Machine Learning Engineer AI/LLM Research (PhD Graduate or Final-Year PhD Candidate) Location: Belfast (Hybrid) Flexibility: Open to part-time arrangements for candidates finishing their PhD We are working with a well-funded company looking to hire a machine learning engineer with a strong academic background, particularly someone with experience in large language models. This role is ideal for someone who started their career in software development, gained hands-on commercial coding experience, and later moved into AI/ML research. They are open to hiring PhD graduates as well as final-year PhD candidates, offering flexible working arrangements, including part-time, to allow candidates to complete their research while gaining industry experience. Key Requirements: PhD (or upcoming PhD) in AI, NLP, machine learning, or a related field Strong experience with large language models, including fine-tuning, model evaluation, and prompt engineering Proficiency in Python with experience in PyTorch, NumPy, Pandas, and other key ML libraries Some commercial software development experience, ideally before transitioning into AI research Understanding of MLOps concepts such as model versioning, experiment tracking, and CI/CD for ML pipelines is a plus Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and taking ownership of technical challenges Whats on Offer: Flexible working, including part-time options for final-year PhD candidates Competitive salary Hybrid work model with a collaborative and high-impact team Opportunity to work in a well-funded company with experienced leadership The chance to work on challenging problems with real-world applications If you are looking for a role where you can apply your research while gaining hands-on industry experience, reach out for a confidential chat. Contact Daryl Crothers for more information Skills: llm ai ml Python