Senior Machine Learning Engineer in Oxford

Viridien is an advanced technology, digital and Earth data company that pushes the boundaries of science for a more prosperous and sustainable future. With our ingenuity, drive and deep curiosity we discover new insights, innovations, and solutions that efficiently and responsibly resolve complex natural resource, digital, energy transition and infrastructure challenges.

We’re seeking a versatile Senior Machine Learning Engineer with strong data engineering instincts and a passion for production-grade AI systems. You'll play a pivotal role across the AI development lifecycle — from data ingestion to deployment — ensuring our models are reliable, reproducible, and impactful.

You’ll be joining a dynamic, globally AI team driving the application of Large Language Models (LLMs) and agentic workflows into our digital solutions. Our mission is to translate the latest advancements in AI into real business impact.

Key Responsibilities

• LLM/NLP Model Development
• Deploy and fine tune LLMs models for domain-specific tasks.
• Build evaluation infrastructure and benchmarking pipelines to compare model performance across multiple datasets and tasks.
• Apply reinforcement learning, knowledge representation, and automated decision-making to solve complex problems end-to-end.
• Data Infrastructure
• Collaborate with Data Scientist to build and own data pipelines for ingestion, transformation, versioning, and labelling.
• Ensure robust, reproducible data loops to power iterative development.
• AI Workflow Design & Orchestration
• Orchestrate multiple models to deliver SOTA results.
• Partner with Production team, Software Engineers to bring AI solutions into real-world products.
• Architect and orchestrate multi-model agentic workflows (function calling, tool usage, RAG, and code interpreters) and integrate them into production systems.
• Leadership
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

Qualifications:

• Required:
• Master’s or Ph.D in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or other related technical disciplines.
• Strong programming skills within one or more of these development languages - C / C++ / R / Java / Python.
• Advanced understanding of LLM and VLM architecture, post-training methods (fine-tuning, RL), and evaluation pipelines.
• Experience in data and system engineering for large-scale model workflows.
• Proven experience with deep learning frameworks and usage of DL libraries (TensorFlow/PyTorch).
• Fluent with at least one of the following tools: Cursor, Windsurf, Trae, Gemini CLI, Claude Code, or Codex (or similar).
• Experience in applying, fine-tune, optimize and deploy LLMs to industrial-level real user case is a plus.
• Passion and aptitude for programming and technology.
• Enthusiasm for analytical and problem-solving challenges.
• Strong enterprise project experience with Machine Learning and AI.
• Ability to define and manage project deadlines and balance workloads across a wide variety of projects.
• Effective communication skills to keep all stakeholders regularly informed on progress.
• Enthusiastic attitude towards learning and flexibility to adapt to new challenges or changes in direction.

Why work with us

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
• Highly attractive bonus scheme.
• Initial 22 days annual leave with future increases, complemented by a flexible buying and selling holiday program.
• Hybrid working with two days at home, flexible working.
• Company pension with generous employer contribution.
• Wellbeing Unmind app – puts you in control of your mental health.
• A flexible benefits platform with numerous discount schemes - gym membership, restaurants, cinema tickets, and more.
• Cycle purchase scheme.
• Flexible Private Medical & Dental care programmes.
• Bank Holiday Swap - our holiday swap program allows you to change it for another day of your choice!
• Relaxed dress code policy.

At Viridien, we are committed to delivering a respectful, inclusive, and transparent recruitment experience. Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may not be able to provide individual feedback to every applicant. Only candidates whose qualifications closely match the role criteria will be contacted for an interview. We do, however, aim to share personalized feedback with those who progress to the first round of interviews and beyond. We are also dedicated to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible to all. If you require any reasonable adjustments to fully participate in the application or interview stages, please don’t hesitate to contact your recruiter directly. We see things differently. Diversity fuels our innovation, we value the unique ways in which we differ, and we are committed to equal employment opportunities for all professionals.

Location: Crawley, United Kingdom
Type: Full time