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Machine Learning

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Senior Machine Learning Engineer – Department for Business and Trade

Salary: £68,732–£88,423 per year
Location: Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London and Manchester
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, part-time or flexible working
Grade: Grade 7
Vacancies: 1
Reference: 486190
Closing date: Friday, 30 October 2026, at 12 noon

Job Overview

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is recruiting a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to help develop and deliver secure, reliable and production-ready machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership across the machine learning lifecycle, working with data scientists, software engineers, platform engineers and product teams to turn complex business challenges into scalable technology solutions.

This role offers an opportunity to influence the department’s approach to AI, establish engineering standards and improve how machine learning services are developed, deployed and maintained across government.

Salary and Working Arrangements

  • London: £72,732–£88,423 per year.
  • National locations: £68,732–£84,423 per year.
  • Salary will depend on skills and capability assessed at interview.
  • Hybrid working, averaging 2–3 days per week in the office, on a pro-rata basis.
  • Flexible working options, including condensed hours.
  • The role can only be performed from within the UK, not overseas.

Visa Sponsorship Status

Visa sponsorship is not confirmed in the vacancy advert.

The advert does not state that Skilled Worker visa sponsorship is available. Applicants who require sponsorship should contact the recruitment team before applying to confirm whether sponsorship can be considered for this position.

The role also requires Security Check (SC) clearance. The department requires applicants to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the previous 5 years. Applicants who cannot meet this requirement will have their applications rejected or offers withdrawn.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

  • Leading the design, development and deployment of complex machine learning solutions.
  • Managing the machine learning lifecycle, including data preparation, feature engineering, model development, evaluation, deployment and monitoring.
  • Establishing engineering standards covering testing, version control, code reviews, documentation, security and maintainability.
  • Developing MLOps practices, including automated testing, continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD), model monitoring and reproducible workflows.
  • Advising on technical architecture, scalability, performance, reliability and engineering risks.
  • Identifying opportunities to use AI and machine learning to support departmental priorities.
  • Promoting responsible and ethical AI, including fairness, transparency, privacy, data protection and bias management.
  • Coaching colleagues, sharing knowledge and strengthening machine learning engineering capability across the organisation.
  • Evaluating emerging technologies and improving existing machine learning products and services.

Essential Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate:

  • Experience leading the end-to-end machine learning lifecycle, from complex datasets and feature engineering to production deployment, monitoring, assurance, incident response and continuous improvement. This is the lead criterion.
  • Significant programming and software engineering experience, using Python or similar languages to develop scalable and maintainable solutions.
  • Strong knowledge of machine learning models, statistical methods and mathematical techniques for solving real-world problems.
  • Experience with MLOps, CI/CD, automated testing and deployment, model monitoring and reproducible workflows.
  • Experience providing technical leadership, making architectural decisions and managing technical risks.
  • The ability to influence strategy, collaborate across multidisciplinary teams, communicate technical concepts clearly and develop engineering standards.

Desirable Experience

The following would be advantageous:

  • Deploying machine learning solutions in cloud environments such as AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud Platform.
  • Experience with containerisation, infrastructure as code, observability, security controls and operational support.
  • Knowledge of responsible AI, model assurance, data ethics, privacy, fairness, transparency and bias mitigation.

Behaviours and Technical Skills

Candidates will be assessed against the following Civil Service behaviours:

  • Leadership
  • Changing and Improving
  • Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills assessed will include:

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  • Applied mathematics, statistics and scientific practices.
  • Programming and software engineering.
  • Communicating between technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Data ethics and privacy.

Benefits

The Department for Business and Trade offers:

  • A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
  • Annual leave starting at 25 days, increasing to 30 days with service.
  • Three paid volunteering days per year.
  • Learning and development tailored to the role.
  • Flexible and hybrid working arrangements.
  • An employee benefits programme, including cycle-to-work schemes.
  • An inclusive working environment that encourages professional development.

Application and Selection Process

Applicants must submit:

  • A two-page CV outlining relevant experience and achievements.
  • A 750-word personal statement explaining how they meet the essential skills and experience requirements.

Applications will be assessed under the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering experience, behaviours and technical skills.

Important recruitment dates:

  • Sifting is expected to begin during the week commencing 2 November 2026.
  • Interviews are expected to begin during the week commencing 16 November 2026.

These dates are indicative and may change.

If applications are high in number, the initial sift may focus exclusively on the lead criterion: experience of managing the complete machine learning lifecycle in production environments.

Interviews will assess relevant technical skills and Civil Service behaviours. Offers will be made in merit order, taking location preferences into account. Candidates who pass the interview threshold but are not initially selected may be placed on a 12-month reserve list.

Security and Eligibility Requirements

The successful candidate must undergo the required criminal record and security checks, including Security Check (SC) clearance.

The department states that applicants must have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the previous 5 years to meet its SC clearance requirement.

The role is broadly open to eligible UK nationals, Irish nationals, qualifying Commonwealth nationals with the right to work in the UK, certain EU and other eligible nationals with the required status, and other groups specified in the official nationality requirements.

Applicants should review the full eligibility conditions before submitting an application.

How to Apply

To apply, visit the official Civil Service Jobs vacancy page and follow the application instructions. Prepare your two-page CV and 750-word personal statement before submitting your application.

Closing date: Friday, 30 October 2026, at 12 noon.

Recruitment contact: DDaT Recruitment
Email: Ddat.recruitment@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Source: Department for Business and Trade, via Civil Service Jobs. Vacancy reference: 486190.

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