Research & Development Engineer (AI, ML)
hace 3 días
Durham
Shape the Future of AI Innovation Move beyond delivery work into structured R&D where your technical insights directly influence strategic technology decisions. You'll explore cutting-edge AI and automation technologies, build evidence-based recommendations, and help define our innovation roadmap. About the Role We're building a disciplined R&D capability to explore emerging technologies, validate new approaches, and feed high-quality innovation into our Product and Engineering teams. As our AI Research Engineer / Analyst (R&D), you'll generate the technical evidence that supports strategic decisions. You'll research AI and automation technologies, evaluate vendors and tools, build timeboxed proofs of concept in Python and/or C# (accomplished coding skills required, but this is not a "developer" role), and produce clear, decision-ready outputs. This is not a BAU delivery role. It's structured, evidence-led innovation. You'll report functionally to the Head of R&D, with day-to-day coaching from the Senior R&D Engineer. Salary: £45K - £50K Basic + Bonus + Benefits (25 days holiday, 7% matched pension scheme, private health plan, flexible holiday purchase, remote or hybrid working & much more!) Location: Remote or North East. Hybrid office work / flexible / remote. Durham, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, etc. Although, we are very flexible to this, so more remote fine. As far down as Leeds or the other way & up toward Edinburgh! What You'll DoResearch & Evaluation • Scan the market for emerging AI, orchestration, and automation technologies, • Conduct structured vendor and platform evaluations, • Assess technical fit, integration complexity, security posture, cost, and viability, • Stay current with LLMs, AI APIs, frameworks, and cloud services, • Produce concise evidence packs and recommendation summariesHands-On Prototyping, • Build lightweight PoCs to validate APIs and technical hypotheses, • Explore AI capabilities practically (model behaviour, integration patterns, performance limits), • Own R&D documentation, decision logs, and handover packs, • Maintain backlog discipline and enforce stage-gate standards, • 2+ years in a technical analyst, research, or solutions-focused role, • Hands-on coding ability in Python and/or C# (We need some here, but you'll work with the Senior R&D engineer who will guide you on coding), • Practical understanding of AI/ML landscape (LLMs, APIs, strengths & limitations), • Strong analytical thinking and structured evaluation skills, • Excellent written communication — clear, concise, decision-ready outputs, • Self-directed working style with confident stakeholder engagement, • Experience building AI-integrated applications, • API and cloud platform exposure, • Vendor/technology selection experience, • Contributed to live evidence packs, • Helped standardise R&D evaluation templates, • Direct exposure to cutting-edge AI and automation, • Real influence over technology decisions, • Clear progression into Senior R&D or specialist AI roles Ready to shape our AI innovation strategy? Apply now and help us turn emerging technology into competitive advantage.