Senior Machine Learning Research Engineer - Speech

microTECH Global Limited; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - GBP 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in the UK is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Research Engineer specializing in audio and speech processing. This role requires an MSc/PhD and professional experience in AI and software development using Python. You will drive the research, design, and development of innovative AI algorithms, lead projects, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. The ideal candidate will have expertise in machine learning and audio technologies, as well as a strong publication record. Competitive compensation and a vibrant work environment are offered.

Qualifications

• MSc/PhD degree in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science/Engineering, or related field.
• Professional software development experience with Python.
• Deep understanding of machine learning and deep learning fundamentals.
• Strong experience in audio/speech processing.
• Proficiency with TensorFlow or PyTorch.

Responsibilities

• Drive research and development of AI algorithms focused on audio and speech.
• Develop software solutions for mobile devices.
• Deliver significant components of research projects.
• Collaborate with a team and provide mentorship.

Skills

Machine learning fundamentals

Audio/speech processing

Python

Deep learning frameworks

Problem-solving skills

Collaboration

Education

MSc/PhD in relevant field

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Git

Job description

As a Senior Machine Learning Research Engineer in Speech/Audio/Gen-AI, you will:

• Drive the research, design, development, and evaluation of innovative AI algorithms and models, with a primary focus on audio and speech processing.
• Lead the development of robust and scalable software solutions for deployment on flagship mobile devices.
• Independently own and deliver significant components of complex research projects, from initial concept to production readiness.
• Design, implement, and maintain high-quality, well-documented code, adhering to best software development practices.
• Collaborate closely with a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and engineers, providing technical guidance and mentorship.
• Proactively identify and address technical challenges, proposing creative solutions and ensuring the successful delivery of projects.
• Contribute to the development of internal tools and infrastructure to support research and development efforts.

Skills and Qualifications

Required Skills

• MSc/PhD degree in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, or a related discipline.
• Professional software development experience with Python (experience with C++, Java, or Kotlin is a plus).
• Deep understanding of machine learning and deep learning fundamentals, including various architectures, training techniques, and evaluation metrics.
• Strong experience in audio/speech processing, including areas such as speech recognition, speech enhancement, audio analysis, text-to-speech synthesis, and natural language processing.
• Proficiency with machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch.
• Solid understanding of software engineering principles, including version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and agile development methodologies.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research ideas into practical, production-ready solutions.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with in generative AI, particularly in the context of audio/speech technologies.
• A strong publication record in top-tier machine learning, artificial intelligence, or signal processing conferences and journals (e.g., ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, CVPR, SysML, INTERSPEECH, ICASSP, IEEE/ACM TASLP, IEEE TPAMI, JMLR).
• Experience with open-source speech processing toolkits (e.g., Hugging Face Transformers, SpeechBrain, ESPnet, Kaldi, NeMo).
• Experience developing and deploying AI models on Android mobile platforms.
• Proven experience in building and maintaining large-scale, distributed training pipelines.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).