Senior Machine Learning Engineer

BT has set out on of one of the largest data transformation programmes in the UK in partnership with Google. Our business units have incredibly rich data sets that are evolving rapidly as we look to deliver the next generation of Digital products and services to our customers. It doesn't matter where we look there is not a unit or process that will not benefit from using Data & Analytics, from simple management information reports through to interactive & proactive marketing messages provided to support key business applications through our single version of the truth.  

Key to this transformation is the creation of a data fabric for which BT has selected Ab Initio as its core technology. BT's vision of the data fabric is a self-service technology which supports the safe movement and consolidation of BT's data at scale, through activated meta-data and automated policy enforcement.  This role will be responsible for architecting new Data Fabric pattern, triaging new Data Fabric demand and performing assurance for data integration solutions.

• Lead, mentor, and develop you engineering team, fostering a culture of learning and collaboration. 

• Architect and build on BT's MLOps stacks for fast, safe, and scalable ML/GenAI delivery with clear FinOps guardrails. 

• Design and implement production-grade ML/AI infrastructure, championing reusable patterns and best practices with Data Scientists, support, and engineering teams. 

• Embed FinOps, security, and data privacy into every stage of the ML/AI lifecycle. 

• Work closely with data scientists, engineers, and stakeholders to accelerate research-to-production using robust engineering practices and AI coding tools. 

• Define support strategies for long-term model health, including SLOs, drift monitoring, and feedback loops. 

• Lead deployment of LLM and GenAI services on platforms like Amazon Bedrock and Google Vertex AI. 

• Design and translate infrastructure for GenAI applications: vector databases, embeddings, retrieval/RAG, model gateways, GPU management, observability, and cost monitoring. 

• Promote experiment tracking and model management tools (e.g., Weights & Biases). 

• Ensure strong software engineering practices: code review, testing, documentation, and version control.

• Bachelor's degree, MSc, or equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field. 

• Professional certifications in AWS, GCP, or Azure (Architect, Engineering, or ML) are highly desirable. 

• 5+ years in ML/AI engineering, cloud engineering, or MLOps (or 3+ years with exceptional impact). 

• Deep expertise in at least one major cloud platform (AWS, GCP, or Azure); knowledge of Vertex AI or equivalent required. 

• Proven experience building, debugging, and deploying ML pipelines for large-scale, high-throughput, low-latency applications. 

• Production-level fluency managing components in Python, Docker, and deploying ML/AI services (e.g., FastAPI). Supporting skills in SQL and advanced use of Terraform, Pulumi, or AWS CDK. 

• Advanced expertise in CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions) and MLOps pipelining services (Kubeflow, TFX, Kedro, or MLflow). 

• Practical experience deploying LLMs and other AI models, with understanding of sourcing, performance, quantization, batching, inference service management, metrics, and design trade-offs. 

• Demonstrated experience managing FinOps, security, and data privacy in ML/AI systems. 

• Proven ability to work directly with data scientists, stakeholders, and as part of Agile squads. 

• Experience leading, mentoring, and developing a positive engineering team culture. 

• Personal commitment to continuous learning and professional development.

Looking in:

Leading inclusively and Safely

I inspire and build trust through self-awareness, honesty and integrity.

Owning outcomes

I take the right decisions that benefit the broader organisation.

Looking out:

Delivering for the customer

I execute brilliantly on clear priorities that add value to our customers and the wider business.

Commercially savvy

I demonstrate strong commercial focus, bringing an external perspective to decision-making.

Looking to the future:

Growth mindset

I experiment and identify opportunities for growth for both myself and the organisation.

Building for the future

I build diverse future-ready teams where all individuals can be at their best.

About us

BT Group was the world's first telco and our heritage in the sector is unrivalled. As home to several of the UK's most recognised and cherished brands – BT, EE, Openreach and Plusnet, we have always played a critical role in creating the future, and we have reached an inflection point in the transformation of our business. 
 
Over the next two years, we will complete the UK's largest and most successful digital infrastructure project – connecting more than 25 million premises to full fibre broadband. Together with our heavy investment in 5G, we play a central role in revolutionising how people connect with each other. 
 
While we are through the most capital-intensive phase of our fibre investment, meaning we can reward our shareholders for their commitment and patience, we are absolutely focused on how we organise ourselves in the best way to serve our customers in the years to come. This includes radical simplification of systems, structures, and processes on a huge scale. Together with our application of AI and technology, we are on a path to creating the UK's best telco, reimagining the customer experience and relationship with one of this country's biggest infrastructure companies.  
 
Change on the scale we will all experience in the coming years is unprecedented. BT Group is committed to being the driving force behind improving connectivity for millions and there has never been a more exciting time to join a company and leadership team with the skills, experience, creativity, and passion to take this company into a new era.

A FEW POINTS TO NOTE:

Although these roles are listed as full-time, if you're a job share partnership, work reduced hours, or any other way of working flexibly, please still get in touch.

We will also offer reasonable adjustments for the selection process if required, so please do not hesitate to inform us.

DON'T MEET EVERY SINGLE REQUIREMENT?

Studies have shown that women and people who are disabled, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse or from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification and criteria. We're committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace where everyone can be their best, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every requirement on the Job Description, please apply anyway - you may just be the right candidate for this or other roles in our wider team.