Director of Machine Learning

Our client is a non-profit organization committed to advancing research and creating technical solutions that enable safe-by-design AI systems.

They are seeking an experienced Machine Learning Manager to join a growing team working at the forefront of AI safety and advanced machine learning research.

This is a hands-on leadership role combining people management, technical leadership and research direction. You will lead a team of ML research scientists and engineers, drive complex projects, and bridge cutting-edge research with large-scale engineering execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor and develop a high-performing team of ML researchers and engineers.
• Drive technical hiring, including sourcing, interviewing and onboarding.
• Partner with technical and talent teams to scale the organisation.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive and intellectually rigorous culture.
• Support team members' technical growth and long-term development.

Technical Leadership

• Lead cross-functional teams tackling complex, open-ended ML and AI challenges.
• Provide technical direction across machine learning and deep learning research.
• Help shape and advance the research agenda.
• Drive rigorous, reproducible research at frontier model scale.
• Identify and resolve complex technical challenges and roadblocks.
• Translate advanced research concepts into practical, scalable implementations.
• Bridge scientific research with large-scale engineering execution.

Requirements

• PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Machine Learning or a related field.
• 10+ years' experience in machine learning and/or deep learning.
• 5+ years' experience leading technical projects and teams.
• Proven experience leading ML/deep learning research projects.
• Strong knowledge of foundation models and modern AI architectures.
• Experience tackling complex, open-ended research problems.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in a collaborative, matrix-style environment.
• Strong interest in AI safety and frontier machine learning research.
• Demonstrated ability to balance ambitious technical goals with a healthy, sustainable team culture.