Principal AI/ML Engineer-Technical Lead in Manchester

At SeeChange, we leverage AI to create transformative solutions that deliver positive impact on both retailers and customers, enabling a more secure, seamless, and efficient shopping experience. From loss prevention and product recognition to hazard detection and operational insights, we are scaling rapidly and investing heavily in our next-generation visual AI.

This is a pivotal role at the centre of our AI strategy, shaping how we turn production experience into high-performance, real-world systems at scale. We expect successful candidates to be architects who can design, build, and scale the "AI Factory" that powers our global solutions. We are seeking a "doer" at heart - a leader who will take absolute ownership of the entire AI lifecycle, from raw data ingestion to validated, production-ready models running at scale. The role is open to candidates with a work permit in the UK or Serbia.

Core Responsibilities:

• End-to-End Ownership
• Pipeline Mastery: Design and oversee the complete AI production cycle: automated raw data collection, intelligent data organisation, scalable labelling strategies, and high-performance training workflows. You are responsible for building the machinery that turns data into value.
• Industrial-Grade Delivery: Focus on production-ready Computer Vision solutions. You ensure that our models are not just "accurate in the lab" but optimised for real-world deployment with strict latency, resource, and reliability constraints.
• Authentic Innovation: Drive a scientific-oriented culture that goes beyond "copy-paste" from the internet. You lead the team in solving fundamental CV problems through original research and robust engineering.
• Cross-Team Synergy: Act as the strategic bridge between AI research, Core Engineering, and Product Management. You ensure that technical breakthroughs are seamlessly integrated into our commercial roadmap.

Leadership & Organisational Impact

• Unprecedented Autonomy: You will have the unique freedom to structure, organise, and manage the AI/ML team according to your own proven best practices.
• Culture of Continuous Growth: At SeeChange, we firmly believe that continuous company growth is only possible by actively nurturing our people. You will be directly responsible for orchestrating the professional and technical development of your team members, ensuring they constantly evolve.
• Limitless Personal Evolution: As you mentor and elevate your team, you will simultaneously be in a position to push the boundaries of your own expertise and career, growing to the absolute limits you set for yourself.
• Team Scaling & Recruitment: You will be responsible for the strategic growth of our AI/ML department. This includes identifying talent, hiring world-class engineers in both the UK and Serbia, and building a high-performance culture.
• Structural Excellence: You define how the team works internally. You will structure workflows, set standards for model and code quality and MLOps, and ensure the team is organised for maximum velocity and accountability. All this within the company's Agile methodology.

The Candidate: "The Architect & The Doer"

• Proven Track Record: You have verifiable references for delivering complex ML/CV products into production at a significant scale. You’ve seen systems break, and you know how to build them to last.
• Technical Deep-Dive: Deep expertise in Computer Vision (Object Detection, Segmentation, Tracking, Transformers). You are comfortable reviewing complex code and debugging training failures at the source.
• Engineering Depth: Strong proficiency in Python and C++. You understand systems programming and how to optimise pipelines for maximum throughput and minimal latency.
• Scientific Orientation: A PhD or Master’s in CS/ML or a related field, combined with the pragmatic mindset of an engineer who values delivery over theory.

Why join SeeChange

Working on AI/ML solutions for major brands, you will be part of a team with a global retail industry impact. We offer a competitive reimbursement package while respecting work-life balance. Your ideas will be heard, and successful initiatives will be rewarded.

If you are based in the UK or Serbia, we will be happy to learn more about you by having you apply and share your work experience with our hiring team.