Senior Data Scientist & Machine Learning Researcher

At Raytheon UK, we take immense pride in being a leader in defence and aerospace technology. As an employer, we are dedicated to fuelling innovation, nurturing talent, and fostering a culture of excellence. Joining our team means being part of an organisation that shapes the future of national security whilst investing in your growth and personal development. We provide a collaborative environment, abundant opportunities for professional development, and a profound sense of purpose in what we do.

About the role

This role is within the Strategic Research Group (SRG). The SRG are a team of Data Science, Machine Learning and AI specialists who develop novel AI solutions to mission focused problems. In this role you will be responsible for the technical development and leadership of AI/ML projects from initial idea scoping right through to final project delivery both in customer and internal domains. You will demonstrate novel thinking and propose new ideas for solving challenging problems while mentoring others on your project team to deliver towards your proposed solution.

Skills and Experience Requirements

• BSc in Machine Learning, Data Science, Computer Science, Mathematics or related field.
• Experience coding in Python and associated ML packages (HuggingFace, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Have an established track record of delivering ML solutions to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Demonstrate deep understanding of AI/ML algorithms for different data types and tasks including Generative AI, NLP and computer vision, sufficient to be able to undertake research and development beyond existing literature.
• Experience of training and developing AI models including Large Language Models.
• Ability to produce high-quality scientific writing for internal & external stakeholders as well as academic publications.
• Problem solve with autonomy.
• Be a self-starter, being pro‑active in finding solutions.
• Experience of mentoring other team members and undertaking technical leadership on small projects or sub‑parts of larger deliveries.

Desirable

• PhD or Masters degree highlighting experience of academic research.
• Experience using robust ML pipelines, appropriate version control and environment management (such as venvs or Docker).
• Working knowledge of Linux systems, using basic command‑line functionality (e.g. AWS CLI, Docker CLI, Linux commands like ssh, ls, cd).
• Experience of deploying AI models in a scalable way for external users.
• Experience working in Cloud, especially AWS but also equivalents such as GCP or Azure.
• Research publications in peer reviewed journals.
• Comfortable following agile processes for project delivery.
• Experience of delivering AI/ML projects in defence or government.
• Existing network of contacts across defence and government.
• Experience of writing technical project proposals.

Responsibilities

• Develop complex, novel data science solutions, contributing significantly to machine learning projects with minimal guidance.
• Brings experience in scoping, designing, and delivering data‑centric solutions while working collaboratively across disciplines.
• Undertake research and applied AI/ML tasks on both customer and internal research projects.
• Provide technical leadership in small project groups.
• Generate ideas for new research directions.
• Advise on suitability of group research ideas based on previous experience.
• Mentor more junior team members within their project team and the wider SRG.
• Deliver AI/ML/Data Science solutions to broad range of problems in defence.
• Work with customers and internal stakeholders to determine appropriate technical approaches and do the technical development required for delivery.
• Excellent communication skills, prepared to present and undertake practical demonstrations of work internally in the team and to senior stakeholders with adaptability to audiences of different levels of technical expertise.

Benefits and Work Culture

Benefits

• Competitive salaries.
• 25 days holiday + statutory public holidays, plus opportunity to buy and sell up to 5 days (37hr).
• Contributory Pension Scheme (up to 5% company contribution).
• Company bonus scheme (discretionary).
• 6 times salary 'Life Assurance' with pension.
• Flexible Benefits scheme with extensive salary sacrifice schemes, including Health Cashplan, Dental, and Cycle to Work amongst others.
• Enhanced sick pay.
• Enhanced family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, paternity & shared parental leave.
• Car / Car allowance (dependant on grade/ role).
• Private Medical Insurance (dependant on grade).

Work Culture

• 37hr working week, although hours may vary depending on role, job requirement or site‑specific arrangements.
• Early 1.30pm finish Friday, start your weekend early!
• Remote, hybrid and site based working opportunities, dependant on your needs and the requirements of the role.
• A grownup flexible working culture that is output, not time spent at desk, focused.
• More formal flexible working arrangements can also be requested and assessed subject to the role.
• Up to 5 paid days volunteering each year.