Lead Machine Learning Engineer

We specialise in turning advances in sensing, AI, and communications into operational capability for the edge, where connectivity may be degraded or denied. Our work focuses on accelerating the deployment of technology, improving decision-making for frontline teams, and protecting people and critical assets in demanding environments.

Headquartered in Bristol, Rowden employs around 200 people and operates over 20,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing facilities. We have a growing international footprint and are one of Europe’s fastest-growing engineering businesses. 
About the role

As part of this journey, we are growing our ML team rapidly. The team works end-to-end, from applied R&D to deployment, across deep learning, data engineering, large models and LLM/agentic systems. Our work spans R&D contracts with the MOD and wider government, deploying ML onto edge and embedded hardware, and the assurance and testing that shows those systems can be trusted.

As a Craft Lead, you will lead and develop a team of ML engineers working across our projects and products. You will be responsible for their development, their performance and the quality of their craft, and for how the team works. You will spend roughly 70% of your time on hands-on ML engineering and 30% leading the team.

You will need real ML expertise of your own and still enjoy doing the work, but you will not be expected to match the depth of our principal engineers—your focus is the team and the craft. You will work closely with them and with our technical and delivery leads, and report to the Head of ML.

No prior defence experience is required. We’re interested in people who’ve built and deployed AI systems in demanding environments and are passionate about delivering tangible value to end users, whatever the sector.

While this role offers hybrid working options, it requires a minimum of 3 days per week on-site at our Bristol HQ, with occasional travel to customer sites.
Candidates must be eligible for Developed Vetting (DV) clearance.
More information about security clearance is available here:

Salary
For senior roles, compensation is tailored to the scope of the role and the specific experience a candidate brings. Because that can vary significantly, we do not always publish a fixed salary band. We will, however, discuss compensation openly at the first stage of the process and can share an indicative range before either side invests significant time.