Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Who you are

• We are looking for an experienced senior machine learning engineer who has a passion for our mission in reducing global health inequalities to join our team.
• If you have a deep understanding of machine learning concepts and techniques and enjoy working on complex problems and making impactful contribution.
• Continuous learning and tackling challenging problems will further hone your skills, keeping you at the forefront of the rapidly evolving field of machine learning
• Advanced degree (MSc or PhD) in a quantitative field such as machine learning, data science, computer science, statistics, engineering or mathematics
• Strong Python and SQL skills with a grounding in software engineering best practices
• In-depth understanding of a deep learning framework such as PyTorch, TensorFlow or JAX
• Strong knowledge of modern natural language processing techniques, large language and transformer models, and libraries such as Hugging Face, VLLM and LangChain
• Proven experience owning the development of large scale, high impact machine learning solutions from initial experimentation through to deployment
• Strong knowledge of data science libraries such as Polars, Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn
• Knowledge of MLOps tooling such as Weights & Biases, AirFlow, AWS SageMaker or Docker
• Experience working with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure or GCP
• Experience working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team

What the job involves

• You will have the opportunity to work on and lead specific machine learning projects across Wellcome Trust with particular emphasis on working with open-source software to develop natural language processing and computer vision to create search algorithms and tools
• Identify opportunities where machine learning can help Wellcome make better decisions
• Translate business problems to data science tasks and present complex results to stakeholders
• Develop and evaluate machine learning models with an emphasis on natural language processing
• Collaborate on a cross-functional team, sharing ideas, knowledge and reviewing code
• Maintaining and improving our internal data pipelines and machine learning tooling
• Contribute to a diverse and inclusive culture across both the department and the organisation

The application process

• Closing date: Tuesday 8 September 2026
• Interviews: w/c 21 September 2026

Benefits

• Holiday – 25 days’ holiday a year plus bank holidays (and we usually close between Christmas and New Year)
• Pension (defined contribution plan) – you contribute at least 3% and we pay in 15% of your salary
• Income protection – to maintain your income if you have a prolonged illness or disability
• Life assurance – four to six times your basic salary if you’re a member of our pension plan
• Interest-free travel season ticket loan
• Private medical insurance – we pay the cover, you pay the tax (and you can pay to add dependants)
• Gym and fitness classes – free membership to on-site gym and subsidised fitness classes and treatments
• Employee assistance programme – free, independent 24/7 help and advice for work-related issues as well as problems affecting your home life
• Mental health support – our network of mental health first aiders can be a first point of contact, or help while you're receiving professional help
• Health assessments (free and voluntary) – after you’ve been here for one year, then every two years after that
• Occupational health – annual eye tests and flu jabs, as well as job-related vaccinations
• Flexible working – we make every effort to support flexible working, including flexible working hours and remote working (we respect people's different working preferences and the need for a healthy work-life balance)
• Flexi-leave scheme – you can buy or sell up to five days of your holiday entitlement a year
• Staff social club – a range of sports teams and fun events throughout the year
• Volunteering – we give you up to four days' paid leave a year to contribute to our local community
• Give As You Earn – allows you to make tax-free donations to the charities you care about
• Cycle-to-work scheme – we offer at least 25% discount on bikes and cycling equipment and we have secure cycle storage, lockers and showers
• Subsidised restaurant and cafe
• Wellcome Collection discounts – 20% off food, drink and gifts from our cafe, restaurant and shop
• Discounts through Perkbox – shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, phone insurance and gift cards