reasoning, as these are key areas for the role. Be ready to discuss your past experiences with real-world ML systems and how they relate to A1's goals.
✨Show Your Builder's Mindset
This role is all about practical application, so come prepared to share examples of how you've built or evolved ML systems in production. Highlight your problem-solving skills and how you’ve tackled challenges in previous projects. They want to see that you care about systems that work, not just theoretical ideas.
✨Prepare for High-Stakes Decisions
You’ll need to demonstrate your comfort with making irreversible decisions based on incomplete information. Think of scenarios where you had to make tough calls and be ready to explain your thought process. This will show them you have the right mindset for a high-impact role.
✨Emphasise Evaluation and Safety
Since alignment and safety are crucial, be prepared to discuss your approach to evaluation frameworks. Talk about how you measure real-world usefulness and robustness in your projects. Showing an obsession with correctness and long-term behaviour will resonate well with their expectations.