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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and deploy cutting-edge AI models to solve complex problems.
- Company: Well-funded AI startup with a team of top-tier talent.
- Benefits: Up to £300k base salary, significant equity, and in-office collaboration.
- Why this job: Tackle genuine research challenges and make an impact in AI production.
- Qualifications: 5+ years in AI/ML engineering, strong Python skills, and production experience.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team in London and shape the future of AI.
About Our Client
Our client is a very well-funded AI startup solving some of the hardest problems in production large language models. They are building systems that reliably handle complex, multi-step reasoning tasks at massive scale. Their team combines talent from top-tier quantitative trading firms, leading AI research labs, and Big Tech. Backed by tier-one venture capital, they ship fast, maintain exceptionally high technical standards, and operate as an in-office team in London.
The Role
They are hiring a Senior Research Engineer to build and deploy core AI models from conception through production. You will work on genuinely hard, unsolved problems: building LLMs that reason reliably across long contexts, maintain coherent state over extended interactions, and make sound decisions under uncertainty – all whilst serving millions of requests with strict latency requirements.
Hard Problems You’ll Tackle
- Multi-turn reasoning and memory – Models that maintain coherent state across complex, extended interactions
- Production reliability at scale – Consistent, accurate behaviour serving millions of daily requests with sub-second latency
- Novel post-training methods – Training approaches optimised for real-world task completion, not benchmarks
- Real-time evaluation and orchestration – Systems that monitor quality and adaptively route between models in production
- Long-horizon task decomposition – AI systems that autonomously break down and execute multi-step problems
What You’ll Bring
- 5+ years AI/ML engineering or research experience with production systems
- Hands-on post-training experience (RLHF, DPO, or similar) and deployed LLMs in production
- Strong Python and modern ML tooling (PyTorch/JAX, training infrastructure, evaluation pipelines)
- Track record shipping research from prototype to production impact
- Comfortable owning work end-to-end: architecture to data pipelines to production integration
Why Join
- Work on genuine research problems that ship to production within weeks
- Collaborate with exceptional engineers from elite quant firms, frontier AI labs, and top tech companies
- Own multi-quarter initiatives and shape the research roadmap
- Up to £300k base + significant equity
- In-office in London with some of Europe’s best AI talent
For more information, or a discreet chat regarding the market/similar roles, please get in touch: James@durlstonpartners.com
Senior Research Engineer in London employer: Durlston Partners
Contact Detail:
Durlston Partners Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Research Engineer in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the AI and ML space, especially those who work at startups or have connections to your target company. A friendly chat can open doors that a CV just can't.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! If you’ve got projects or research that demonstrate your expertise in production AI systems, share them. Whether it’s a GitHub repo or a blog post, let your work speak for itself.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview like it’s a big game! Research the company’s tech stack and be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their challenges. Practice explaining complex concepts simply – they’ll love that!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we’re always on the lookout for talent that fits our innovative culture.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Research Engineer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Senior Research Engineer role. Highlight your experience with AI/ML engineering, especially any hands-on work with production systems and LLMs. We want to see how your skills align with the hard problems we tackle!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about solving complex AI challenges and how your background makes you a perfect fit for our team. Let us know what excites you about working in an in-office environment in London.
Showcase Your Projects: If you've worked on relevant projects, make sure to showcase them! Whether it's a GitHub repo or a detailed description of your contributions, we love seeing real-world applications of your skills. This helps us understand your journey from prototype to production.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, it shows us you're keen to join our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Durlston Partners
✨Know Your Stuff
Make sure you brush up on the latest advancements in AI and ML, especially around large language models. Be ready to discuss your hands-on experience with post-training methods like RLHF or DPO, as well as any production systems you've worked on.
✨Showcase Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to tackle some of the hard problems mentioned in the job description. Think about how you would approach multi-turn reasoning or maintaining coherent state in AI models. Having a few examples from your past work can really help illustrate your thought process.
✨Demonstrate Technical Proficiency
Be ready to dive deep into your technical skills, particularly in Python and modern ML tools like PyTorch or JAX. You might be asked to explain your architecture choices or how you've integrated data pipelines in previous projects, so have those details at your fingertips.
✨Cultural Fit Matters
Since this is an in-office role, show that you're excited about collaborating with a team of top-tier talent. Share your thoughts on teamwork and how you’ve contributed to a positive work environment in the past. They want someone who can own initiatives and shape the research roadmap!
