Technical Specialist - Cyber-Physical Multi-Agent Systems

Advanced Research & Invention Agency; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - GBP 105,000; Full time

Job summary

A cutting-edge research agency in London is seeking a Technical Specialist to lead groundbreaking research in AI and multi-agent systems. The role involves technical advisory, project evaluation, and ecosystem collaboration. Ideal candidates have strong technical backgrounds in engineering or math, with a PhD preferred. This position offers a chance to impact significant advancements in technology and research while working in a dynamic team environment. Competitive salary and hybrid working arrangements are provided.

Benefits

27 days annual leave

Hybrid working arrangements

Learning and development opportunities

Enhanced family leave arrangements

24/7 employee assistance programme

Paid volunteer days

5% defined contribution pension scheme

Cycle to Work scheme

Excellent office location in Kings X, London

Qualifications

• You possess a PhD or similar experience in AI security, embodied AI, or related fields.
• Experience in embodied AI, AI games, or game theory is desirable.
• You should have practical experience in engineering or startups.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical advisory and support to drive bold research programmes.
• Review project proposals and provide technical insight.
• Build and maintain relationships with key ecosystem players.

Skills

Strong technical foundations in mathematics

Hacker-like mindset

Entrepreneurial spirit

Ability to manage projects from start to completion

Ambition and hunger for achievement

Ability to articulate complex technical concepts

Highly adaptable to fast-paced environments

Education

PhD in Physics/Maths/Engineering or deep technical experience

Job description

Technical Specialist - Cyber-Physical Multi-Agent Systems

Department: Programmes

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Location: London

Reporting To: Alex Obadia

Compensation: £70,000 - £105,000 / year

Description

ARIA is a new kind of R&D funding agency. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.

We are growing our team to develop bold new approaches that can scale – from programmes to systems, processes and everything in between. If that sounds fun, come and build ARIA with us.

Learn more about how we work here.

Role Summary

As an ARIA Technical Specialist, you will have the rare chance to catalyse breakthroughs that could change the world. You'll sit alongside the Programme Director, Alex Obadia, as well as the rest of the team in ARIA’s Trust Everything, Everywhere opportunity space – Sarath Murugan, Edith Clare-Hall, Nicola Greco —working on an emergent programme in this space. You’ll be exposed to every aspect of the programme's technical management from design through approval, project selection, and delivery. We’re looking for an adaptable technical professional who’s strongly motivated by the opportunity to catalyse a technological step change. You’ll be working in a bold, talented & agile team, funding projects (Creators) across the entire R&D ecosystem, from startups to universities, in the pursuit of groundbreaking advancements that will shape the future of science & technology.

Meet Alex Obadia is a member of ARIA’s second cohort of Programme Directors.

The Trust Everything Everywhere team is developing a programme aiming to build the foundations for AI agents—digital and embodied—to operate and coordinate in untrusted environments. By enabling negotiation, collaboration, and exchange between autonomous systems, this work could collapse Coasean “transaction costs,” spark entirely new markets, and redefine how humans and machines work together across the digital and physical worlds.

Find out more about what they’re working on here.

“We are a lean, high-trust, high-performance team looking for someone to bring their own perspective to the table and turbocharge our efforts. We care more about your hunger to learn than your years of experience – and more about your ambition than your credentials.”

The scale of what we’re aiming to catalyze – trillion-pound markets, civilizational impact – will require hard work. For the right person, this is a unique opportunity to become a co-owner of an ambitious R&D agenda, to grow faster than ever, and to set yourself up for the next defining step of your career after ARIA.

– Alex Obadia, Programme Director

What you'll do

The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following:

• Technical Programme Advisory and Support
• Act as the technical lead, with the Programme Director and their Programme Specialist, to shape and deliver a bold programme of research aimed at enabling AI agents, both embodied and digital, to coordinate with one another in untrusted settings.
• Review project proposals, grant applications, assess technical milestones, and stay close to the ground on what’s being built and tested by Creator teams.
• Plan, lead, and contribute to technical discussions in project meetings, workshops, and formal reviews, bringing depth, challenge, and direction to every interaction.
• Provide evidence-based technical insight to the Programme Director and the ARIA team to support high-quality decisions and sharpen the programme’s strategic direction.
• Confidently communicate complex scientific ideas surrounding the programme to stakeholders, from government and funders to key players across the ecosystem.
• Identify emerging trends and surface the most promising technologies, people, and ideas across the programme and its surrounding opportunity space.
• Co-author white papers, open calls, and technical reviews that articulate the ambition of the programme and set a clear, compelling vision for external communities.
• Work closely with the Programme Specialist and Creator teams to drive project delivery, tracking against ambitious technical milestones, benchmarking progress against the state of the art, and spotting opportunities for research cross-pollination to sustain momentum.
• Be the technical bridge between the Programme Director and functional teams, ensuring execution aligns with the needs of the ecosystem's understanding of the programme.

• Connecting the Programme to the Ecosystem
• Represent the programme, often on behalf of the Programme Director, at events, workshops and talks.
• Build trusted relationships with world-class researchers, labs, and founders working at the forefront of the programme’s focus area.
• Work closely with ARIA’s Activation Partners to ensure Creator teams can access the right tools, platforms, and networks to accelerate translation and achieve impact beyond ARIA’s direct reach.

• Define and Cultivate ARIA’s Technical Culture
• Collaborate across ARIA on funding models, budgets, tooling, and operational mechanisms to support effective, flexible funding and programme delivery.
• Contribute as a member of ARIA’s team of Technical Specialists (T-Specs), sharing best practices and learnings between programmes to strengthen ARIA’s portfolio of work.
• Help build and sustain ARIA’s scientific and operational culture.

Who you are

Essential Criteria

• You have strong technical foundations in mathematics, physics, or engineering that allow you to rapidly learn and adapt to new scientific and technical areas, comprehending key components of new disciplines from first principles.
• You have a hacker-like, DIY mindset; a tinkerer by nature, can prototype quickly, and red-team effectively. Ideally you have projects to share with us that you've worked on in the past.
• Entrepreneurial, you understand that the impact generated is more important than accolades or following a set process and are willing to start new initiatives and think outside of the box.
• Independent, you have the ability and track record to reliably take on a project from start to completion, manage it, self-impose standards of excellence, raising your hand when help is needed.
• You are hungry and ambitious; on a team level, pushing us to think hard about the biggest things we can achieve and ensuring we aim for the moon; on a personal level, setting big goals for yourself that we can help you achieve and support you in.
• You can uncover non-obvious opportunities and risks, connecting teams, ideas, and research threads in novel ways that drive adoption and translation
• You comprehend and articulate complex technical concepts and timelines clearly and with conviction, think and communicate with structure, and interrogate ideas effectively.
• Highly adaptable, you are okay with uncertainty and a fast-paced environment.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in embodied AI, and/or AI games, and/or game theory.
• Experience in physical-world fields, e.g. biology, quantum, neuroscience, robotics..
• Practical experience in engineering, startups, or other industry environments.
• AI-curious at the very least; ideally you've worked with/on AI already, or have thought deeply about the implications of AI on the world.
• You are obsessed about niche technologies, future technologies, and the future itself.
• You’re a creator, with evidence of turning their passions into something tangible—whether it's a company, an open-source project, a personal blog/podcast, or a thriving community.
• You have successfully performed technical assignments that require unconventional or novel approaches.
• You are skilled in identifying technical bottlenecks, risk analysis and resolution, tracking technical milestones, and reporting on complex technical projects.
• You have a strong working knowledge of the UK R&D ecosystem and how to activate relevant parts of it.

Qualifications

You have a Scientific qualification, with a preference for PhD in Physics/Maths/Engineering or other deep technical experience in one of the listed areas of interest, or similar; AI security, embodied AI, algorithmic game theory, etc.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
• Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
• Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave arrangements
• A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
• 2 days of paid volunteer days
• 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• An excellent office location in Kings X, London

Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to this, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar.

Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests are intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.

Please note; You will be required, as and when necessary, to travel to different locations around the UK and internationally to support projects, depending on the Programme you are designated to.

ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here.