Principal Machine Learning Engineer

We are hiring a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to work on cutting-edge R&D and translating research into customer-centric solutions.     As innovators in speech technology, our mission is to Understand Every Voice—a vision that has propelled us to be world leaders of Voice AI. Fuelled by innovation, inclusivity, and a passion for making a global impact through world-leading Speech AI, we're looking for an experienced Principal Machine Learning Engineer to accelerate our efforts towards exceptional speech solutions.   Our Modelling Team trains diverse models, including large self-supervised ones, supporting Speechmatics towards being the most accurate speech recognition system globally. It also ensures their deployment into production, working with the latest developments in ML, but also with the best engineering practices for software engineering and model serving.   This is a hands-on, technical leadership role with high ownership.  You will develop and deploy advanced speech systems that power our products as well as co-define the technical vision for ML, drive innovation, and mentor engineering teams. Your work will span the entire codebase.      What You’ll Do: Develop and deploy ML models, translating research into scalable, maintainable code and services  Optimise ML models for speed, accuracy, and cost efficiency  Evaluate and integrate cutting-edge approaches into our ML stack Identify and solve complex ML problems across the organisation Define and enforce best practices for code quality, model lifecycle management, etc. Mentor engineers and foster a culture of technical excellence and innovation Co-define the long-term technical vision   What We’re Looking For: Deep understanding of the modern Machine Learning stack, for example: Knowledge of contemporary transformer architectures (e.g., GQA, KV-caching) and best practices Expertise in distributed training techniques Familiarity with optimisation strategies for model inference (e.g., dynamic batching, flash attention, speculative decoding) Proven track record of developing and deploying models at scale Expertise in Python, ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch), and experience with cloud platforms Strong familiarity with MLOps principles, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)   With preferred backgrounds covering  some  of the following: Experience with speech-to-text or text-to-speech   Contributions to open-source projects or published research in top-tier conferences We encourage you to apply even if you do not feel you match all of the requirements exactly. The list of requirements is intended to show the kinds of experience and qualities we’re looking for, but it is not exhaustive. If you are interested in the role, the team, and our mission, we would love to consider your application. We are always open to conversations and look forward to hearing from you. Who we are: Speechmatics is the leading expert in Speech Intelligence, and uses AI and Machine Learning to unlock business value in human speech worldwide. We work with an amazing mix of global companies, and our technology can integrate into our customers stack irrespective of their industry or use case – making it the go-to solution to harness useful information from speech. Joining us means working with some of the smartest minds around the world, focused on cutting-edge projects and deploying the latest techniques to disrupt the market. We believe in putting people first; we’ll do all we can to help you develop your skills and give you the tools you need to thrive. Our Focus Fridays give you an undisturbed day of focus, offset with Together Tuesdays when we have our team meetings, so you've always got the right balance. We have structured a hybrid approach that includes 2-3 designated office days each week. This arrangement ensures that while we embrace the advantages of remote work, we also maintain the vital connection and synergy that only in-person interactions can foster. This is only the beginning; we’re looking for amazing people like you to continue our journey… What we can offer you: No matter what stage of your career you’re at - from paid internships and first-job opportunities through to management and senior positions - we’ll support you with the training and development needed to reach your career aspirations with us. There really is no shortage of opportunities here for you to get involved and collaborate with those around you to deliver your best work. We offer incredibly flexible working, regular company lunches, and birthday celebrations. But that’s not all. We’ve spoken to our teams to find out what they want. From Private Medical, and Dental for you and your family, through to global working opportunities, a generous holiday allowance and pension/401K matching, we want to make sure our employees and their families are looked aft