At a Glance
- Tasks: Build cutting-edge ML infrastructure for data generation and model training.
- Company: Stealth startup revolutionising AI and biology with a small, elite team.
- Benefits: 30 days annual leave, health cover, pension contributions, and flexible work locations.
- Other info: Dynamic environment with opportunities for growth and innovation.
- Why this job: Join a pioneering team and make a real impact in AI and bio.
- Qualifications: Experience in ML infrastructure, GPU clusters, and strong Python skills required.
The predicted salary is between 59400 - 72600 £ per year.
The opportunity
We're a stealth startup in AI and bio, building infrastructure for data generation. The team is small and elite, the problems are hard, and the foundations are being laid right now. Youʼd help write them from the first line, with real ownership and a direct line to the founders.
About us
AI for biology has a data problem. The data that matters most doesn't exist yet, so we're building the infrastructure to produce it, with quality and traceability built in from day one. We're in stealth and heads-down on execution. We'll share more about what we're building once you've spoken with the team.
The role
You will build the infrastructure for post-training and reinforcement learning, so that the team can post-train models, benchmark them, and build and train agents. That covers training and post-training runs, inference serving for open and closed models, the systems that run agents through our RL environments, the evaluation harnesses, and the data pipelines that feed them. The stack is used by researchers and by AI agents alike, so it needs clear interfaces that both can use to launch, monitor and debug runs. You will own each part of the stack end to end, from design and implementation through deployment, documentation and maintenance. You will set its engineering standards, including testing, observability and versioning, and find and remove bottlenecks across training, rollout generation, evaluation runs, data movement and GPU utilisation. Our data comes from our own experiments and continues to grow over time, so every training run and evaluation needs to be reproducible on each new version of the data and comparable with earlier runs. You will also improve the performance, scalability and reliability of the stack as the team and its workloads grow. You will report into the intelligence team and work closely with the RL, evaluation and Bio ML researchers and engineers, as well as with the software team responsible for capturing experimental data.
Who you are
You have built and operated infrastructure that researchers relied on for training, serving or reinforcement learning. A background in biology is not required.
- MUST HAVE
- Experience building infrastructure for LLM inference or RL training.
- Systems fundamentals, and the ability to profile a slow or failing workload down to its cause.
- Hands-on work with GPU clusters, distributed training, model serving or high-throughput inference, including scheduling, utilisation and cost.
- Docker, Kubernetes, Ray or Terraform, and long-running jobs with retries, checkpointing and clear failure reporting.
- Good judgement on technical trade-offs, such as when a quick prototype is enough and when a system needs to be hardened, simplified or rebuilt.
- Clear writing and communication about system design, operational risk and engineering trade-offs.
- Fluent Python and daily use of coding agents.
- NICE TO HAVE
- Inference engines such as SGLang or vLLM, and RL training frameworks such as veRL, Miles or TRL.
- Agent environment and evaluation frameworks such as Harbor.
- Sandboxed execution for agents, such as Firecracker or gVisor.
- Compilers, custom kernels or optimisation for specific GPU hardware.
- Data versioning and lineage for ML datasets.
- Experience building infrastructure for biological or other scientific data.
How we work
The role is based in London or San Francisco. We work in the open, write decisions down, and expect each person to own their area and make the calls inside it. Everyone gets 30 days of annual leave plus local public holidays. In the UK that comes with a pension with a 10% employer contribution and Bupa private health cover; in the US, a 401(k) with matching and health cover. We add to these as the team grows.
Our process
Four stages: a screening call, a behavioural interview, an in-person technical session with the team on a real problem from our work, and references. If you are not sure you fit, apply anyway. We are an equal opportunity employer. We make hiring decisions on merit, scope-fit, and the strength of the working relationship we expect to build with each hire. Applications welcome from candidates of any background.
Member of Technical Staff, ML Infrastructure in London employer: Stealth - AI x Bio
Substrate is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration at the intersection of AI and biology. Located in London, employees benefit from hands-on experience in cutting-edge molecular characterisation, with ample opportunities for professional growth as they contribute to pioneering automated lab solutions. The company prioritises quality and reproducibility, ensuring that every team member plays a vital role in shaping the future of biological data generation.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Member of Technical Staff, ML Infrastructure in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Stealth - AI x Bio or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Stealth - AI x Bio.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
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We think you need these skills to ace Member of Technical Staff, ML Infrastructure in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Stealth - AI x Bio.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Stealth - AI x Bio and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Stealth - AI x Bio
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Stealth - AI x Bio uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.